White Clover

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SCF

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2008
Messages
81
Anyone else having trouble with cows bloting on white clover?
 

DEF

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 27, 2010
Messages
97
I did the last two years but not this year. We had a dry spring, the frothy bloat is bad stuff I lost several cows to it. You better kill it or mop/strip graze it which is a pain in the butt unless that's all you do is farm. Best of luck to you!!
 

caledon101

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Joined
Jul 27, 2013
Messages
241
White Clover is a coarse legume to feed and, it can potentially cause very serious toxic issues.
White Clover contains coumarin which under certain conditions will convert to dicoumarin (dicoumarol). This is an anticoagulant that can cause non contagious bleeding in livestock.
If you are familiar with the rat poison WARFARIN? (Wisconsin Alumin Research Foundation)...it is derived from dicoumarin.
I wouldn't feed White Clover if possible...it is coarse and less palatable to most livestock anyway.
 

Lucky_P

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 27, 2012
Messages
326
Caledon,
You're discussing white sweetclover, Melilotus officinalis; and yes, mold growing on/in sweetclover harvested for hay can cause bleeding problems.
However, the 'white clover' SCF is referring to is Trifolium repens, commonly referred to as white/ladino/white dutch clovers - more noted for their potential for causing frothy bloat.  Coumarin/dicoumarin is not a concern with this plant.
 
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