Keeping a close eye on nitrates in cattle feed is crucial in order to ensure the health of your animals. If you don’t, you can end up with prussic acid poisoning. This is why it’s so important to take the time to learn what to do when your cattle have been exposed to high nitrates.
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Pre-feeding hay or other dry feed before turning animals into legume pastures
Pre-feeding hay or other dry feed before turning animals out onto the pasture can be a good idea for a number of reasons. One is that you can use the dry hay as a training aid for the livestock. Another is that you can be more confident in the fact that the livestock will be getting a high quality feed ration. You can also expect higher productivity and less risk of burnout.
While no one has claimed ownership of the first prize, a good combination of grasses and legumes can go a long way in improving pastures of all sizes. Legumes help keep nitrogen in the soil and provide more protein for your animals. They are also useful in providing a nice balance to a primarily grass based ration. Adding the right blend of legumes to your hay or dry feed mix will ensure your cows, sheep, goats, or horses are getting the best possible food.
Grazing high-nitrate pastures helps acclimate cattle to high nitrate levels
If you are concerned about high nitrate levels in your forage crops, you should start by checking the soil test. This will tell you how much phosphorus and nitrogen your land needs. A good fertilizer will help you reduce nitrate accumulation and the risk of toxicity.
If your soil test says that your phosphorus and nitrogen levels are low, apply ag-lime or other fertilizer as needed. Phosphorus deficiency will increase plant nitrate accumulation.
When a forage is high in nitrate, it is a good idea to blend it with a lower nitrate forage. This dilution will encourage the ruminal microorganisms to adapt to high nitrate feeds.
In some cases, it may be necessary to introduce a small amount of high nitrate forage several times per day. This will help stimulate ruminal recovery and minimize the rate at which a cattle consumes the higher nitrate forage.
In the short term, it is best to keep a close eye on forage levels. Nitrate levels can be elevated in forages that have been subjected to excessive fertilizer.
Grazing high-nitrate pastures can cause prussic acid poisoning
Prussic acid poisoning is an adverse reaction that occurs when cattle eat a forage with high nitrates. The animal is quickly killed by a combination of respiratory paralysis and a lack of oxygen. Although the cause of prussic acid poisoning is not known, it is likely that drought and other environmental conditions can contribute to the problem.
Prussic acid is a volatile organic compound. The substance is most commonly found in young plants, but some older species have the potential to contain harmful levels. Some of the most common plants associated with prussic acid poisoning include sorghum and Sudangrass.
Prussic acid can be present in hay as well, although it is rarely fatal. The amount of prussic acid in hay can decrease by about 75% while the hay is cured.
Prussic acid can be found in plants that are considered weeds. While a definite rule is not set in stone, many common barnyard weeds have toxic levels.
Treatment of nitrate poisoning
Nitrate poisoning in cattle is one of the most common ailments seen in ruminants. It’s important to identify and treat the condition before it becomes serious.
Acute nitrate toxicity occurs when an animal is ingesting a high nitrate forage. The nitrate is quickly absorbed by the rumen and converted to nitrite. If an animal is severely affected, it may collapse. Symptoms include rapid breathing, staggering, and muscle tremors.
Nitrate toxicity often affects livestock in cold or inclement weather. In addition, animals are more susceptible to nitrate toxicity when they do not have enough nutrient-rich food available in the rumen.
The most important treatment for nitrate poisoning in livestock is to remove the animal from the source of the nitrate. Nitrates are commonly found in nitrate-containing fertilizers and water sources. They can also be found in forage.
Methylene blue, a chemical used to treat prussic acid toxicity, can be injected intravenously in acute nitrate toxicity. Although the FDA approves the use of methylene blue for prussic acid poisoning, it’s not yet approved for food-producing animals.
