Bloat in Spring

Cattle and sheep grazing lush rapidly growing green feed in spring can be at risk of bloat – particularly young cattle, and those grazing high risk forages such as lucerne and clover. Sheep don’t tend to bloat as easily as cattle, but on risky feed please make sure their 5-in-1 vaccinations are up to date, clostridial disease can be associated with bloat.

Bloat is a rapid build-up of gas in rumen – the rumen normally produces gas, but when lush lucerne, clover or other legumes or vegetative rapidly growing forages are eaten their breakdown products can form a foam which traps the gas in the rumen. More gas keeps being produced with nowhere to go, pressing on the lungs and often causing death very quickly.

If your cattle become bloated move them out of the paddock immediately, quietly and calmly. If any are down and struggling to breathe you will need to stab them in the LEFT flank at the highest point, between their ribs and hips. Then call the vet.

If your stock are going to be on risky feed, make sure they have plenty of fibre, such as hay, in their diet and they don’t go on hungry. Limit their grazing time using break fences. Unfortunately we no longer have the option of anti-bloat capsules, but if trough water treatment is an option for you then this would be the best prevention option. Bloat licks are not available in NZ, but some people believe salt licks can help reduce the risk of bloat – stock on low salt feeds such as lucerne should be getting additional salt anyway. Roller lick drums with Bloatenz + Molasses mixture is another option, for many this would involve purchase of drums and it may be easier to graze forage with a lower risk stock class.