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Milk Fever
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<blockquote data-quote="regolith" data-source="post: 1360654" data-attributes="member: 9267"><p>Just adding to what TB said about low calcium diets pre-calving - that is part of my problem, and why I said I'd expect milk fever under a grass/hay/free choice mineral lick situation.</p><p>Grass is too high in calcium to reduce calcium levels to the point where they are drawing it from their bones at calving.</p><p>NZ dairy farmers generally focus on providing magnesium to dry cows, to ensure that lack of magnesium is not complicating calcium availability. This magnesium is *not* given free choice, it's added to food or water or put directly down the cow's throat. I have additional issues here in that providing magnesium is not enough to prevent cows getting milk fever, so I treat a lot of it. Hasn't been much of a problem this year, and I'm not going to tell TB what I've changed about the mineral programme either. one of my 12 yr olds that has had it every year had a set of huge twin bulls and never showed a sign of it... the other 12 yr old has also had it every year since she was seven and got it again, stood up on her own after treatment.</p><p></p><p>I'd never cull a cow for having milk fever as a six or seven year old. The cows I've culled or intended to cull (sometimes they beat me to it by dying of it) are in their teens and have had it year after year after year, so I know for sure they're going to get it again next calving. Yes, the same cows do get it every calving but as that represents about 50% of the cows that are old enough to get it, I just manage it, I don't cull for it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="regolith, post: 1360654, member: 9267"] Just adding to what TB said about low calcium diets pre-calving - that is part of my problem, and why I said I'd expect milk fever under a grass/hay/free choice mineral lick situation. Grass is too high in calcium to reduce calcium levels to the point where they are drawing it from their bones at calving. NZ dairy farmers generally focus on providing magnesium to dry cows, to ensure that lack of magnesium is not complicating calcium availability. This magnesium is *not* given free choice, it's added to food or water or put directly down the cow's throat. I have additional issues here in that providing magnesium is not enough to prevent cows getting milk fever, so I treat a lot of it. Hasn't been much of a problem this year, and I'm not going to tell TB what I've changed about the mineral programme either. one of my 12 yr olds that has had it every year had a set of huge twin bulls and never showed a sign of it... the other 12 yr old has also had it every year since she was seven and got it again, stood up on her own after treatment. I'd never cull a cow for having milk fever as a six or seven year old. The cows I've culled or intended to cull (sometimes they beat me to it by dying of it) are in their teens and have had it year after year after year, so I know for sure they're going to get it again next calving. Yes, the same cows do get it every calving but as that represents about 50% of the cows that are old enough to get it, I just manage it, I don't cull for it. [/QUOTE]
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