Grain overload in stock

No matter if you are finishing lambs in a feedlot or are giving supplementary feed to lambing ewes, management of grain and pellet feeding is important to protect the health of your stock.

Rumens are a large ‘vat’ where most of the digestion is performed by bacteria that live there.

There are many different types of bacteria that make up a healthy rumen.

A sudden increase in the amount of grain fed leads to a dramatic increase in bacteria which produce lactic acid.

This lowers the pH of the rumen which can cause potentially fatal issues such as:

• Decrease in the ‘good’ bacteria in the rumen

• Dehydration of the animal as the fluid is drawn into the rumen

•Potential acidification of the blood leading to organ failure

• Damage to the lining of the rumen

• Laminitis which can cause severe lameness.

Anything which changes the amount of grain eaten can lead to issues with acidosis.

Poor weather, yarding, or illness such as pneumonia can cause a decrease in feed intake for a period.

This can lead to a sudden over-consumption when they get back on their food.

Diarrhoea, accompanied by temporary inappetence, is also a common sign of mild acidosis, but can develop into severe disease if treatment or changes to diet is not enacted.

Grain overload is most likely to happen with grains that are easier to digest, e.g. low fibre grains like wheat and grain that has been cracked.

Any change to grain, even a new batch of the same pellets, should be introduced slowly.

Ideally, you should shandy the new with the old grain to adapt them onto the new.

Properly managing grain feeding gives you the best chance of avoiding grain overload.

This will ensure that grain/pellet feeding is a positive outcome for your stock and your wallet, rather than an issue.

For more information, you can look up the primefact ‘Grain poisoning of cattle and sheep’, or speak to your local vet.