Bloat
All of us at the Comanche County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Office want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and thank you for your support this past year. We are a stakeholder backed program and could not function without the support of not only our County Commissioners Court, but also our many volunteers and sponsors. There are many program area committee members, research trial cooperators, volunteers and sponsors that help assist our programming efforts. We appreciate all the support we receive from the community for our 4-H, Family and Consumer Science and Agriculture programming. We look forward to working with all the good folks in Comanche County in 2023.
It has been a tough year for all farmers in the county and area, from a major drought to poor prices and historic input cost the challenges have been and continue to be many. Despite all of this it is the time of the year to be thankful for all we do have. Try to forget your worries and enjoy your family and friends this Christmas season.
If you have bloat due to too much Christmas Dinner, a nap on the couch is the only answer. This section is covering bloat of cattle on small grains. We have surprisingly had some good timely moisture for small grains and as a result grain looks good throughout the county. Many folks have already started grazing their grain fields, but many more will be turning out in the next week or so. This grazing is an amazing blessing this year with the shortage of hay and cost of feed. However, you should be wary of the potential for bloat on these good grain fields.
Bloat is a cattle ailment that can result from grazing excellent fast growing, lush winter pasture. Typically, we see bloat during the fall or spring flush when the grass is growing rapidly. The nutrients in this highquality forage are readably digestible, meaning they will be immediately utilized by the rumen microbes, which leads to a rapid production of gas in the rumen. The gases in this frothy bloat cannot be dispelled quickly enough by the animal. This leads to the classic bloat symptom of a distended abdomen (left side of animal). Thisbuild-upof gases causes discomfort and possibly death, if not treated. Cattle that recover from bloat are very likely to get bloat again when the conditions are right.
There are many options to aid in preventing bloat: Feed cattle plenty of dry hay before turning out on small grain pasture.
If possible, turn cattle out for the first time at mid-day after grass has dried off.
Use of a surfactant or anti-foaming agent in water or any feed supplement.
Feeding poloxalene (Bloat Guard), in minerals, feed supplements, blocks etc… There is good evidence that the addition on Monensin (Rumensin), can aid in controlling bloat in stocker cattle and increase gain for those calves that are grazing small grains.
Treatment of bloat if caught early on can be as simple as removing the animal from pasture and feeding dry hay. For acute cases of bloat more immediate attention will be required to prevent death of the calf. Some tools to keep on hand when grazing small grain pastures include a good ¾ to 1” diameter rubber hose 3 to 4’ long, defoaming agent, and maybe a trocar or sharp knife. In most acute cases a stomach tube can relieve the bloat; if needed the animal can also be giving an anti-foaming agent down the same tube. It is best not to use a drench gun on cattle with bloat, as they may aspirate the liquid into their lungs. A small piece of PVC pipe can be used to prevent the calf from biting down on the hose while tubing. If you have no experience in tubing cattle or using a Trocar, it would be best to get a veterinarian or an experienced cattleman to treat your cattle, until you learn how. You can do more harm than good if tube is misplaced, or Trocar is not used properly.
Bloat is a very manageable issue that can be associated with grazing good winter pasture. There is no more satisfying or profitable way to put weight on calves than grazing on good small grains.