SlickTxMaine
Well-known member
Just curious about this: last year my son raised a maine steer for our local show. Good steer, got looked at real hard for reserve, but he had fluid on his hocks which caused him to walk stiff. The judge pegged it right off, commented on it and placed him third. He weighed 1340 if I remember correctly. We really had to hold him at the end and pull his water. We fed him a complete bagged feed, adding beet pulp, and vitafirm pellets, and at the end added steam flaked corn and stabilized rice bran. He also had all the hay he wanted.
This year, he has a Charolais/angus steer. Really nice steer...the problem, a few months ago he started limping on his front legs. Took him to the vet, had xrays done, and he was diagnosed with epiphysitis (sp). Gave him anti-inflamatory and lots of cold hosing. He now walks w/o a limp, but he has fluid build up on his knees. Almost looks like he is bucking over in the knees, but it's just the fluid. He walks a little stiff on the front due to the fluid. We are giving banamine orally, Adequan and lots of exercise. This year we are feeding a mixed feed, pretty much AOOK's recipe. We are also supplementing with Vitafirm and was giving him power fuel- stopped this about a month or so ago. We are now adding extra barley and stabilized rice bran and all the hay he wants. He currently weighs 1235 with one month to show.
Also, the steers came from different breeders, different bloodlines.
My question after this looooooong post is---- Are we pushing too hard and causing these problems? Is this just bad luck two years in a row, or are we doing something wrong??
I apologize for the long story, but wanted to give as many details as possible. Thanks!
This year, he has a Charolais/angus steer. Really nice steer...the problem, a few months ago he started limping on his front legs. Took him to the vet, had xrays done, and he was diagnosed with epiphysitis (sp). Gave him anti-inflamatory and lots of cold hosing. He now walks w/o a limp, but he has fluid build up on his knees. Almost looks like he is bucking over in the knees, but it's just the fluid. He walks a little stiff on the front due to the fluid. We are giving banamine orally, Adequan and lots of exercise. This year we are feeding a mixed feed, pretty much AOOK's recipe. We are also supplementing with Vitafirm and was giving him power fuel- stopped this about a month or so ago. We are now adding extra barley and stabilized rice bran and all the hay he wants. He currently weighs 1235 with one month to show.
Also, the steers came from different breeders, different bloodlines.
My question after this looooooong post is---- Are we pushing too hard and causing these problems? Is this just bad luck two years in a row, or are we doing something wrong??
I apologize for the long story, but wanted to give as many details as possible. Thanks!