lastcowboy32
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- Jan 20, 2014
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We are from Central NY.
This was the first winter that we kept our dairy herd in a "coverall" on a bedded pack. We've used traditional stancions and we've done packs indoors before, along with removing "plops" once a day and putting down a thin layer of dry bedding.
This type of pack was new to us, in that hay/bedding was being added; but plops weren't being removed. The animals stayed fairly clean; but they weren't spotless like before. This pack also would freeze hard on cold nights, due to the coverall only having about six foot high wind barrierson the ends.
We were feeding hay, free choice salt blocks and free choice water. No grain, as the cows in this group were dry.
Anyway. We have had a very cold winter this year; and I thought that the worst was over. During feeding about a week ago, I walked among the cows and preg-checked the old fashioned way with a quick fist bump on animals that would stand for me. I preg-checked "Princess" and found her handling a nice calf. Our breeding records indicated that she should have a month to go. She was in good shape, eating well and a little hard to sneak up on and preg check.
The next day, during feeding, I noticed that she had a runny nose, not much worse than I've seen here and there on a cow. She also was less active at feeding time and sort of hung back. By the next day, I brought a syringe of Tylan 200 with me. I had treated one or two stuffy noses like this already this winter. However, I needed to tail her to stand her up. The mucous was now green with some blood from her left nostril. She had no appetite. She did drink a little water that I carried to her. About three to five gallons. She went and stood with the other cows that were eating; but only sniffed at the hay. I gave her the antibiotics. Twelve hours later, could not stand, wouldn't drink water. Twelve hours after that, dead as a doornail on her side.
IBR? Lepto? Rabies? I don't know. Just seems way too fast.
This was the first winter that we kept our dairy herd in a "coverall" on a bedded pack. We've used traditional stancions and we've done packs indoors before, along with removing "plops" once a day and putting down a thin layer of dry bedding.
This type of pack was new to us, in that hay/bedding was being added; but plops weren't being removed. The animals stayed fairly clean; but they weren't spotless like before. This pack also would freeze hard on cold nights, due to the coverall only having about six foot high wind barrierson the ends.
We were feeding hay, free choice salt blocks and free choice water. No grain, as the cows in this group were dry.
Anyway. We have had a very cold winter this year; and I thought that the worst was over. During feeding about a week ago, I walked among the cows and preg-checked the old fashioned way with a quick fist bump on animals that would stand for me. I preg-checked "Princess" and found her handling a nice calf. Our breeding records indicated that she should have a month to go. She was in good shape, eating well and a little hard to sneak up on and preg check.
The next day, during feeding, I noticed that she had a runny nose, not much worse than I've seen here and there on a cow. She also was less active at feeding time and sort of hung back. By the next day, I brought a syringe of Tylan 200 with me. I had treated one or two stuffy noses like this already this winter. However, I needed to tail her to stand her up. The mucous was now green with some blood from her left nostril. She had no appetite. She did drink a little water that I carried to her. About three to five gallons. She went and stood with the other cows that were eating; but only sniffed at the hay. I gave her the antibiotics. Twelve hours later, could not stand, wouldn't drink water. Twelve hours after that, dead as a doornail on her side.
IBR? Lepto? Rabies? I don't know. Just seems way too fast.