A Bad Year For Long Bone Deformity?

Pregnant cows are most susceptible to produce calves suffering from Long Bone Deformity when they are fed a mainly silage ration during the fourth month of pregnancy.  In a normal autumn by the time the herd is housed, the majority of cows will be past this critical stage and will produce normal calves.  This autumn however many herds have been housed much earlier than normal, significantly increasing the potential number of cows at risk.

Effect Of Early Housing On Risk Of LBD

One way of trying to minimise the risk is to feed a mineral containing additional manganese ie 7,000 mg/kg of mineral at 125 g per cow per day.

Basil Lowman, SAC Consulting Beef Specialist