Fauna-Eplone Uganda

29/09/2020

Ruminal Acidosis:
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🔺️OTHER NAMES

✔Acidosis
✔Carbohydrate Engorgement
✔Carbohydrate Overload
✔Grain Overload
✔Lactic Acidosis

🔺️SYNDROMES

✔Colic (Abdominal Pain)
✔Diarrhoea
✔Nervous Disease
✔Sudden Death

〽️DESCRIPTION

Rumen acidosis is most likely to occur shortly after animals consume excessive amounts of grain starch. This is most likely to occur soon after animals are introduced to pellets, or when pellet feeding is re-commenced following an interruption.

Limited or no access to roughage of an effective fibre length means that stock will spend less time chewing and will produce less saliva, which results in reduced ingestion of bicarbonate and phosphate buffers normally supplied to the rumen in salivary secretions. Rapid fermentation of starch causes high levels of lactic acid to form quickly in the rumen, killing essential gut microflora, damaging the mucosal lining, and drawing in body fluid.

This leads to rumen stasis, dehydration, and diarrhoea. Severely affected animals may develop systemic acidosis, abdominal or systemic infections, and laminitis.

Animals may die either acutely due to overwhelming acidosis or as a result of secondary complications.

Large, strong, young animals with excellent appetites are more at risk. Rapid engorgement of a ration due to hunger or competitive feeding will predispose stock to rumen acidosis. If a single animal is showing clinical signs of acidosis it will indicate a high probability of subclinical acidosis in the rest of the herd.

〽️CLINICAL SIGNS AND DIAGNOSIS

Clinical findings and examination of feeding history and feed should raise suspicions. Bubbly diarrhoea can indicate acidosis, as it is a sign that feed is passing through undigested and there is fermentation occurring in the faeces.

Clinical findings and examination of feeding history and feed should raise suspicions.

Mild acidosis is associated with watery faeces accompanied by temporary inappetence. Increasing severity is evident by depression, dehydration, absence of ruminal movements, weak pulse, slow capillary refill, subnormal temperature, diarrhoea, and colic. Some animals may later develop laminitis or liver abscess.

Animals that survive the acute illness may still die within days due to kidney failure, fungal rumenitis or peritonitis.

At necropsy, the rumen is distended with pellets and fluid. Note that sloughing of the rumen mucosa is a normal post-mortem change occurring within an hour of death and should not be regarded as evidence of rumenitis or excessive grain feeding unless associated with inflammatory change.

Urine test strips or specific test strips may be used to test pH of rumen fluid. Normal rumen pH is >5.9 and acidosis should be suspected if the pH is less than 5.5.

Rumen pH can change in the hours after death as rumen fermentation continues, so samples not taken close to the time of death must be interpreted with caution.

Laboratory confirmation requires sections of reticulum and ventral rumen in buffered formalin for histology.

🔺️Differential diagnoses include
✔salmonellosis,
✔gastrointestinal accidents,
✔enterotoxaemia, and
✔bloat.

〽️TREATMENT

If acidosis is suspected, then high concentrate diets should be changed to increase intake of roughage of an adequate fibre length. On ships this involves replacing pellets with hay or chaff. Animals should be encouraged to maintain adequate fluid intake. Animals with mild to moderate acidosis will often recover within a few days following dietary change.

Infusion of alkalinising agents (magnesium hydroxide, sodium bicarbonate) into the rumen might be considered in early cases. Administration of antibiotics may provide protection against secondary infection. Transfer of >3 L, preferably 8 to 16 L, of rumen fluid from a healthy donor may be beneficial to reactivate the rumen and stimulate digestion and eating. Development of mycotic infection of the rumen wall may cause relapse over coming weeks and then the prognosis is grave.

Affected animals may also benefit from administration of antibiotic (procaine penicillin) to minimise the risk of complications associated with proliferation of gram-positive bacteria.

If feeding restricted fodder in a shipboard environment, consider feeding smaller feeds more frequently across the day.

〽️PREVENTION

Introduce animals to higher carbohydrate diets incrementally over a period of two to three weeks, monitoring carefully for early signs of acidosis, such as reduced appetite, reduced rumen movement, and sloppy faeces. Avoid instances where animals might be allowed to gorge on concentrate diets, such as following a period of cessation or reduced feed availability (yoyo feeding).

Feed additives (ionophores, virginiamycin, sodium bicarbonate and sodium bentonite) may be considered in feedlot situations to minimise the risk of acidosis, particularly during the first few weeks of grain introduction.

Regular feeding of palatable roughage of an adequate fibre length will stimulate mastication and saliva production. Suggested fibre length for cattle is 5-10 cm, and an average fibre length of 2.5 cm is recommended for sheep.

14/09/2020

19/09/2019

03/09/2019

For high milk production in dry season, use high quality silage

HOW TO PREPARE SILAGE FOR DAIRY COWS.

Silage is high-moisture fodder preserved through fermentation in the absence of air.
These are fodders that would deteriorate in quality if allowed to dry. Silage can be made from grasses, fodder sorghum, green oats, green maize or Napier grass. An ideal crop for silage making should;
i) contain an adequate level of fermentable sugars in the form of water-soluble carbohydrates
ii) have dry matter content in the fresh crop above 20%
iii) possess a physical structure that will allow it to compact readily in the silo after harvesting Crops not fulfilling these requirements may require pre-treatment such as:
i) field wilting, to reduce moisture
ii) fine chopping, generally 20–25 mm preferred to allow compaction
iii) use of additives, to increase soluble carbohydrates

Harvesting stages
Napier grass should be harvested at about 1 metre when protein content is about 10%. Maize and sorghum should be harvested at dough stage, that is when the grain is milky. The grains will provide water-soluble sugars and molasses is not
necessary when ensiling. When ensiling napier grass, molasses should be added to increase the sugar content. To improve silage quality, poultry waste and legumes like lucerne and desmodium may be mixed with the material being ensiled to
increase the level of crude protein.

