Anyone run cows on fescue grass?

[qbcattle]

We are from Texas but are looking to lease country in north Oklahoma that has a large amount of fescue. I know it is correlated with a strain of toxicity but am not familiar with it at all. Any help would be great.

Thanks!

 

[CWshorthorns]

We run cows on fescue pasture as i am sure many people in the midwest do. We have some cows that are bothered by the fescue and some that are not. When they seem to be bothered by it we will get some powder med and mix it in with a few pounds of feed. For the most part we only have to do this once or twice in the spring and once or twice in the fall only if the cows seem to be bothered by it. We can tell which cows are starting because they will spend most of there time in the mid of the day in the pond. The vet said that they do that because the fescue cause there hoof to hurt and swell. We doctor then with the powder ( I WILL LOOK TO SEE WHAT THE MED. IS)

 

[peachy]

Fescue is like beer- it's only good when it's cold  <beer>

 

[KCF]

We have cows on fescue all summer and fall, and have very little trouble with it. We feed them fescue mineral two to three weeks before we turn them out and all throughout the time they are on pasture.

 

[sjcattleco]

Fescue is like beer- it's only good when it's cold  <beer>

Thats a good one!!!

  I run cows on pasture that is primarily fescue year round.

Like everything else it is good and bad.  when its young and vegetative its great. if it matures  and it  is Ky 31 it is infected with a symbiotic fungus called an endophyte. This endophye helps the grass be so vigorous and healthy. It also causes bad things in cattle. Worst of all is it raises the body temp of a cow about 1-2 degrees and it will cause cows to abort.  it also thickens the blood and causes Fescue Foot. cows get very lame and loose weight. they eat less endophye level drops lameness goes away and they start to eat more again causing the cycle to start over again.  Also since the grass will cause stress in cattle it leads to increased rates of pinkeye esp in the summer.  We have found that feeding a mineral with TASCO helps alot with all of these problems. It lowers the body temps. If you don't feed it cows will seek out water to stand in. creeks ponds whatever they can find.
I haive found that cattle not rasied on it have a hard time adapting to it.  FEscue is great feed in the winter . the frost on the grass changes the sugars in the grass and it causes teh endophyte to loose its poison and cows get fat as mud in teh fall on it

 

[qbcattle]

Thank yall for the help!