Crazy calving season

[Travlr]

Looking up Bermuda grass toxicity........The grass itself is not toxic. However, there is/are a couple of funguses that thrive in high heat and humidity that I found that could be suspect. The livestock effected was listed as horses, but your conditions were unusual and seem they may have been the right combination for a disaster that you weren't aware of.

Fungus was what I was thinking when I asked about feeding hay. Moldy hay will cause early births/miscarriages.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Fungus was what I was thinking when I asked about feeding hay. Moldy hay will cause early births/miscarriages.

The fungus would thrive on the Bermuda grass after the heat and humidity from the hurricane. Particularly bad in tropical areas. We are on the same page here.

My initial thought was the endophyte fungus in fescue, but fungus isn't exclusive to fescue either.

 

[Farm Family]

This has not been a great calving season. Started with a bull calf that was 6 weeks early he made it but bw of 38 pounds is not our goal. 2nd calf stillborn heifer Another 6 weeks early…..crap then a first calf heifer with a 39# bull calf what the heck so you see the trend we ended up with 15 calves that were 6weeks to a month early. We are almost finished calving now just a dozen or so to go. One calf weighed 23 pounds folks I'm not making this crap up I had a friend tell me I better get a different bull lol I had to tell him there were 8 different bulls represented with these little calves, many leading AI sires. Cows are in great shape we have been in severe drought and heat has been brutal. One thing I know about raising cattle is once you think you have it figured out they will sure show you that you don't!

Exactly as you say "once you think you have it figured out they will show you that you don't!" This is not a stress anyone needs. We have experienced premies but always isolated incidents not a group such as what you are experiencing. Do let us know if you figure it out. Makes me "brace" for what's ahead when I hear things like this…you never know…could be any of us.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

Exactly as you say "once you think you have it figured out they will show you that you don't!" This is not a stress anyone needs. We have experienced premies but always isolated incidents not a group such as what you are experiencing. Do let us know if you figure it out. Makes me "brace" for what's ahead when I hear things like this…you never know…could be any of us.

Doesn't sound like it was isolated to his farm, which makes me think it's an environmental factor of some sort. Sounds like some farms worse than others, vhich makes me think oo something that may be somewhat variable, as in maturity of pastures.........coming from a grazing specialist who has a degree in animal science that walked away from being admitted to a vet school.

 

[coachg]

I would blame it on the drought and heat you folks have endured this summer. My folks up the road at Atmore Al suffered their worse peanut and cotton crop ever . I'm nervous about our spring calf crop being affected by our current conditions .

 

[Mark Reynolds]

I would blame it on the drought and heat you folks have endured this summer. My folks up the road at Atmore Al suffered their worse peanut and cotton crop ever . I'm nervous about our spring calf crop being affected by our current conditions .

Get your hay tested for potential toxins, especially fungus related toxins as @Travlr and myself have been discussing, and then get some hay from up north if the results are unfavorable.

If it was a fungus in the Bermuda Grass pasture, you can bet it will be in the Bermuda Grass hay.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

I would blame it on the drought and heat you folks have endured this summer. My folks up the road at Atmore Al suffered their worse peanut and cotton crop ever . I'm nervous about our spring calf crop being affected by our current conditions .

You wouldn't be wrong to blame the heat, even if it is a fungus. The heat created the environment for the fungus to thrive in.

 

[Warren Allison]

Are you using all the same breed bulls?

Yeah, they raise registered black Angus cattle, so pretty sure the bulls are all the same breed!

 

[redcowsrule33]

With severe drought comes nitrates which can cause tiny calves.

 

[redcowsrule33]

Article from Angus bulletin

 

[Mountaintown Creek Ranch]

Great read. Thanks for posting.

 

[coachg]

Article from Angus bulletin

Ding , ding ! I lost one about a month ago in our herd with close grazed pasture that I've had to feed hay to the longest . Other herd I had plenty of grass for ; be it tall fescue. No tiny calves there .

 

[simme]

I agree that high nitrate levels in the grass and hay might be the issue. I assume the pastures are mainly Bahia. Were there any millet or grasses known for tendency to accumulate nitrates? Drought and irregular rain can cause nitrates to jump. And seems like different cows in the same pasture can be affected differently.

 

[gizmom]

Looking up Bermuda grass toxicity........The grass itself is not toxic. However, there is/are a couple of funguses that thrive in high heat and humidity that I found that could be suspect. The livestock effected was listed as horses, but your conditions were unusual and seem they may have been the right combination for a disaster that you weren't aware of.

I'm thinking of cases several years back in KY. Many horses were aborting but no one could figure it out. There were black cherry trees present, but the horses absolutely were not eating them. There was a serious bagworm population explosion on the black cherry trees that year. The bagworms were consuming the black cherry, pooping on the ground (grasses) which the horses ate, and the horses were being poisoned by the black cherry that way, and aborting.

Our pastures are not Bermuda they are Bahia grass different varieties

 

[Ebenezer]

Are the bull calves smaller than the heifer calves?

 

[blackladies]

Did the vet do blood work? Had an open rate of less than 5% at the place I was working on over a thousand head and then came to one group of 200 that had an open rate of over %20, recently aborted, and mummy calves. Vet did blood work and Neospora caninum was the cause. Not saying that was the cause in your case but blood work helped solve it for us.

 

[gizmom]

Are the bull calves smaller than the heifer calve

 

[gizmom]

Good question I know the ratio of heifers to bulls has been 2/1 but I have not evaluated if bulls have been lighter than heifers. I will research that and get back to you. What are you thinking?

 

[gizmom]

Did the vet do blood work? Had an open rate of less than 5% at the place I was working on over a thousand head and then came to one group of 200 that had an open rate of over %20, recently aborted, and mummy calves. Vet did blood work and Neospora caninum was the cause. Not saying that was the cause in your case but blood work helped solve it for us.

Yes bloodwork done nothing found we even tested the well water.

 

[gizmom]

I agree that high nitrate levels in the grass and hay might be the issue. I assume the pastures are mainly Bahia. Were there any millet or grasses known for tendency to accumulate nitrates? Drought and irregular rain can cause nitrates to jump. And seems like different cows in the same pasture can be affected differently.

that makes sense because it has been very random and different cows in different pastures.