Fescue Foot?

InvalidID · #1 04/22/12, 07:40 PM

I have two Holstein calves that are going lame. One of them seems to have lost hair around his hoof and neither one wants to get up without help. The temp. jumped 20+ degrees here in the last day so I know the heat is also bothering them. From the low 60's to the low 80's in one day bothered me too.

But these two are clearly way more bothered by it than the others. They have runny green stool and are generally lethargic the last few days. I've separated them of course. Given them bounce back twice a day (they are only 8-9 weeks) for the last 2 days. I'm giving them grains as well as keeping them away from fescue as best I can. That's a tall order here as it's EVERYWHERE, but I can limit them to nearly none.

I don't have a picture right now but I'm going to try and post one later tonight.

How long should it be before I see some improvement do you think? I figure if it is fescue foot (and it took me some time to figure that's what it might be) removing them from the pasture should fix them up, right? Also, once the clover and other grasses start coming in will it be safe to move them back to pasture? Does size make a difference? I have larger animals from the same herd that don't seem to have missed a beat here.

TIA all,

InvalidID · #2 04/23/12, 01:05 PM

Ok, since no one answered this one I figure no one knows. That being the case I also figure it might be a good idea to keep track of my progress so others can learn from my glorious triumph... or dismal failure. That remains to be seen.

So I took the two affected calves off the normal pasture and put them in the bottle calf pen. I have no bottle calves right now so it's working out fine. Most of the grass in there is vetch, clover, and a few bits of native grass and Kentucky. It's been a little over 12 hours and they are looking a lot better already.

They still needed a little help getting up but once up they move around really well now. They don't just stand around and weakly graze and will follow me around the pen. They're drinking more water than they were, a lot more. I've also given them free choice grains but they have only a mild interest in that. This batch has never really been that interested in grain though, preferring grass above anything else so I'm not concerned there.

A few areas above their hooves have started to bleed a little bit. This had me concerned at first until I thought about it. Fescue foot is due to lack of blood flow to the extremities so the bleeding, while still an issue and something I'll watch, is a sign to me that they are indeed getting better.

I'm going to keep them confined for at least a week. While in there I'm hoping to get them more interested in the alfalfa. They like it, but still prefer fresh grass and will leave it alone unless there isn't enough grass to be had. I'm thinking if I can get them more interested in the alfalfa or some other hay it'll help to cut back on the fescue and keep them healthy in the future.

I've already over seeded several parts of the pasture earlier this year, now I'm waiting for those areas to come in. I'm sure that's the real solution here. They simply need more clover and such in their diets. With the warm wet weather the fescue exploded ahead of everything (put on almost 2 feet in 5 weeks)else and was likely the best tasting thing out there.

I'll try and report back any changes or anything interesting.

ETA: Looks like this year is going to be an interesting one for me. Already 3 problem cows and it's only spring.

gracie88 · #3 04/23/12, 02:53 PM

I've never heard of fescue foot, off to exercise my google-fu. Do post updates.

agmantoo · #4 04/23/12, 06:07 PM

IMO you calves do not have fescue foot. They have foot rot and you can read about it here. VM26/VM068: Foot Rot in Cattle

InvalidID · #5 04/23/12, 06:27 PM

That's what I thought too. I thought one of the yearlings had it last week as well but he got better pretty much on his own. (I did peroxide the foot) These guys I had a neighbor come up and take a look and he said no, not foot rot. (I asked him because he's dealing with a few cases now) No smell or anything.

springvalley · #6 04/23/12, 09:32 PM

Sorry, got me baffled, so I won`t venture a guess, found out it`s better that way. > Marc

InvalidID · #7 04/23/12, 09:37 PM

For you guys that don't know, Fescue and Reed Canary grass both grow ergot. Ergot is the main ingredient in LSD, so I imagine those cows were on trip without ever leaving the farm...

Anyway, at certain times of the year and in certain seasons the concentrations can be pretty high and have a negative effect on cattle. Not long ago there was a small ourbreak in WV and 18 head went down. From what I'm reading the Kiwi's deal with this a lot more than we do.

Anyway, this fungus (ergot) restricts blood flow to the extremities. The hooves, tail, ears, are most common. Sometimes the tip of the nose will peel as well. Something to look for I guess as it's suppose to be more common lately than in past years because of the crazy weather. I knew this could happen with Fescue and I've seen it mentioned here even. I didn't know Reed Canary carried the same stuff though. I also didn't know about Fescue Foot either, I thought it made them gain poorly or killed em.

agmantoo · #8 04/23/12, 10:20 PM

InvalidID

I know that a lot of fescue is grown in Oregon. The bulk of the seed sold here in NC is sourced from there. Has your fescue already set seed heads this Spring?

