Pre calving milk fever (suckler cows)

[Hesstondriver]

historically we’ve had one post calver and one pre calver go down with it in ten years.
This year we had one a fortnight ago, one this morning and another this afternoon, today’s two have responded well to calcium (iv and sub cut)

There is nothing we can think of management wise that we have changed from other years. Big bale haylage and .5 kg of 16%nut a day

Milky Simmental cows sitting around bcs 2.5 .

Does any one else get this pre calving ?

Cheers

 

[multi power]

Get some mag flakes in the water and the problem will be solved

 

[M-J-G]

Too much calcium in your dry cow minerals is the first thing I'd think of.

Low Calcium and high Mag and Phos should make hypocalcemia a rare thing, particularly in beef cows.

 

[Hesstondriver]

had a good think last night, would lime on our cutting fields last spring make a significant difference?

we applied 2t/ac and then made hay, after very little rain.

 

[ploughman61]

had a good think last night, would lime on our cutting fields last spring make a significant difference?

we applied 2t/ac and then made hay, after very little rain.

Almost certain thst is your problem, we now use tithebarn dry cow products with no calcium in it, had no milk fever sinve we've been using them

 

[Princess Pooper]

Is your haylage high in potash? That would make a difference.

 

[nails]

historically we’ve had one post calver and one pre calver go down with it in ten years.
This year we had one a fortnight ago, one this morning and another this afternoon, today’s two have responded well to calcium (iv and sub cut)

There is nothing we can think of management wise that we have changed from other years. Big bale haylage and .5 kg of 16%nut a day

Milky Simmental cows sitting around bcs 2.5 .

Does any one else get this pre calving ?



Cheers

We keep our pedigree simmental in calvers on straw and mollasses or hay till calving plus High Mag mineral buckets, then put them on more good silage Are you sure they are not more than bcs 2.5 as fatter beef cows are more pre -disposed to Milk Fever
I am going to regret this , but i have never had a Milk Fever pre calving in a beef cow. What does your vet say?

 

[Hesstondriver]

We keep our pedigree simmental in calvers on straw and mollasses or hay till calving plus High Mag mineral buckets, then put them on more good silage Are you sure they are not more than bcs 2.5 as fatter beef cows are more pre -disposed to Milk Fever
I am going to regret this , but i have never had a Milk Fever pre calving in a beef cow. What does your vet say?

no defiantly not fat! we ran bloods yesterday, they are mag and calcium deficient .

we are deficient in potash here and don't apply it to annual rented grass!

it looks like we had been feeding haylage from fields that had lime applied and then changed to a field that didn't, just at the wrong time before calving. magnesium flakes going in today and also topping up the calcium a bit

 

[Werzle]

Few of mine have struggled since calving this year, i did wonder if the silage was too powerfull either quality wise or high in nitrogen and potash. Some have looked pink eyed and tucked up in the belly 36-48hrs after calving and dont seem to be eating as much as i would like. Feeding mag mins and turning out this weekend so hopefully some doctor green will mend them up. Another thought was it could be a mild ketosis.