Farm & Ranch
Reticulo-peritonitis : Hardware disease
By Lindsay Allen
“Hardware disease,” also known as traumatic reticulo-peritonitis or traumatic reticulo-pericarditis, depending on which chamber of the stomach the foreign object lands, is a result of debris entering the digestive track of cattle and creating the potential for the object to pierce through the stomach walls and perhaps even the chest cavity and heart sac.
Heavy rains bring lots of silt and debris and the movement of water brings the movement of other items too, like nails, short pieces of fencing wire, small metal pieces, and other sharp objects.
These objects can linger and be found in winter feeding, too, when pastures are baled and foreign objects are picked up in the process. Items can be leftover from projects like fence or barn building, also.
Like most things in life, prevention is the best approach. Dr. Tom Troxel, professor and associate department head at the University of Arkansas, recommends producers walk their pasture and hay meadows after each rain, as the rain will wash away more of the silt and more likely expose foreign objects, which can even include sharp rocks.
To read more pick up a copy of the November 2016 NTFR issue.
By Heather Welper
Husband and wife duo, Heather and Calvin Welper, are the Co-Owners and Operators or Two C Livestock, located in Valley View, Texas.
The pair’s operation has a show cattle focus where they raise and sell purebred heifers of all breeds and club calf Hereford steers.
When it comes to show cattle, the Welpers know a thing or two including how to prepare for the cold winter months and the Texas major show season run.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Hannah Claxton, Editor
As the sun rises each day, so do the dozens of mouths that Meghan McGovern is responsible for getting fed. Rather than the sounds of a rooster crowing, McGovern hears the bellows and bleats of a variety of exotic deer, the chortle of kangaroos, the grunts of water buffaloes, and the chirps of a lemur.
Nestled against the banks of the Red River, the Double M Ranch and Rescue, with its high game fences and deer sprinkling the landscape,s its in stark contrast to the surrounding ranches.
“Having deer is kind of like eating potato chips- you can never actually have just one,” said McGovern with a laugh.
McGovern has several herds to take care of- fallow deer, axis deer, water buffalo, goats, and bison. In smaller numbers, there’s also a few kangaroos, a lemur, a potbelly pig, a pair of zebras, a watusi, and a few horses.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM, MPH
With the prolonged drought, most pastures in Oklahoma end up in poor condition. With the lack of available forage, animals may go in search of alternative foods.
If oak trees are in the pastures, acorns may be a favorite meal for some livestock in the fall. This may result in oak poisoning.
Oak leaves, twigs, buds, and acorns may be toxic to some animals when consumed.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November edition of North Texas Farm & Ranch magazine, available digitally and in print. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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