Digital Dermatitis spread

[mkb]

I have an opportunity to get some manure from a feedlot spread on some of my hayland at no cost to me. It would help increase my hay yield and re-invigorate a field that doesn't produce well without fertilizer inputs. The feedlot, however, is feeding a lot of holstein feeders.
They have roller-compacted concrete in all of their pens and they claim they don't have a problem with digital dermatitis, but I'm sure the feeders have been exposed to it and my understanding is that once an animal has digital dermatitis it stays with them, but it is manageable.
I'm wondering what the risk is to introduce the bacteria that causes digital dermatitis to my beef herd. I don't graze the hayland very heavy, but during drought years when I run short of grass in the fall I sometimes use my hayland for fall grazing. If I do this, the manure would be trucked in, and piled for 4-5 months to compost before being spread.
If anyone knows what the risk of introducing digital dermatitis to my herd is, I would appreciate your words of wisdom!

 

[Son of Butch]

Treponema, a spirochete bacteria is found worldwide - more studies on pathogens and environment would need to be done to give you a honest assessment of the risk.

My guess and it only a guess, is that in your case, the reward far out weighs the risk of your introducing digital dermatitis to your herd. You might already have the pathogen, but the environment in which your cattle are kept prevents the conditions required for a cow to get it.
Best of Luck.

 

[Buck Randall]

Where are you located and what's your climate like?

The bacteria that causes digital dermatitis is an anaerobe, which means it doesn't grow in the presence of oxygen. For cattle to get lesions, their feet need to be wet and covered in mud or manure for an extended period of time. If you're in the desert, there's virtually no risk. If your cattle spend time cooling themselves in ponds or standing in manure around hay rings in the winter, that's when the risk goes up.

 

[mkb]

I'm in Alberta. The hay field has several low areas (temporary wetlands) where water accumulates seasonally and have high salt concentrations. The cows often congregate in these areas when its hot. However, I'm more worried about the cows transporting the bacteria on their feet back to my home place where we winter the cows and that become muddy, particularly during the spring and after significant precipitation events.

 

[Buck Randall]

I'm in Alberta. The hay field has several low areas (temporary wetlands) where water accumulates seasonally and have high salt concentrations. The cows often congregate in these areas when its hot. However, I'm more worried about the cows transporting the bacteria on their feet back to my home place where we winter the cows and that become muddy, particularly during the spring and after significant precipitation events.

Your worries are valid. I wouldn't recommend spreading manure from a feedlot on any fields that you graze in that situation. Digital dermatitis is one of a few diseases that will be in it, and can live in the environment for a long time under the right conditions.

I know a guy who got digital dermatitis in his beef herd after renting one of his pastures to a dairy farmer for a summer. The cattle never mixed and the pasture sat empty all winter, but his cows broke out with heel warts when they were in that pasture the following summer. Now it's all over the farm and he periodically sees flare ups.

 

[angus9259]

johnnes. the list is endless I suspect. if you have a closed herd you're bringing everyone else's herd into yours. at least Johnnes just kills em dead. dermititis you fight for a lifetime.