bird dog
Well-known member
Yesterday I had a weaned heifer develop what I believe was grass tetany. She had all the common symptoms. She was sitting normal but off from the group and when I went to check on her she was slobbering some and skittish. I got her up and she trotted off about 10 yards and fell back down and into a awkward position.
I got her untwisted and back to a normal position. They have had free choice minerals and have been on a lot richer grass (Oats) than what they were on and had had some high mag mineral earlier in the year. I gave her a tube of CMPK and about an hour later when the other calves got close, she got up and joined them.
A couple hours later at dark she was down again so I gave her another tube.
This morning all seemed back to normal and she was walking and grazing with the group. This afternoon she was down but she got up quickly when I approached and climbed up the tank dam to join some others. No problems. I moved her and the others to a new pasture and they quickly started to roam. I went to the mineral feeder to add some and I heard something. When I looked back she was staggering around again and fell over with her head back.
So what is going on here? Is this behavior still from the tetany of have I misdiagnosed what is wrong. Will she slowly get back to normal? I put out a little grass hay for them to give them something else besides green grass but so far they have not touched it. Should I giver her something else? She is a brangus heifer about 9 months old.
I got her untwisted and back to a normal position. They have had free choice minerals and have been on a lot richer grass (Oats) than what they were on and had had some high mag mineral earlier in the year. I gave her a tube of CMPK and about an hour later when the other calves got close, she got up and joined them.
A couple hours later at dark she was down again so I gave her another tube.
This morning all seemed back to normal and she was walking and grazing with the group. This afternoon she was down but she got up quickly when I approached and climbed up the tank dam to join some others. No problems. I moved her and the others to a new pasture and they quickly started to roam. I went to the mineral feeder to add some and I heard something. When I looked back she was staggering around again and fell over with her head back.
So what is going on here? Is this behavior still from the tetany of have I misdiagnosed what is wrong. Will she slowly get back to normal? I put out a little grass hay for them to give them something else besides green grass but so far they have not touched it. Should I giver her something else? She is a brangus heifer about 9 months old.