Unless supplementary feeding is spot-on, lower pasture heights at this time of year can pinch heifers for energy and protein, resulting in lighter body condition, and in severe cases, reduced immunity to disease. 

Irrespective of body condition, lower pasture heights cause animals to graze lower to the ground, risking intake of soil borne bacteria and parasites. 

What are some of the bugs you should watch for? 

Salmonella is a constant threat to all classes of live-stock, and these conditions only serve to increase the risk. Salmonella causes fever, severe dullness, dehydration and a bloody, smelly diarrhea. 

A bacteria called Yersinia is closely related to Salm-onella, but the signs are not as acute. Yersinia causes a low grade, chronic, watery green, often bubbly diarrhoea and weight loss that can endure for 3-4 weeks unless treated promptly. 

Coccidiosis is a single celled parasite that causes out-breaks of disease in young grazing animals aged 3 —15 months of age. Cocci is often seen when grazing heights are low or stocking rates are high. It causes bloody diarrhea with mucus and straining. 

Worms are in a different category as their eggs lay dormant in dry conditions, and hatch with the first rains of the Autumn break. Worm larvae then wrig-gle up to the tip of the pasture leaf and wait to infest the grazing animal. However lower grazing heights only intensify the risk. 

Worm infestation causes a watery green to pasty diarrhoea, poor body condition, and often pale or white “mucous membranes” (the pink tissue sur-rounding the eyes and the gums). 

When is the best time to worm young stock? 

A wormer about one month after the Autumn break will treat the initial hatch of eggs before the new larvae mature into egg laying adults. 

A few samples of fresh manure dropped into the clinic can identify the cause of diarrhoea, and ensure that treatment is properly targeted. Treating the wrong cause is a waste of drugs, money, time and effort. 

Check young stock regularly for diarrhoea. Isolate cases by moving the unaffected animals onto new pasture. Treat affected animals with the right treat-ment, promptly and thoroughly. Worm young stock one month after rain. 

While coccidiosis does not affect adult animals, and worms are less of a risk, cows can still be infected with Salmonella and Yersinia, and the comments above still apply. 

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