- Location
- North West England
Dead chickens in chicken muck spread on silage ground. Tyres off the clamp grabbed by a chimp and tipped in the feeder while turning the wireless up and snapchatting at the same time.......
heartbroken farmer loses 50 cows to botulism
- Thread starter llamedos
- Start date
- Location
- West Wales
@Chasingmytail chicken carcasses spread onto fields mixed in with chicken muck, a few months later the rake man and forage harvester picks them up and their spread through a whole clamp, rotting.
- Location
- South West
That was my thinking. Didn't that bankrupt the farmer and the cow's carried on dieing for ages afterwards and cow prices were very, very low in that sale? Student or Polish labour chucked alot in the feeder wagon when loaded it up but it was several years ago.
Lovegoodstock
Member
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
I might being really dim and too naïve, but I was thinking if it was a thick crop of silage, and im thinking an odd carcass not hundreds, would it not be easy to miss the odd carcass easily sat on the forager if it sat in middle/ bottom of row? And feeding into mixer wagon, using a shear grab, well or bucket, unless was on show on edge it would be quite easy to miss? Not being daft but can see how missed, different case if you are talking lots, but through forager im guessing tiny pieces then after fermenting surely tiny? I don't know, thankfully not come across it, seen a few recent things raving about chicken muck, couple of posts on thread have turned me off
yes but not a UK vaccine
Sometimes the cause never found. Can be caused by perfectly good looking silage made well. Things like carcases blamed but I doubt there is a single clamp in the country without a dead pheasant/rabbit/fox/frog in there and it remains a rare problem.
beardface
Member
- Location
- East Yorkshire
From research I did following our problem apparently the botulism bacteria is fairly common in the environment. It just needs the correct environment to multiply. That is low to no oxygen and warmth. We put ours down to a neighbour spreading chicken muck on arable land then a crow or fox picked a carcass and dropped it on our grazing land. There was a patch of paddled soil in the field they were on prior to getting it and on closer inspection what looks like a chicken wing was found. Likely cause was they all had mooch round it to see what it was and some picked up the bacterium. Only a small parts per million is needed (of the D strain I think it is) to make them go down.
It’s a problem in rangeland countries like Australia and Brazil where low pottasium soils can lead cattle to chew bones.
It’s a problem in rangeland countries like Australia and Brazil where low pottasium soils can lead cattle to chew bones.
A farm where a mate of mine worked lost several heifers like this
I think deep litter is a problem. Chicken or rat carcasses can be missed and buried under new litter and when the oxygen stops is when it really starts. Then spread it on the land.
I'm not sure what the best solution is if you had a load of chicken muck. Whether to lightly spike it a few times or something or just leave longer before grazing.
I'm not sure what the best solution is if you had a load of chicken muck. Whether to lightly spike it a few times or something or just leave longer before grazing.
Just take muck from a multie tier system, no dead birds , muck goes out twice a week,
- Location
- South West
I have spread chicken litter with dead rats that have no fur as they are decomposing and chickens carcass's with no feathers in a similar state for a customer and been very concerned about what could happen.
I think the very best thing to do with chicken muck is pile it up and cover it with a layer of cow muck or actually spread slurry or muck over it and leave it 6 months to rot before spreading.
michael N123
Member
How long has the silage been made ? Am I right in thinking the longer it's been left the smaller the chance of botulism
llamedos
New Member
It does not grow in acidic conditions, but that does not stop the pre formed toxin being degraded.
- Location
- southern riverina Australia
http://www.southcoastregister.com.a...inated-silage-being-blamed-for-cattle-deaths/
This bloke is up to 290 so far....Even worse, apprently they were burying them in a pit on farm when the EPA came and told them to dig them up ,wrap them in plastic and dispose of them at an accredited waste facility....Friday afternoon comes round and facility closes and cows have to stay on back of truck in 30°c + heat.....Apparently they are unsure as to how they have contracted it..been going on for over 3 weeks now. One theory is that the maize was irrigated with treated town effluent water.
This bloke is up to 290 so far....Even worse, apprently they were burying them in a pit on farm when the EPA came and told them to dig them up ,wrap them in plastic and dispose of them at an accredited waste facility....Friday afternoon comes round and facility closes and cows have to stay on back of truck in 30°c + heat.....Apparently they are unsure as to how they have contracted it..been going on for over 3 weeks now. One theory is that the maize was irrigated with treated town effluent water.
- Location
- Ruthin
A guy back home had an issue with botulism a while ago.. turns out it was due to the fact he was spreading chicken shi£he too thick on his land (if I remember rightly)!!