does shedded wool kill cows ??

[Hartwig]

I have some heifers from my neighbour for summer grazing on my permanent pasture since many years. As I started with some wool-shedding Easycare sheep now, I had them grazing there this spring before the cows came in. My neighbour was shocked when he brought his cows and saw all the pieces of shedded wool in the gras !
He said that the heifers will pick up the wool with the gras, the wool will bung up to big balls in their digestive tract and kill them at the end.
Can that really happen and what are the experiences around ??

 

[GTB]

We've never had any problems here and all our cattle graze with shedding sheep all summer.

 

[Woolless]

Some people seem to have a big problem with a bit of wool lying in their fields. IME, it doesn't hang around long. Birds take it for nesting or it rots down/blows away. I know of several farms that would graze cattle with wool shedding sheep without any issue, as @GTB says.

 

[Kevtherev]

@neilo will row it up with his haybob

 

[andybk]

@neilo will row it up with his haybob

Remember the wool board shearing tutors face when I said be better to inject and let the wool fall out on the field then collect it up rather than bggr about shearing them ,Not impressed lol

 

[GTB]

Remember the wool board shearing tutors face when I said be better to inject and let the wool fall out on the field then collect it up rather than bggr about shearing them ,Not impressed lol

I once asked our vet if there was a cheap drug available to make sheep shed their wool. It was many years ago when we had welsh ewes and the wool price was very poor and also a wet summer so we were struggling to get ewes dry enough to shear. He didn't think there was anything suitable available at the time. @bovine ?

PS I had no intention of gathering it up, most of them grazing on rough grazing anyway.

 

[JD-Kid]

there

I once asked our vet if there was a cheap drug available to make sheep shed their wool. It was many years ago when we had welsh ewes and the wool price was very poor and also a wet summer so we were struggling to get ewes dry enough to shear. He didn't think there was anything suitable available at the time. @bovine ?

PS I had no intention of gathering it up, most of them grazing on rough grazing anyway.

was a drug in ozzie years ago they tryed it lead to a protain shock which in turn lead to a break in the wool think it took 2 weeks for the wool to snap off but it was hit and miss did not make then drop there wool fully in some cases and some had no reaction so put back on the shelf

 

[Bones]

there

was a drug in ozzie years ago they tryed it lead to a protain shock which in turn lead to a break in the wool think it took 2 weeks for the wool to snap off but it was hit and miss did not make then drop there wool fully in some cases and some had no reaction so put back on the shelf

Can you buy it in the UK

 

[Gander]

I think you'd probably have more chance getting any that's still left on @JD-Kid's shelf!

 

[Tim W]

I have some heifers from my neighbour for summer grazing on my permanent pasture since many years. As I started with some wool-shedding Easycare sheep now, I had them grazing there this spring before the cows came in. My neighbour was shocked when he brought his cows and saw all the pieces of shedded wool in the gras !
He said that the heifers will pick up the wool with the gras, the wool will bung up to big balls in their digestive tract and kill them at the end.
Can that really happen and what are the experiences around ??

Grazed shedders alongside cattle for almost 30 years with no problem

 

[JD-Kid]

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/harvesting-wool-biological-shearing-australian-sheep-no-injury
http://www.livestocklibrary.com.au/handle/1234/7070
http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2015/s4206712.htm
think it was looked at due to drop in numbers of shearer costs etc but the net system had probs also the chem hit and miss
outside with sheep on hills and value of wool etc maybe a diffrent story if just jabed and let go

 

[JD-Kid]

biggest prob with shedders is if near fine wooled sheep when the shedded wool can blow next door and get on to wool growing sheep
same thing with black wool hence the use of white suffolks , pollies etc on alot of merinos

 

[Woolless]

biggest prob with shedders is if near fine wooled sheep when the shedded wool can blow next door and get on to wool growing sheep
same thing with black wool hence the use of white suffolks , pollies etc on alot of merinos

Ah, so is that the reason that white Suffolks were developed? I always wondered.

 

[NZDan]

Ah, so is that the reason that white Suffolks were developed? I always wondered.

Yes to get rid of the risk of black hair fibre in wool and on carcass.
When the Damara and Meatmasers started to increase, the merino neighbors would take the farmers to court to stop them running MMs and Damaras, suing them for the risk of colored hair fiber in their wool clips.

 

[Woolless]

Yes to get rid of the risk of black hair fibre in wool and on carcass.
When the Damara and Meatmasers started to increase, the merino neighbors would take the farmers to court to stop them running MMs and Damaras, suing them for the risk of colored hair fiber in their wool clips.

How did they get on with the court cases? Seems incredible!

 

[czechmate]

I have some heifers from my neighbour for summer grazing on my permanent pasture since many years. As I started with some wool-shedding Easycare sheep now, I had them grazing there this spring before the cows came in. My neighbour was shocked when he brought his cows and saw all the pieces of shedded wool in the gras !
He said that the heifers will pick up the wool with the gras, the wool will bung up to big balls in their digestive tract and kill them at the end.
Can that really happen and what are the experiences around ??

Did he take his cows away again?

 

[milkloss]

I have some heifers from my neighbour for summer grazing on my permanent pasture since many years. As I started with some wool-shedding Easycare sheep now, I had them grazing there this spring before the cows came in. My neighbour was shocked when he brought his cows and saw all the pieces of shedded wool in the gras !
He said that the heifers will pick up the wool with the gras, the wool will bung up to big balls in their digestive tract and kill them at the end.
Can that really happen and what are the experiences around ??

Sounds like my Mother, God rest her soul: she really hated chewing gum and so, when I was a kid, told me that if you swallowed chewing gum it would wrap around your heart and kill you! Wicked bitch! It worked though.
Mind you, she also told me that if I played with my belly button too much it would undo the knot and my guts would fall out.

 

[Philip Watkins]

Sounds like my Mother, God rest her soul: she really hated chewing gum and so, when I was a kid, told me that if you swallowed chewing gum it would wrap around your heart and kill you!

We were told similar but chose not to believe it. Also told if you bite your fingernails and swallow it you'll get appendicitis. Believed that one for a while.

 

[JD-Kid]

Sounds like my Mother, God rest her soul: she really hated chewing gum and so, when I was a kid, told me that if you swallowed chewing gum it would wrap around your heart and kill you! Wicked bitch! It worked though.
Mind you, she also told me that if I played with my belly button too much it would undo the knot and my guts would fall out.

say any thing about playing with it too much yer would go blind

 

[Wooly]

Grazed shedders alongside cattle for almost 30 years with no problem

We never got to see that promised photo of what your sheep and fields look like at this time of the year Tim !?! Are you still waiting for the birds to clear up the mess ?

say any thing about playing with it too much yer would go blind

Ahhhhhh, so that's why you never use commas and full steps JD.......you can't see them !