Fescue hay and the scours

[Rick&Patti]

My wife and brother picked up some hay from a farmer down the road from us it was supposed to be fescue and mixed grass but when I looked at it it looks like all fescue to me anyway the cows love it and are eating it very well after 2 days on it they all have gotten the scours really bad I removed the hay and changed it with some other stuff that I have and gave them all some pro-Bios and it cleared up in all but one cow so I just gave her another treatment . My cows have had fescue before and this has never happened the hay was from this years cutting and has been stored in a barn out of the weather so it is really good looking hay no sign of mold or anything like that is still a real nice green color inside the bales.I called The farmer did say that it had been fertilized and claims that it is fesue and grass mixed But I cant find any grass mixed in with it it looks like all fescue to me . Has anyone else ever had this problem feeding fescue hay to there cows

[gone-a-milkin]

The only thing that I can think of is you are worried about fescue endophyte?
That is specific to FESCUE, which you keep mentioning.
I might be wrong there. Wouldnt be the first time.


Here is an article that explains what it is.
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g4669

[CIW]

My fields are all fescue and fescue / alfalfa mix. My cows have been eating it for many years. I haven't seen any ill effects that I can think of.
Now I do keep pregnant mares away from fescue even though I do plant an endophyte free seed and plow in the fall.

[Rick&Patti]

I have read up on it and it doesn't mention what happened to my cows anywhere. So I am thinking it is something else wrong with that hay I think I will just take back the round bales I have left . It has to be something with the hay it started right after they started eating it I gave them a dose of the pro-Bios and switched out the hay and it hasn't came back and they have never had anything like this before . They had scours really bad I mean it was just squirting out of them it was a green liquid mabe it was something with the fertilizer he used or something . My neighbor said mabe we can have the AG office in our town could have it tested

[gone-a-milkin]

Getting it tested is the only way you will really ever know for sure.
Good idea.

[fitz]

That's a new one on me. Strong fescue hay usually I'm more concerned with impaction. Like you mentioned, could have been something else rolled in with it.

fitz

[haypoint]

Sometimes a change in diet will cause upset. What were you feeding and did you make the change gradually? Smell musty?

[agmantoo]

Like haypoint stated. A gradual transition anytime you are changing the diet will make the conversion with fewer issues. My herd eats very little during the Winter other than fescue. Sometimes they may be a little loose, particularly with high protein fescue, and if the pastures still have legumes that are getting hit by frost. I never give it a consideration

[Rick&Patti]

they were eating grass off the pasture witch is fescue,orchard,cover,Bermuda,still have grass in the pasture but I just a bale of this in the feeder .The hay looks and smells great no musty smell at all . I talked to the farmer they bought it from he is coming over in the morning to see whats going on he hasnt sold any more cause he was out of town but he said he wont sell any till he makes sure its ok. So I will see what he says you can still see where they they had the scours at the ground is covered with it by the feeder when I changed the bale to a different one with mixed grass I moved the feeder so its still a mess over there

[agmantoo]

your statement
"they were eating grass off the pasture witch is fescue,orchard,cover,Bermuda......" You do not have your location but if the word cover is just a misprint for clover and you have had frost on the clover that is IMO the source of the loose fecal matter. I try not to get closer than around 5 feet to the rear of my herd at this time.