Massive bloat outbreak in Jersey/crossbred herd

Nachtstute

We are in our second season with Jerseys and crossbred (Freisan), having been years in Holsteins. Last Saturday morning (23 April), we went out to get the cows in, only to discover two lying dead of bloat in the field. After milking, we realised that there were more bloat victims, and we called the vet and went through the whole herd. One nearly died as we were checking them, and had to be trocared. We drenched 27 animals (of 80) who were showing signs of bloat, with a combination of Fairy liquid and Bloatguard. The vet has never seen anything like it. We can't understand it: THERE IS NO GRASS!! as everyone knows, bloat comes after a flush of new growth, after a change of feed or something like that; but grass is incredibly tight still, this was old pasture and they have been on the same nuts for two weeks.

We are now checking the herd every two hours, bringing in any bloat victim and drenching her; and have introduced bloatguard into the water system. Today, Monday, we still have cows blowing up as soon as they are more than two hours on grass. the high-yielding Jerseys are the main victims: the two who died were ten weeks calved and very high producers.

Does anyone have any ideas about what could have happened here? and what on earth we can do to prevent it ever happening again? We have been in cows for forty years.

49801

Nachtstute wrote: »

We are in our second season with Jerseys and crossbred (Freisan), having been years in Holsteins. Last Saturday morning (23 April), we went out to get the cows in, only to discover two lying dead of bloat in the field. After milking, we realised that there were more bloat victims, and we called the vet and went through the whole herd. One nearly died as we were checking them, and had to be trocared. We drenched 27 animals (of 80) who were showing signs of bloat, with a combination of Fairy liquid and Bloatguard. The vet has never seen anything like it. We can't understand it: THERE IS NO GRASS!! as everyone knows, bloat comes after a flush of new growth, after a change of feed or something like that; but grass is incredibly tight still, this was old pasture and they have been on the same nuts for two weeks.

We are now checking the herd every two hours, bringing in any bloat victim and drenching her; and have introduced bloatguard into the water system. Today, Monday, we still have cows blowing up as soon as they are more than two hours on grass. the high-yielding Jerseys are the main victims: the two who died were ten weeks calved and very high producers.

Does anyone have any ideas about what could have happened here? and what on earth we can do to prevent it ever happening again? We have been in cows for forty years.

Sounds strange and hope you get a resolution quickly. We had terrible trouble last year with bloat in xbred jersey with the young stock. But we did have lots of clover last year. Like u we where checking frequently, animals brought back into the shed and feed straw only several times. Drenching the worst ones. Adding oil to the water troughs. Really shagged us labour wise not too mention the worry of it.

I'd be very interested to hear what others think on the subject!

Milked out

Sorry for your troubles, have ye much clover in the sward? If so perhaps it's only getting going now and a causing it? No harm to drop an email to your advisor see if they have come across it before. What's in the nuts? And what levels are ye feeding? Maybe buffer with soya hulls or something high fibre until ye figure it out. Good hay is hard to get

mf240

Google tells me that jerseys are three times more susceptible to bloat than Friesans.

Are they getting any hay or silage? high protein low fibre seems to be a cause.

pedigree 6

You say you've no grass. But they must be eating something.
I'm guessing you've spread the same amount of nitrogen for a normal rotation and your grass is short that you are grazing thus getting high nitrogen and more concentrated than normal with higher protein than advised in the grass.
Maybe you spread sulphur as well making it higher again in protein.

Some say dry windy weather can trigger the problem as well. Which we are having now.
Best advice buffer feed some hay or silage till they finish grazing that field.

Good article here.
http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/animal-diseases/beef-and-dairy-cows/bloat-prevention-in-pasture-fed-beef-cattle

patsy_mccabe

Feeding some straw might help.

blue5000

Can you put a bale of straw in the paddock in a ring feeder or feeder trailer?

Nachtstute

Another dead tonight. We've been managing them since Saturday, with two or three prone to bloating but it goes down when they come in. Today they were on a new pasture, and we're fine all day. This evening they went out at 8 after milking. At 1040 when we went out to check them, one was dead, with a couple more bloated. They won't eat the straw but They've been gobbling hay in the paddock, and on they slats.

