Black leg

[goodevans]

Never heard of cattle inside getting it tbh , its usually associated with grazing ground near watercourses and places that lie damp/flood. Any fields that you see mushrooms growing on would be candidates for blackleg. You sure the bulls are not dying from botulism, symptoms and rate of death are similiar

Possibly but bravoxin 10 has seemingly got on top of it

 

[organicguy]

Will be picked from soil, so new lay, ditch spoil very common. Can survive in animal for a while before it caused disease and death. Is an anaerobic bacteria so requires a bruise or lung disease to get going and then kills very quickly.
Had major problems one wet spring with one group of calves on a new ley, another where the owner dung out a barn floor and tipped it in the field.
We vaccinated in an emergency and everything had a dose of long acting AB. (before we were organic!) Lost 5, saved 2.
Now vaccinate as matter of course.

 

[The Son]

We had it once in a group of fifty on a rented farm, went over in the morning as usual, and a few off colour, so went back at luchtime and then rung for the vet immediately I think we lost ten, but the rest of the group struggled all their lives.
It was horrible and I never want to witness it again so every animal gets vaccinated now.

 

[GmB]

I know black leg but considering clostridium covers a few diseases what would be the symptoms. Lost a couple of cows so far for no particular reason and they are grazing tight with straw for belly fill.

Had 7mm rain yesterday so hoping the grass will grow...... then it’ll be mag trouble!

Best get some mag flakes in the water then!

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Clostridial disease.
Vaccine is pence so always worth doing in my opinion. Makes me laugh when people ask me if I get trouble with Blackleg and that’s why I vaccinate I don’t get trouble because I vaccinate

If you have a bad go with Blackleg the losses in one year can be more than the vaccine cost for a farming lifetime.

The loss of 1 decent beef calf covers the blackleg vaccine for the herd for many years!!
Not used straight blackleg vaccine for years now. Just use Covexin or Bravoxin, same job, pence per dose and dead easy too get hold of all the time

 

[Oldmacdonald]

Will the vaccine do anything if the calf.already has blackleg within the body somewhere, although not a point of being symptomatic?

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Isn’t the bugger of blackleg (and most other clostridium’s) that you don’t know it’s there until the animal dies??

 

[Werzle]

Will the vaccine do anything if the calf.already has blackleg within the body somewhere, although not a point of being symptomatic?

Cant do any harm. When i had my outbreak two survived that had started to suffer with it after being given a jab and antibiotics.

 

[Werzle]

Isn’t the bugger of blackleg (and most other clostridium’s) that you don’t know it’s there until the animal dies??

Yes but you get to know that some farms are prone to it

 

[Sid]

Will the vaccine do anything if the calf.already has blackleg within the body somewhere, although not a point of being symptomatic?

I was told the bacteria is always in the body, its not until a trigger, fast growth or a knock or injury it manifests itself into blackleg.

 

[goodevans]

I was told the bacteria is always in the body, its not until a trigger, fast growth or a knock or injury it manifests itself into blackleg.

Hence why we suffered so much with bulls as fast growth and fighting,alot worse if 2 pens got together

 

[Sid]

Hence why we suffered so much with bulls as fast growth and fighting,alot worse if 2 pens got together

I always thought it was an at grass issue. But had one Easter time in housed heifer

 

[Werzle]

Earth floors? Soil in feed or straw? Taking mud in on tyres?