dead cows

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Are they on rye grass? If so could be from Grass tetnia (sp). Lack of Magnesium and minerals.
> help what could it be? have had
> two cows die, standing one minute
> dead the next and they bloat can't
> be from heat temp has been in the
> 30's

> thanks barb

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They can die from blackleg pretty fast also. I would have a vet or university do an autopsy.
 
I alerted the board to this problem about two weeks ago. It's about 2 months early in this area/ Eaglewerks

> Are they on rye grass? If so could
> be from Grass tetnia (sp). Lack of
> Magnesium and minerals.

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> thanks lance. but we vacc. for
> blackleg.

Barbara, Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I saw your reply and wanted to make you aware that just because you vaccinated, does not mean you have protection in 100% of your animals. Seems like I remember someone at a livestock health meeting saying that 60-80% "take" was pretty good. Thus the need for a booster shot, to increase the number of animals protected.

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> Barbara, Sorry to hear about your
> misfortune. I saw your reply and
> wanted to make you aware that just
> because you vaccinated, does not
> mean you have protection in 100%
> of your animals. Seems like I
> remember someone at a livestock
> health meeting saying that 60-80%
> "take" was pretty good.
> Thus the need for a booster shot,
> to increase the number of animals
> protected.

thanks , but found out it was nitrate poisoning, and we do give booster shots.

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This may be a dumb question, but do you know how they got nitrate poisoning?

> help what could it be? have had
> two cows die, standing one minute
> dead the next and they bloat can't
> be from heat temp has been in the
> 30's

> thanks barb

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Nitarte poisoning is generally caused by drought stressed heavily fertilzed forage or grains. Sudan and it's highbreds, corn, millet and others can cause the problem. They take up the nitrogen, and due to lack of growth it is concentrated.

dun

> got it out of the feed, to high of
> nitate concentration.
 
Was this bought feed, or do you make up your own? If purchased, can you do anything about it, or do you just have to take the loss? Thanks for the info.

> Nitarte poisoning is generally
> caused by drought stressed heavily
> fertilzed forage or grains. Sudan
> and it's highbreds, corn, millet
> and others can cause the problem.
> They take up the nitrogen, and due
> to lack of growth it is
> concentrated.

> dun

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> Was this bought feed, or do you
> make up your own? If purchased,
> can you do anything about it, or
> do you just have to take the loss?
> Thanks for the info.

yes we bought the hay and yes we will just have to take our losses

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A hard lesson, but anyhay bought from an outside source should be tested before feeding if possible. Some types should be tested before feeding no matter what. If you don't know the analysis it's hard and can be very expensive to feed. If it has inadequate nutrition for the animals being fed it's expensive because of possible lack of growth or loss of body condition. If it a very hot hay, you may be wastig money feeding a supplement with it. When we get an anlysis the 3 things we are most concerned with is protein, TDN and nitrates. The other things are handy to know, but those 3 are crucial

dun

> yes we bought the hay and yes we
> will just have to take our losses
 
As usual, I think Dun hit it right on point on the hay testing. If I didn't personally see the hay field growing and being cut I'd always have it tested for nitrates & prussic acid, ESPECIALLY if it is Sudan, Haygrazer or Johnsongrass hay. Find a good hay man and consider sticking with him. Ask direct questions of your hay supplier regarding the growing conditions, whether or not he had the hay tested, etc. Having done that, and if he lies to you, you may have some legal recourse (although, generally speaking, I hate the litigous nature of our society). I know of several cases of hay men have been successfully sued for selling "horse quality" hay to horse owners where the hay was far from "horse quality". Also, a lot of unscrupulous (or simply unknowing) guys will bale really drought stressed hay and sell it without testing it. I've never felt the need to test Bermuda or Bahia for nitrates, but of course protein testing would still be good do do. It's always a good idea to know how much nutritional value your hay has so you know if certain supplementation is warranted. The tests can be done quite inexpensively at your local ag school, county extension office, etc.
 

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