Farm & Ranch
No rot is good rot
By Jessica Crabtree, [email protected]
With vast numbers of yearling cattle stretching across much of Texas’ wheat pastures, it is no wonder that due to winter weather conditions, health problems arise. Affecting all ages of cattle, not limited to yearlings, foot rot is a typical hazard in grazing cattle. Reasons may vary, but are based around long amounts of time standing in wet conditions.
Not isolated to any specific area, but common in the spring and fall, clinically speaking foot rot is a subacute or acute necrotic decaying infectious disease. Its cause is normally a mechanical injury to the interdigital skin (between the toes). This happens when there is softening and thinning of the skin between the toes when exposed to continuous amounts of moisture. Wet conditions are a perfect environment for infectious agents to grow.
To read more pick up the March 2015 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM
Having backyard poultry is a popular agriculture enterprise. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 0.8 percent of all households in the United States have chickens. People keep chickens for a variety of reasons with table eggs being one of the more common reasons.
Unfortunately, some of these poultry producers are not aware of the hazards that come with keeping poultry because many times they carry pathogens but appear healthy.
Chickens are carriers of several zoonotic diseases. These are diseases that can be passed from animals to humans. According to a recent survey in Pennsylvania, a majority of backyard poultry producers were aware of the dangers of avian influenza. However, this study also revealed that far fewer producers were aware of the risk of possible exposure to Salmonella and Campylobacter.
The lack of knowledge about the hazards of raising poultry likely contributes to the continued issues of Salmonella outbreaks associated with backyard poultry. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,072 illnesses of Salmonella linked to backyard poultry, and 272 of those patients required hospitalization. Oklahoma reported 43 individuals with the disease.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
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