All the comments have been really generous, and any ideas we hadn't already implemented we discussed and used accordingly, but here we are again. Could it be the cocktail of minerals being administered through the water? We're going to knock out most of those tomorrow.

longgonesilver

Some of the posters on here have been to NZ and may be able to help you, it has always been a big problem over there. There are plenty of articles available on google, can you find them? it would be best to read them yourselves. twice daily dosing seems possible, the only thing I can suggest is strip grazing maybe moving it four or five times a day to keep the cows slightly hungry.

How much nuts are they getting, and what is in them, include proportions if you can please.

Willfarman

Sorry to hear your hardship. But remember this will resolve itself some way and the losses will fade in th mind. If it's not the grass them it's got to be the nut or ration, you have got to ease back on it. And get some pro biotic yeast type product into it. Keep the hay to them ad lib.

Miname

Try seaweed through the meal. You can get it in 20 kg bags. I know a neighbour had it here and got seaweed off me to try settle it with them. I honestly couldn't tell you if it worked or not.

blue5000

longgonesilver wrote: »

Some of the posters on here have been to NZ and may be able to help you, it has always been a big problem over there. There are plenty of articles available on google, can you find them? it would be best to read them yourselves. twice daily dosing seems possible, the only thing I can suggest is strip grazing maybe moving it four or five times a day to keep the cows slightly hungry.

How much nuts are they getting, and what is in them, include proportions if you can please.

Only had one case of it here and it was clover in the evening. I think it's the opposite is the problem, I'm guessing you are trying to make cows clean out paddocks, then they are hungry going into a fresh paddock and they make pigs of themselves. Is there much clover in the grass?

greysides

It's a time of year where Mg levels in grass are low. Mg is needed for Ca to work in muscles including stomach muscles. P is also important in relation to Ca too. Might be no hard to check these mineral levels.

Willfarman

greysides wrote: »

It's a time of year where Mg levels in grass are low. Mg is needed for Ca to work in muscles including stomach muscles. P is also important in relation to Ca too. Might be no hard to check these mineral levels.

He was putting minerals in th water I think grey side. I would say it's meal and too little fibre that caused the problem initially. The natural balance of bacteria in the gut has been upset. Cows coming in to milk and getting a belly full of nuts. The auld cure for reoccurring ailments like this was to get cud from the butcher and dose them with it.

ganmo

Willfarman wrote: »

He was putting minerals in th water I think grey side. I would say it's meal and too little fibre that caused the problem initially. The natural balance of bacteria in the gut has been upset. Cows coming in to milk and getting a belly full of nuts. The auld cure for reoccurring ailments like this was to get cud from the butcher and dose them with it.

They'd be the trace elements in the water where requirements are measured in mg/day but the minerals grey is on about are needed in g/day

Nachtstute

The nuts arrived on 12/4 and the first cases were on 23/4: the nuts are called Special Pasture Dairy nut 2.5 from Glanbia:
ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS: Crude protein 14%, crude oil 3%, crude fibre 10%, crude ash 10.5%, magnesium 1.35, sodium 0.4% copper 124mg/kg.

COMPOSITION:SOYBEAN HULLS , MAIZE GLUTEN FEED, RAPE SEED MEAL, WHEY PERMEATE, SOYBEAN MEAL DEHULLED, DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS (1), MAGNESIUM OXIDE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, PALA OIL -
BARLEY, MAIZE,

ganmo

Nachtstute wrote: »

The nuts arrived on 12/4 and the first cases were on 23/4: the nuts are called Special Pasture Dairy nut 2.5 from Glanbia:
ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS: Crude protein 14%, crude oil 3%, crude fibre 10%, crude ash 10.5%, magnesium 1.35, sodium 0.4% copper 124mg/kg.

COMPOSITION:SOYBEAN HULLS , MAIZE GLUTEN FEED, RAPE SEED MEAL, WHEY PERMEATE, SOYBEAN MEAL DEHULLED, DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS (1), MAGNESIUM OXIDE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, PALA OIL -
BARLEY, MAIZE,

get some meal without that whey permeate
its basically sugar and sugar in ontop of a delicate rumen isn't good

longgonesilver

blue5000 wrote: »

Only had one case of it here and it was clover in the evening. I think it's the opposite is the problem, I'm guessing you are trying to make cows clean out paddocks, then they are hungry going into a fresh paddock and they make pigs of themselves. Is there much clover in the grass?

