As the hectares planted in plantain continue to grow, cattle numbers grazing plantain have also increased. We have recently dealt with a case of bloat deaths in dairy weaners grazing plantain and clover.
Bloating on plantain appears to have different factors involved when compared to typical clover bloat. For example:
- bloat capsules may not be nearly as effective in preventing bloat.
- Some soil types seem to grow plantain / clover swards with a higher bloat risk profile than other soil types.
The take home point at this stage is, if you graze cattle on plantain / clover swards do so with caution!! In the first few days of grazing check cattle frequently for signs of bloat and don’t introduce empty cattle into this type of feed.