BLOAT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 280, 10 November 1931, Page 11

BLOAT

LOSSES IN DAIRY HERDS. From day to day losses are being reported of dairy cows from bloat, this trouble being commonly known amongst dairy farmers as having their cows “blown.” The usual pr: tice on most dairy farms is to have a night paddock adjacent to the milking shed which usually is bare of feed. By the time the herd is milked in the morning they are empty and in hungry condition. When turned into luscious feed, more especially when there is dew on the pasture, a proportion of tho cows gorge themselves and fermentation sets in, frequently causing the death of the animal. Once a dairy cow has been blown, she is always more susceptible, and requires to be watched carefully when there is a flush growth of feed. Prevention being better than cure, several farmers who have already suffered are now cutting a proportion of the pasture with a mower, leaving it to wilt for a few hours, then spreading it in the night paddock. This extra feed keeps the herd contented, and they are far less likely to gorge themselves when turned in to their day paddocks. A quick cure in the early stages is to have a tin of Stockholm tar and apply with a stick on the tongue and round tho teeth of the animal.