A continuously bloated steer

[Bkpigs]

I have a steer that for 2 or 3 weeks now has been bloated. I got the bloat to go down once or twice. I did tube him when it first started. He will look nice and normal for a bit then he will seemingly stick his side out. I have removed almost all grain from his diet. He is with six other steers so can't isolate his diet. But when I feed them he eats all hay with very little grain. He never seems to be in discomfort. They hay is grass hay with mostly little bluestem so there is plenty of "scratch factor". Has anyone had a steer like this? Should I just start giving more grain and move on like normal? Getting tired of restricting grain on all the steers on his account.

 

[JD Seller]

Put the feed back to him. I have steers that look bloated but they are fine as long as they are not "fresh" on richer feed.

 

[centash]

What JD said......or get rid of it before it has a fatal bloat if it doesn't respond. Ben

 

[DoubleR]

I had one like that last year. He seemed to be alright but would look bloated at times. I sent him to slaughter early, didn't want to chance it.

 

[farmerwithmutt]

Magnet odd but true had a chronic bloater
vet came out and looked at it . He was a vet
with as much common sense as book smarts.
His thought when you hurt to cough you well
suppress it the same goes for cattle if
there is a piece of metal inside and gets
poked every time it coughs say to get rid of
gas it will suppress the urge. That cow went
from bloating every day to never again. I've
used this several times and it works. It
doesn't take much to do it and well worth
trying.

 

[RBoots]

Well Well, look who it is. Where ya been Farmer w/mutt?

 

[kevinstuff]

Dr. Pol. Show , said the cow was bloated
from eating too much weeds that had no
nutrition

 

[rdandersom]

I used to raise red veal calves {some call them rose veal}. Holstein bulls that never see any roughage only shelled corn and pellets and get
butchered about 7-8 months at 700 lbs max with their horns and stones intact. I have had calves bloat for no good reason too. A few bloat
once but others bloat repeatedly. I never had the nerve to keep the repeat bloaters around. I shipped them small or ate them. Some just seem
determined to die on you. Good luck and let us know how it turns out for you.

 

[mmidlam]

I know of a person that found plastic twine in a bloater.

 

[pms]

Had a beef heifer with that problem.Got
tired of sticking a tube down her
throat.Finally butchered her.She had a
partially twisted stomach.
Paul

 

[Bkpigs]

finally got a chance to put the magnet down him. Finally got a chance to put the magnet down him. he looked fine tonight though. Will keep y'all updated.

 

[Bkpigs]

After babying him on grain he is no longer bloating. Still working on getting him back on free choice on grain. I think the magnet was the solution. Thanks a million.

 

[Bkpigs]

After babying him on grain he is no longer bloating. Still working on getting him back on free choice on grain. I think the magnet was the solution. Thanks a million.