InvalidID · #9 04/23/12, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agmantoo

InvalidID

I know that a lot of fescue is grown in Oregon. The bulk of the seed sold here in NC is sourced from there. Has your fescue already set seed heads this Spring?

No, it never had a chance to get to seed. But they like the stuff so much they'll seek it out and eat it almost to the root. From my reading the fungus is mostly in the seed head, and also near the root right above the soil.

springvalley · #10 04/24/12, 07:45 AM

I have never in my life heard of Fescue foot, but up my way we don`t have much fescue unless you plant it. I sure would have been scratchin my head over this one. > Marc

Tana Mc · #11 04/24/12, 04:45 PM

I have a couple of old cows that are very prone to getting it. They still do a good job raising a calf and I just baby them when they limp in the early spring. Usually pull them off the pasture and leave them on a hay for a bit longer. I have not had one "go down" with fescue foot but I keep an eye out for it.

I have been overseeding my pastures with endophyte free fescue varieties and I am hoping to just thin out the infected stuff over time.

Tana Mc

InvalidID · #12 04/24/12, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tana Mc

I have a couple of old cows that are very prone to getting it. They still do a good job raising a calf and I just baby them when they limp in the early spring. Usually pull them off the pasture and leave them on a hay for a bit longer. I have not had one "go down" with fescue foot but I keep an eye out for it.

I have been overseeding my pastures with endophyte free fescue varieties and I am hoping to just thin out the infected stuff over time.

Tana Mc

I hadn't even realized it was something I needed to watch for. Of course you can be darned sure I'll be watching form now on. I read that it's part genetics, as some are more prone to it, and some size. The little guys can't handle it as well unless they have mama's milk to dilute it. These two were just weened and LOVE the fescue to the point of ignoring a lot of other stuff in favor of it.

InvalidID · #13 04/24/12, 05:04 PM

Also, an update on these fellas. They're up and looking good today. The temp dropped and it's misting so I bet they're happy about that too.

I haven't had to do much for them really. I'm hitting their feet with peroxide twice a day mostly to avoid any infection. Taking them off the pasture I think was the biggest help. I upped their alfalfa and grain rations but they are still only mildly interested preferring the fresh grasses in the quarantine area. Of course I already mentioned having to help them up the first two days, and the first day I gave them a bottle each of milk replacer just to get nutrition in them ASAP.

It's looking like they should recover just fine though. I'll leave them in quarantine until the weekend to make sure, then band em and send em back to pasture with the herd.

On an unrelated note. My yearling bull that had the sore foot earlier is from the same herd. He's refused to leave these two. I have him in the next pasture over so he can keep close. He was mooing and testing the electric fence until I let him in. Since then he hasn't let them out of his sight for more than 20 minutes. I hope he doesn't rip my head off when I band them... LOL

PaulNKS · #14 04/24/12, 05:37 PM

What you described is not fescue foot. It sounds more like possible grass tetany, especially this time of year. In our area, the fescue is generally not a problem as long as it stays below about 6" in height which means either grazing heavy or keeping it mowed. Fescue foot is caused from tall fescue.... usually.

If you have lush pastures, you should always feed a hi magnesium free choice mineral in the spring before grass starts to green until the cattle get accustomed to the new grass. You can also use a magnesium supplement.

If it was fescue foot, they will also have lost the hair on the tail (the switch) and lose weight quickly. But... in the midwest, it is much too early to be fescue foot. However, I don't know about your area.

I have about 100 acres of mostly fescue that the cattle do great on. But, it is never allowed to get tall. The other pastures have mostly native grasses.

InvalidID · #15 04/24/12, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulNKS

What you described is not fescue foot. It sounds more like possible grass tetany, especially this time of year. In our area, the fescue is generally not a problem as long as it stays below about 6" in height which means either grazing heavy or keeping it mowed. Fescue foot is caused from tall fescue.... usually.

If you have lush pastures, you should always feed a hi magnesium free choice mineral in the spring before grass starts to green until the cattle get accustomed to the new grass. You can also use a magnesium supplement.

If it was fescue foot, they will also have lost the hair on the tail (the switch) and lose weight quickly. But... in the midwest, it is much too early to be fescue foot. However, I don't know about your area.

I have about 100 acres of mostly fescue that the cattle do great on. But, it is never allowed to get tall. The other pastures have mostly native grasses.

I've had free choice hi-mag out for them since before the grass took off. They all eat a few licks a day at least.