The return of the rain and cooler autumn temperatures may well predispose suckler cows with calves at foot.
This is specifically so on farms where the plan is to get as much performance from grazed grass for as long into the autumn as possible.
Preventing tetany requires cows to have access to supplementary magnesium. Making Crystalyx High-Mag feed blocks in the field is a very effective way of meeting this demand.
David Morgan, from Caltech-Crystalyx, has confirmed the threat posed by grass tetany to grazing cows during the autumn months.
He explained:
“Too many breeding cows are lost unnecessarily in Northern Ireland at this time of the year as a result of grass tetany.
“And the problem can be so easily avoided. It is recommended that the Crystalyx High Mag blocks are placed with both suckler cows not receiving meals at this time of the year
David continued:
“Autumn grass can look lush. However, it is traditionally low in a wide range of minerals, including magnesium. Cattle must include magnesium in their diet in order to reduce the risk of staggers.
“Magnesium salts are a way of providing a source of magnesium, but they are bitter and not readily taken by stock at grass.
“Crystalyx High-Mag, however, provides a highly palatable form of magnesium that is readily available with every lick that the cow takes.”
Grass tetany, or hypomagnesaemia, is caused by a deficiency of magnesium in the blood. This is a rapidly fatal condition in beef cows and is a common cause of sudden death; i.e. an animal found dead in the field without any history of disease or ill-health in the previous days.
The cow has a poor capability to store magnesium in the body and must ingest sufficient magnesium on a daily basis to prevent deficiency and subsequent disease.
It is common with suckler cows when they are grazing very bare, as well as lush pastures. This grass is frequently low in magnesium due to quick growth and heavy slurry spreading, which is high in potassium and antagonistic to magnesium uptake.
Research at Glasgow University School of Veterinary Medicine has confirmed that the high digestibility and availability of the magnesium in Crystalyx Cattle High-Mag ensures the risk of hypomagnesaemia is significantly reduced.
“But that’s only part of the story,” David Morgan stressed.
“The High –Mag blocks are not just stand alone sources of magnesium: they also constitute valuable feed supplements. The blocks act to boost grass intakes, thereby improving cow performance.”
He concluded:
“The High –Mag blocks provide farmers with confidence when it comes to knowing that their cows are getting the magnesium they require,” he said.
“What’s more, they represent a very small cost when it comes to ensuring that cows are protected from staggers, which can strike without warning and is usually fatal.”
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