bobthefarmer
New Member
Got offered some red clover silage just wanted to know if there is any issues for cattle like there is with sheep.
Interesting. We used to have a problem with dwarf calves but the vets didn't seem overly confident of the causes. We don't feed red clover but may be other causes of deficiency. We were told to feed a bit of barley in their ration from month 5 to month 7 and it certainly seems to have worked.Yes, Google bulldog or acorn calves. We learnt the hard way! If there is too much red clover in the pregnant cows diet around months 4/5 of pregnancy the iron in the red clover locks out the manganese and causes manganese deficiency in the foetus leading to calves born with short bone syndrome basically dwarfism.
Make sure the relevant clover is in the minority of the total ration
I have been told this only occurs on high iron soils, however I have no information to the contrary.Yes, Google bulldog or acorn calves. We learnt the hard way! If there is too much red clover in the pregnant cows diet around months 4/5 of pregnancy the iron in the red clover locks out the manganese and causes manganese deficiency in the foetus leading to calves born with short bone syndrome basically dwarfism.
Make sure the relevant clover is in the minority of the total ration