I don't know why but....

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Jogeephus

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..... for some reason the words of Dr. Ken McMillan comes to mind. In the May issue of Progressive Farmer he tells of visiting a cattle operation where the owners went the all natural route because they did not believe in using conventional wormers and instead chose to use diatomaceous earth and sea kelp to worm their cattle. Upon examining a dead calf and viewing rough coated yearling calves which looked only be 3-4 months old he said this was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he had ever seen. Worms, coccidia and blackleg was rampant.

I don't know why but I've just been wondering what this situation would have been like had they been using ceritified organic sea kelp. :???: Any thoughts?
 
Jogeephus":brm1ykf1 said:
..... for some reason the words of Dr. Ken McMillan comes to mind. In the May issue of Progressive Farmer he tells of visiting a cattle operation where the owners went the all natural route because they did not believe in using conventional wormers and instead chose to use diatomaceous earth and sea kelp to worm their cattle. Upon examining a dead calf and viewing rough coated yearling calves which looked only be 3-4 months old he said this was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he had ever seen. Worms, coccidia and blackleg was rampant.

I don't know why but I've just been wondering what this situation would have been like had they been using ceritified organic sea kelp. :???: Any thoughts?

That is what the weaner (nine month old) calves were like on my current farm when I first viewed it.
Well what I'm wondering is when a guy is keeping cattle in that state and the authorities have been involved - why is he still permitted to keep livestock?
 
going the natural route is not a way to find out that so called natural remedies do not work. If you manage your grazing properly you do not need to use wormer of any sort because you have managed the problem away. Reducing the use of medications and chemicals requires a higher level of management not the same or reduced level
 
Jogeephus":2z88i8eg said:
..... for some reason the words of Dr. Ken McMillan comes to mind. In the May issue of Progressive Farmer he tells of visiting a cattle operation where the owners went the all natural route because they did not believe in using conventional wormers and instead chose to use diatomaceous earth and sea kelp to worm their cattle. Upon examining a dead calf and viewing rough coated yearling calves which looked only be 3-4 months old he said this was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he had ever seen. Worms, coccidia and blackleg was rampant.

I don't know why but I've just been wondering what this situation would have been like had they been using ceritified organic sea kelp. :???: Any thoughts?
For some ungodly reason it seems many nutritionist are really riding the "Kelp Meal" wave, usually under the name of "TASCO" instead of hte standard sea kelp. Not a thimble worth of difference other than it cost about 4 times as much as the regular kelp meal. AND it all comes from the sea and is all organic with the exception of whatever might runoff the watershed into the ocean. Really has very little nutritional value other than a supply of iodine and numerous other trace minerals in such microscopic amounts as to not even be able to disclose the amounts of each. A lot of these "all natural" folks also think DE does a good job of worming. Fecal testing does not normally substantiate this claim.
 
1wlimo":3iuqpamz said:
going the natural route is not a way to find out that so called natural remedies do not work. If you manage your grazing properly you do not need to use wormer of any sort because you have managed the problem away. Reducing the use of medications and chemicals requires a higher level of management not the same or reduced level

Climate and location plays too big a role for a broad statement such as this to apply
 
Jogeephus":qntf4kvu said:
chose to use diatomaceous earth and sea kelp to worm their cattle.

The only things I've ever used Diatomatious Earth for were in a Diatom Filter for fish tanks and I use it on some of my plants in the vegetable garden to help with insect damage (woodstove ashes are also good at killing cutworms). Years ago had a neighbor use it in their swimming pool filtration system.

I don't see how it would work for internal parasites and be effective.

Many folks consider my animals "all natural" even though I use 'chemical' de-wormers, and I vaccinate and feed loose mineral and use rubs and/or pour-on fly control. They consider them "all natural" because I don't use growth hormones or antibiotics (unless the animal has a sickness which requires them), implants, etc.

As for kelp, I don't see how that could be used for an anthelmintic either. A dietary supplement....perhaps...but not as parasite control.

That cattle operation that Mr. McMillan visited sounds like it has some serious management issues! As in lack of good sound management practices.

Katherine
 
Knersie I agree.

Had some guys up here trying to tell us that the brown stomach worm is the cause of our losing pounds off our cattle. I had said it was lice.
Talked to my vet and he said I was right.
 
regolith":aa7x9wmw said:
Jogeephus":aa7x9wmw said:
..... for some reason the words of Dr. Ken McMillan comes to mind. In the May issue of Progressive Farmer he tells of visiting a cattle operation where the owners went the all natural route because they did not believe in using conventional wormers and instead chose to use diatomaceous earth and sea kelp to worm their cattle. Upon examining a dead calf and viewing rough coated yearling calves which looked only be 3-4 months old he said this was one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he had ever seen. Worms, coccidia and blackleg was rampant.

I don't know why but I've just been wondering what this situation would have been like had they been using ceritified organic sea kelp. :???: Any thoughts?

That is what the weaner (nine month old) calves were like on my current farm when I first viewed it.
Well what I'm wondering is when a guy is keeping cattle in that state and the authorities have been involved - why is he still permitted to keep livestock?

The world is no so bad as it seemed... I heard rumour today that the gentleman concerned is *not* in fact permitted to have livestock. Whether he's been in breach or some exception was made I dunno but my guess would be that the rumour is accurate.
 
My neighbor that shared similar operational management techniques has also been plucked by the powers that be. With the few animals he now has you can barely see their ribs anymore. Its amazing how much nice they look since he's been forced out of the organic business.
 

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