Need some advice: Graizing Fescue!

I have a few recips that I am keeping on my Acreage so that I can work with the calves!  They are now graizing on a Bluegrass mix!  On another part of the farm I planted a Fescue Blend,  I know there is toxicity issues with Fescue!  Enlighten me please, can it be easily prevented?  What part of the grass is toxic, if I keep it from heading out will that help?  Will the right mineral easily prevent it?  What are the symptoms?  The two ET calves can be weaned if this is an issue?  Don't want to abort a pregnancy either?

Maybe it's not worth it?  Thanks for any advice!

Tony

Just keep the heads knocked down on the fescue and you shouldn't have a problem. Several of our pastures are mostly fescue and we just have to mow them every once and a while to knock the head off and we have never really had much of a problem.

One of our pastures is fescue and we have only had 1 cow that had a problem with it and we just kept her at a different pasture.

Jill, What are the symptoms? How do you treat if you get one? Thanks!

We run a lot of fescue in Northeast Mo and only problems we have is if the pasture is not clipped the seeds will get in eyes and cause eye problems usually pinkeye and early spring we feed himag mineral to prevent grass tetny (sp) but I believe that is with any grass not just fescue

It is the endophytes in the fescue that causes the problem. Symptoms can be elevated temp, loss of tail hair, sore feet, etc. Keep the heads clipped off and feed a quality mineral with CTC in it. If you are creep feeding the calves I would also have CTC added to the creep feed. It can be a problem but it can also be managed. RW

Thanks for all the Help!  I knew I could rely on the SP!    (clapping)

Tony

What all is in the "Fescue Blend"? Alot of times people will dilute the fescue by planting clover. You might consider that if you're going to use the lot in the future. Or maybe its already in the blend you used.

Also the endophyte is in the entire plant. While it will concentrate in the seed head, when mowed its still there. Cattle raised on fescue will do better than cattle just put on fescue. The mineral will work, and I'm sure your cattle will do well on it.

I thought I read somewhere that most effects of fescue show up in the fall/winter months. Is there any truth to that??

  I sure wouldn't advise anyone to plant the grass if you don't already have it. There are many, many better choices than fescue to plant. I am not a fan, but it is manageable. Seems like clipping the heads is the one management practice that helps the most the quickest. In my personal observations, I think cows seem to look rougher than cows running on other types of grasses. By that I mean that cows don't seem to slick up as quick as cows in the same area that are on what I would call "better" grasses. Cows are hot and spend alot of time in creeks & ponds. Body temp elevated attributing to lower conception rates. JMO. Brent

There are "endophyte free" varieties available. My experience has been that cows do spend alot of time trying to cool themselves due to the rise in body temperature. This can also lead to other problems such as foot rot from spending hours in the local body of water. Conception rates can also be effected by the rise in body temp and cows often do appear to be rough haired and slow to shed out. Most of the effects that I have seen seem to come about in August/September around here. The endophytes if left untreated can result in loss of tail hair, "fescue foot", low conception rates and poor doing cows. Management is the key. RW