A PASTURE HANDBOOK 65 



PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF BLOATING 



Bloating, also known as hoven or tympanites, is a form of indi- 

 gestion in wliich the rumen or pauncli is distended by gases of fer- 

 mentation. It occurs chiefly in cattle, though sheep and goats also 

 may be similarly affected. It may be caused by hurried eating, 

 gorging on a new kind of feed, or some undesirable quality in the feed. 

 Legumes such as alfalfa and clover are much more likely to cause 

 bloating than grasses. Therefore, stock should be well filled with 

 dry feed such as good hay or some grass pasturage which is not hkely 

 to cause bloating, before being turned on such legume pasture. 

 Pasture wliich is wet with dew or rain is particularly dangerous. Once 

 cattle are put on a legume pasture it is best to keep them there and 

 give them free access to some good dry roughage in a stack or hay 

 rack. If they must be taken off the pasture long enough to be hungry 

 before they go back, it is important that they be given a good feed 

 before going back, especially if the pasturage is wet. 



Remedies for mild cases consist m exercising the animal, throwing 

 cold water on its sides, and putting m its mouth a bit coated with 

 some disagreeable substance such as tar or grease. This stimulates 

 the secretion of saliva and induces swallowing and the stretching of 

 the esophagus, which allows the gas to escape. In severe cases when 

 there is danger of death by suffocation, a trocar should be used to 

 puncture the paunch. The insertion should be in the center of the 

 triangular space below the loin between the last rib and the liip bone, 

 on the left side, the trocar being directed downward, inward, and 

 shghtly forward. The canula, or sheath of the trocar, may be tied 

 in place by a string around the body wliile the gas is escaping. Since 

 puncturing the paunch with this instrument is attended by danger to 

 the animal, if not properly done, the operation should preferably be 

 performed by a qualified veterinarian, who also should prescribe 

 treatment to stop the fermentation. 



PASTURES FOR BEEF AND DUAL-PURPOSE CATTLE 



The grazing of cattle for strictly beef purposes is one of the most 

 economical methods of marketing an agricultural crop. Cattle re- 

 quire very little attention when handled on pasture or range. If 

 there is adequate feed in the form of grass the labor required to 

 manage the herd properly will consist primarily in distributmg salt, 

 keeping water available,"^ and "working" the cattle during certain 

 seasons, which includes such operations as branding, dehorning, 

 castrating, and vaccinating. 



On most farms the principal grazing problem in handlmg beef or 

 dual-purpose cattle is that of extending the grazing season to reduce 

 the quantity of harvested feed required. In general, the costs of 

 winter feed for from 4 to 6 months are from 2 to 4 times as great as 

 the cost of grazing for a period of from 6 to 8 months. To extend the 

 grazing season most effectively, one must have more than one pasture 

 in order to save ungrazed forage for grazing in midsummer, late fall, 

 winter, or early spring. Temporary annual pastures, such as Sudan 

 grass, sweetclover, lespedeza, and winter wheat, barley, or rye, may 

 be used to supplement permanent pastures. With such crops it is 

 possible to begin grazing from 2 to 4 weeks earlier in the spring, to 

 have an abundance of feed during July and August when bluegrass 



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