I think we are saying the same thing Blue, What I am suggesting is to try to stop them making pigs of themselves by limiting the amount of grass that they could possibly eat by strip grazing but shifting the wire four or five times a day. Same amount of grass in, just in smaller feeds. He let them into a new plot yesterday and they were full and bloating last night. Other methods like feeding nuts or hay work partially by filling their stomachs and limiting the amount of grass that they came subsequently eat.

longgonesilver

Nachtstute wrote: »

The nuts arrived on 12/4 and the first cases were on 23/4: the nuts are called Special Pasture Dairy nut 2.5 from Glanbia:
ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS: Crude protein 14%, crude oil 3%, crude fibre 10%, crude ash 10.5%, magnesium 1.35, sodium 0.4% copper 124mg/kg.

COMPOSITION:SOYBEAN HULLS , MAIZE GLUTEN FEED, RAPE SEED MEAL, WHEY PERMEATE, SOYBEAN MEAL DEHULLED, DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS (1), MAGNESIUM OXIDE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, PALA OIL -
BARLEY, MAIZE,

How much are you feeding each cow daily? Are they fed individually?

Also yield and milk constituents

If you give enough information some of the posters on here are as good if not better than a lot of advisers and will help you.

trixi2011

have you got bloat eze oil its red in colour ? if so charge up the troughs with a few litres before cows enter a paddock as well as a dispenser have the water red in colour . Are you tight for grass by any chance ? You want to try and stop cows gorging themselves on a empty stomach. Leave bulling cow in on silage if possible as some cows wont eat for the day they are bulling and gorge themselves once they come off heat. Get your hands on a bloat knife I'm sure there are videos online showing how to use them.

Tail painter

I am no expert on bloat because I don't have clover swards but I have heard it discussed many times at discussion groups and I will give you what I have heard: You say that there is no grass - if the grass that they are going into is less than 1000kgs/ha, then there is not enough fibre in the grass and this will contribute to bloat. You need to add fibre such as hay, silage or citrus/hulls/beet pulp. Secondly, most bloat issues occur when cows gorge themselves on grass/clover having been slightly underfed for the previous milking. Do NOT let them get hungry!! I would not use a strip wire as the weaker animals will enevitably get underfed. If you leave a bit too much grass behind in the paddock, you can fix it with a mower later on. Your priority is to stop losing cows now! Thirdly, I have seen bloat in calves on clover pasture. The best treatment was pen-strep down the throat. I know that it would cause a withdrawal issue in milkers but it might keep a bad case alive.

patsy_mccabe

Great post!!!!

howdee

What type of swards are they going into? How much hay are they eating? Are you using strip lines? How tight are you grazing paddocks? I'd be putting some silage back in the diet and letting paddocks grow abit, try and fill the rumen with as much fibre as possible. HE you talked to a nutritionalist?
I had trouble last year with newly reseeded ground. I skint a paddock the night before and let them into a 1500 cover of extremely lush grass hungry and went away for the day on a Sunday. When I came home, I went to the gate to bring them in for milking and I knew something was wrong,the whole herd looked sick. There was 4 down with grass tetany and 2 with bloat, along with this the whole herd was scouring and very twitchy looking. Moved them all to a bare paddock and rolled out bales of hay, in the end I lost one while another one was sick for a good while. I now keep a bale of straw in the collection yard and will roll out some hay in very lush grass and tbh they go mad for it. It had really opened my eyes to the dangers of lush grass.

freedominacup

Nachtstute wrote: »

The nuts arrived on 12/4 and the first cases were on 23/4: the nuts are called Special Pasture Dairy nut 2.5 from Glanbia:
ANALYTICAL CONSTITUENTS: Crude protein 14%, crude oil 3%, crude fibre 10%, crude ash 10.5%, magnesium 1.35, sodium 0.4% copper 124mg/kg.

COMPOSITION:SOYBEAN HULLS , MAIZE GLUTEN FEED, RAPE SEED MEAL, WHEY PERMEATE, SOYBEAN MEAL DEHULLED, DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS (1), MAGNESIUM OXIDE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, PALA OIL -
BARLEY, MAIZE,

If you want 14% just stick with the soya meal. Distillers and rape have completely the wrong type of protein for supplementing grass at this time of year. Basically your meal off the ingredients list you quoted should only contain maize, barley, soya and soya hulls. Around 15% soya, 15% soya hulls, and 35 each of maize and barley. Mins and calmag for your feeding rate. I'm using a similar ration without any soya meal with a protein of 9%.