Mildew on Feed (Goats - General)greenspun.com : LUSENET : Countryside : One Thread |
We had a number of bags of feed mildwew a couple of months ago. Instead of throwing them away I spread the feed out on a table with good air flow over it. Now the mildew is gone and the feed looks like new. Has anyone else done this befor? we are now feeding the goats this feed and see no signs of problems.I am feeding 50# at a time and also top dressing the feed with a 1# coffee can of diamond v XP yeast at the same time for 50 goats once a day. Just wondering about others experince with mildew feed. God Bless and have a Great week.
-- Charles Steen (Xbeeman412@aol.com), May 20, 2001
Just last week we found mold in one of our bags of whole corn; it is now spread on the ground in a sunny spot in the comfry patch. It will stay there until it rots. Mold and mildew in feed can produce toxins which can make your livestock sick (polioencephalomacia for example)and even cause breeding problems. You may be able to remove the mold or mildew but the toxins will most likely remain in the grain itself. Personally, I would recomend playing it safe and not use the feed. A vet bill or loss of livestock would probably cost more then dumping the grain. (Dr Samuel Guss' book Management and Diseases of Dairy Goats has some good info on this subject)
-- Nancy Bakke-McGonigle Mn. Sunset (dmcgonig@smig.net), May 20, 2001.
Our neighbor will never feed moldy, mildewed feed to his livestock because of the toxin risk. The only "livestock" that eats the mildewed and moldy feed on his place or mine are the worms in my bins.
-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 20, 2001.
I hope that you will not be offened, but moldy anything can cause your animals to abort. I am just offering a bit of advise.
-- lexi Green (whitestone11@hotmail.com), May 20, 2001.
Great book Nancy! Just because the mildew or mold is gone the toxin remains. If this happens alot with your feed, you may want to add cottenseed meal and hulls to the ration to absorb the mositure. We are also in the hot humid south, and have this in our feed. Our molassas ration is only at 6%, much lower than in any commercial feeds, yet without the cottonseed as little sponges we would have no keeping quality of our feed. Mold and mildew cause listerosis in our area, can also abort kids, and decrease or completely stop your does milk. Bucks will be infertile, with breeding season starting in July, something I wouldn't want to have a problem with right now. I wouldn't take a chance with the feed, give it to a neighbor with hogs or feed it to the hens. As soon as I get my grain I pour it into rubbermaid trash cans with tight lids, I only keep enough grain for 2 weeks. Make sure and have some B1 on hand from the vet if you have neurologial syptoms, star gazing, circling, or does dragging a rear leg. Good luck. Do a search for listerosis, poliomyilitis encepalitis and enterotoxemia so you can recognise sypmtoms right away. Vicki
-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 20, 2001.
When we get moldy feed, we give it to a friend for cows. With four stomachs, they can break down the toxins without any negative effects.
-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@hotmail.com), May 21, 2001.
Charles, I use Tindles brand and they say if the feed has been compromised NOT to use it. Sincerely, Ernest
-- http://communities.msn.com/livingoffthelandintheozarks (espresso42@hotmail.com), May 21, 2001.
Laura it is actually quite the opposite. Single stomached animals, pigs, dogs, us and to a lesser degree equine (meaning that they do have single stomachs albeiet more delicate ones) can ingest toxins, causing diarrhea, in which the system is more easily flushed. Cows, goats, sheep, and deer are ruminents, four stomached, eat their feed into 1 chamber called the rumen, in which it sits, waiting for a down time in which the animal rechews the cud. Rechewing is when the toxins are released into the blood stream, and without a major surgery you can not remove the contents of the rumen. You can oil it out, but it then must go through a long process of absorption on 3 more stomachs plus the intestine. This causes causes loss of B vitamins from the toxins, and liver failure, much easier than in a single stomached animal. Vicki
-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), May 21, 2001.