Net wrap ingestion

[Angus86]

I had it out today with some help who was putting out round bales and didn't listen in regards to placing them where the cows couldn't see. I didn't want them to rush up and start eating the net wrap while it was still on the trailer. Next thing I know a water Buffalo has a huge mouthful of net wrap and down it goes.

I was pretty pissed but am not sure how bad it is. I would hate for this animal to lose condition or get impacted by such a stupid mistake. I once had a heifer eat a bread bag and it literally started losing weight to the point I sent it to the sale. I guess I'm paranoid now.

Anyone ever seen this stuff pass through? Am I over reacting?

 

[Buck Randall]

I don't think you're overreacting to not want your cattle eating it, but I also wouldn't worry too much about a cow getting a mouthful once. It can pass through. It may sit in the rumen indefinitely. Getting stuck somewhere in between is the problem.

 

[Cowsout]

I'm very paranoid about net wrap ingestion and there are many extension pubs ("software disease of cattle") about it. A lot of people with cattle around me leave the net wrap and their cattle are very thin. Whether it's because they ingested some of the net wrap or the quality of care or both, I do not know.

 

[Rancher]

Another minus for netwrap besides freezing to each other and waste. However once I had my hired hand drop a 6 foot twine wrapped in the field and he din't get all twine off. I went out to chec fence later and found a cow with 'bout 4 ft of twin hangin' out of mouth! She is very friendly so I approched her close 'nuff to grab the end and pulled as she took off. Musta been forty feet of twine came out.

 

[WFfarm]

Another minus for netwrap besides freezing to each other and waste. However once I had my hired hand drop a 6 foot twine wrapped in the field and he din't get all twine off. I went out to chec fence later and found a cow with 'bout 4 ft of twin hangin' out of mouth! She is very friendly so I approched her close 'nuff to grab the end and pulled as she took off. Musta been forty feet of twine came out.

We insist on using the sisal twine for this reason

 

[jltrent]

One of the biggest problems I see with any of this poly twine/poly wrap if you leave some in the field and the cows don't eat it machinery will pick it up and the next thing you know a bearing is overheating and needs replacing. It does have advantages, but disadvantages also.

 

[Lisagrantb]

I take mine off religiously mostly because I don't like trashy fields and it will cut the seal out of a bushog quick. My farther in-law is an old cattleman, has raised more cattle than I will ever see and his cows always look good. He never takes it off when he feeds, he says the cows know what to eat and they will walk it in the mud and it will disappear and for the most part it does so I don't know there's a definitive answer to this.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

All my bales are net wrapped. We meticulously pick off all net wrap. A cow can eat and pass small pieces - if - it doesn't get lodged somewhere. But it wouldn't take much for a calf to get blocked up.
As far as cows stomping it into the ground - well, yes, they will/can. But it never goes away. It is in your ground forever. Will they eat it - absolutely!!! Just because you have seen someone getting away with doing things wrong, doesn't mean that is the right way. Don't take my word - do some research on the subject.

 

[Hpacres440p]

I take mine off religiously mostly because I don't like trashy fields and it will cut the seal out of a bushog quick. My farther in-law is an old cattleman, has raised more cattle than I will ever see and his cows always look good. He never takes it off when he feeds, he says the cows know what to eat and they will walk it in the mud and it will disappear and for the most part it does so I don't know there's a definitive answer to this.

It also always seems to miraculously rise to the surface when a piece of machinery is most likely to get tangled and you're on a time crunch

 

[gcreekrch]

If cows were meant to eat plastic there would not be a problem with world pollution!
Those too lazy to take it off should eat a nice bowl of chopped plastic once a week to know how it passes.

 

[TCRanch]

If cows were meant to eat plastic there would not be a problem with world pollution!
Those too lazy to take it off should eat a nice bowl of chopped plastic once a week to know how it passes.

That's kind of extreme. They could just eat a nice bowl of corn with similar results

 

[gcreekrch]

That's kind of extreme. They could just eat a nice bowl of corn with similar results

LOL

 

[Shoestring]

If cows were meant to eat plastic there would not be a problem with world pollution!
Those too lazy to take it off should eat a nice bowl of chopped plastic once a week to know how it passes.

So, you are saying that it will make a turd? Yes, I'm asinine about pulling the wrap off.

 

[Lisagrantb]

Like I said , I always take mine off and pick up any I find during the year. It bothers me a lot when I help him hay to just take it off the trailer and put it on the ground and leave the net on, he feeds 50+ rolls a day so it's a lot of net and he has been doing it this way for many years. If I were to take you to his fields and let you look over his heard and pasture you would be impressed with the stock and pastures if you didn't know the difference. Just saying how it is, not condoning.
We have a neighbor that runs 1000+ head and he feeds straight off the trailers without taking the net off. What's left on the trailer gets cleaned off by a backhoe in a pile and burnt in each field then they load the trailer back up and repeat.