Bloat

[wagra dexters]

Thanks Vicki. It's a deficiency illness I think.
Margaret

[Saffy]

Interesting article Vicki, reminded me of a milking cow of ours, she had nervous acetonemia - not sure about that spelling - I found her attempting to eat the metal yard gate, she moved on to the scraper tractor before the treatment worked, which was the same as for normal acetonemia.

Stephanie

[Denise]

thanks Vicki - I just couldnt remember the name of it! Yes it is interesting, I agree with Marg it probably is a mineral deficiency. Our soils in OZ are terribly lacking in trace elements, which most of us have to use licks or the Pat Coleby Mineral mixes to guard against.

[Broomcroft]

Went to a grass day yesterday and they had the guy who writes in Farmers Weekly doing a talk. He said the most important fertiliser of all was lime. If your PH is too low or too high, the trace elements in the soil will not be available, even if they are there. The farm we were on had a PH of 4.9 and they were trying to get to 6 - 6.5. They were putting 2 tonnes of lime on per acre, per year for three years. When the lime is put on the PH goes too high and that also locks up the trace elements. You have to wait for it to stabilise over the years.

He went on to say that in the UK the things lacking were selenium and cobalt but added that he would concentrate on just getting good grass and getting those elements into the cattle some other way.

We're putting chalk prills on our ground in the autumn with a fertiliser spreader because our soil is just tipping below PH 6.



Edited By Broomcroft on 1276255022

[Denise]

Hey Clive, I'll bite - what is "chalk prills" assume its some sort of chalk/lime that you put over the paddocks???
I'm inclined to use dolomite at my place, as have sufficient lime - because of feeding it to horses for over 30 years!
Also we have a grass over here - its an NZ import "Kikuku" - and boy it will grow up a bloody tree if you dont watch it!
Most of the dairy cattle around are fed on it, and because its a calcium uptake inhibitor, we have to feed other minerals to ensure the calcium uptake is not being blocked by the pasture.

espeically prevelant on the coastline with plentiful rainfall - great bulk feed, but fairly low in quality.

[Broomcroft]

Hi Denise - they are chalk/lime (not sure of exact details) compressed into little balls that some call prills. Like a little shotgun pellet or slightly larger. Because this is how a lot of fertiliser is supplied, at least here in the UK, the chalk / lime can then be applied using a standard broadcaster.

Not sure how it compares to applying lime, but the cost is about £120 a tonne for the prills and I would only have to apply a bit so they look a good option, and I have a broadcaster. I would imagine if you had to apply a lot, like the farm I went to visit, or didn't have a broadcaster, then a local liming contractor, using normal lime, would probably be more economic.

The point he made about the PH was that if the PH isn't about right, the minerals / trace elements will not be available so when you test you soil for these minerals, the results may be misleading. i.e. I assume this means that magnesium (for example) may be there is sufficient volume, but it won't get into your cows unless the PH is right. I mention this because I was thinking of the topics around staggers and other problems.

Don't know whether I got all this is right, but it's what I heard!

[Denise]

Hi Clive - yes if your soil PH level isnt right, minerals cant be released. Hmm never heard of "pills" of chalk/lime before - sounds a less messy way of applying it, and slower release.
When u spread lime the stuff hangs all about the place for days - unless its windy and then youre neighbours benefit from it too! lol