Types of silos
A silo is an airtight place or receptacle for preserving green feed for future feeding on the farm. Silos can be either underground or above ground, the qualification being that the silo must allow compaction and be air tight. Five types are described here: tube, pit, above-ground, trench and tower.

Silage can be made in large plastic sacks or tubes. The plastic must have no holes to ensure no air enters. This is popularly referred to as tube silage. Silage can also be made in pits that are dug vertically into the ground and then filled and compacted with the silage material.

An above-ground silo is made on slightly slanted ground. The material is compacted and covered with a polythene sheet and a layer of soil is added at the top. When finished, it should be dome-shaped so that it does not allow water to settle at the top
but rather collect at the sides and drain away down the slope.

The trench silo is an adaptation of the pit silo, which has long
been in use. It is much cheaper to construct than a pit silo. Construction is done on sloping land. A trench is dug and then filled with silage material. This method is ideal for large-scale farms where the tractor is used. Drainage from rain is also controlled to avoid spoiling the silage.

Tower silos are cylindrical and made above-ground. They are 10 m or more in height and 3 m or more in diameter. Tower silos containing silage are usually unloaded from the top of the pile. An advantage of tower silos is that the silage tends to pack well due to its own weight, except for the top few feet.

Qualities of good silage
Well-prepared silage is bright or light yellow-green, has a smell similar to vinegar and has a firm texture. Bad silage tends to smell similar to rancid butter or ammonia.
Natural microorganisms turn the sugars in the plant material or any added as molasses into weak acids, which then act as a preservative. The result is a sweet- smelling, moist feed that cattle like to eat once they get used to it.

Storage and feeding
Tube silage should be stored under shade, for example in a store. Rodents like rats that could tear the tube need to be controlled. When feeding, open the tube and scoop a layer and remember to re-tie without trapping air inside. When feeding from the pit, scoop in layers and cover after removing the day’s ration, making sure the pit is air tight. Drainage from the top should be guided to avoid rainwater draining into the pit.

Losses
Nutrient losses may occur during silage making. In the field during cutting, losses due to respiration during wilting will be about 2% per day. If it rains, leaching may cause some loss.

Overheating due to poor sealing gives a brown product, which may smell like to***co and result in severe damage to nutrients e.g. proteins.

Effluent losses of 2–10% that occur from moisture seepage contain soluble and highly digestible nutrients; seepage should be avoided by wilting the herbage.

Silage additives
During silage preparation, different types of additives can be added to improve the quality. These include fermentation stimulants. Some crops may not contain the right type or the right number of lactic acid bacteria. Bacterial inoculants and
enzymes can hasten and improve fermentation by converting carbohydrates to lactic acid. Most inoculants contain Lactobacillus plantarum.

Fermentation inhibitors include acids such as propionic, formic and sulphuric. Inorganic acids are more effective but are strongly corrosive thus not recommended.
Of the organic acids, formic is more effective than propionic, lactic or acetic.

Substrate or nutrient sources (grains, molasses, urea or ammonia) are used when there are insufficient soluble carbohydrates in the material to be ensiled (e.g. legumes, Napier grass, crop residues). They are also used to increase the nutritive value of the silage. Molasses can be added at about 9 kg/t of silage.

Note: Use of additives is not a prerequisite for making good silage, but it is good for
problem crops.

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To get a complete e-book manual on successful dairy farming, Kindly pay ksh 150 via mpesa Till 664444 and text your email to 0724512194

30/08/2019

ESSENTIAL FEEDS FOR INCREASED IN MILK PRODUCTION IN DAIRY CATTLE

After calving, a dairy cow should be fed 3kg of concentrates (dairy meal) per day depending on individual production. The animals may be challenged further by increasing their dairy meal rations for up to an optimal level.

Dairy meal should be fed after milking so that the cow remains standing until the teat canal closes. This helps to avoid teat infection and mastitis.

Farmers should supplement their dairy cows with yeast either in feeds or drinking water to boost milk production.

Yeast fed to a dairy cow improves feed digestibility, increases feed intake and overall performance and productivity.

Yeast extracts increases the number and activity of beneficial bacteria leading to increased rate of ruminal fermentation and a subsequent increase in net energy.

As more organic matter is fermented per unit time, the animal is able to consume more dry matter which also increases net energy.

As the number of beneficial bacteria increases, there is subsequent increase in microbial protein, which when combined with increased net energy leads to high milk production.

Stimosol Oral is a well-balanced combination of yeast, vitamins, organic acids and minerals.

Mineral supplements should be provided as they are essential in milk production, they improve fertility, reduce incidences of retained placenta and also contributes to development of strong bones in the growing foetus.

Granular mineral salts should be mixed with feeds in a feeding trough or fed with the concentrates. It may be necessary to moisten the granular mineral licks to prevent dusting during licking as this predisposes the cows to respiratory problems.

Provide mineral salts at a rate of 150g for every 5 litres of milk produced, and an extra 60g for every 5 extra litres.

Free lick Intromin Mineral block should be availed at all times. Wholesome drinking water must be available all the time.

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To get a complete e-book manual on DAIRY CATTLE FEEDS, TMR & RATION FORMULATION, Kindly pay ksh 250 via mpesa Till Number 664444 and text your email to 0724512194

06/06/2019

Invest in dairy industry if you need a smart earning!!

05/06/2019

Hello Farmers!!!!

08/05/2019

Agriculture is the way to go