Cow Down for a week

I don't know if it contributed or not but we have had an incredible winter that started way too early and is still hanging on. Everybody has been right for feed and bedding this year and even with feed, it's still been tough because our snow was so deep that getting feed to them has been a huge challenge.

It is common for Animal Control Officers to arrive at a farm with starving cattle or starving horses to find freshly delivered hay and grain. Generally it isn't intentional abuse, just a lack of cash and an under estimation of the amount of feed they need.

When you wrote what the Vet said upon observing her condition, worst you'd ever seen, she was likely too weak to stand, it sounded like long term starvation/malnutrition.

But, it is over for that one cow. No sense beating......

Do you know what good hay looks like? Can you identify low quality hay? Managing 23 head is a lot and not identifying malnutrition during the daily feeding is troubling to me. If money wasn't the problem (often is) then you need to be better equipped to observe your livestock. Do you supply minerals?

I know how bad I'd feel if I had to put down a suffering cow. I write this not to make you feel worse, but so others that read this thread will be better prepared and not put their cows through such misery. None of us are without blame.

Haypoint,

Until I started feeding hay I did not have a daily feeding - the new place that I moved them to is just 2 big pastures.

Yes I do feed loose minerals and have them available to them at all times.

I am a beginner at identifying good quality hay - I have questioned my vet and others about what to look for but still have doubts.

For example the initial 10 bales - I took a look at them and knew the top 6 inches was going to waste but since they were 5x5 bales they were worth the price. Other than that they were mixed grass - Johnson, fescue, common bermuda, weeds, etc.... but no briars. The Johnson was not in seed but the crabgrass was - just your basic mixed grass that looked like it was put up dry but sat outside on the ground.

The next 24 bales were pristine Coastal Bermuda - net wrapped, put up dry, stored under shelter, smelled fresh and still had green visible. Cows waste very little of this and took to it like it was sweet feed.

The last 30 bales are close to my place - have been sitting under trees from the first cutting last year and have suffered a lot of deterioration. I asked the vet about them and after describing the condition of the bales and the price he said "there is at least 7 good square bales left in each 4x5 round, @ 10 per round where can you buy 7 square bales for 10 dollars?"

He was not concerned about the outer layer of bad hay on the cows saying they simply will pick through eating what they like and trampling the rest. I made sure to specifically ask him about it. They too look like they were put up dry and just suffered from sitting out in the weather.

I did "buck" hay - square bales when I was 15 and 16 for a farmer - alfalfa - from this I learned the difference between put up dry and put up wet. Basically baled in a proper moisture content VS baled with too much moisture.

When you pickup a bale of hay and toss it onto the trailer you get into a rhythm - until you get to a bale put up wet and you can't even lift it - these we had to cut the strings and spread them back out - mold already forming inside the bale even though they had not been rained on.