How to Avoid Mad Cow Disease
Know the federal government regulations on feeds for livestock., Know the signs and symptoms of BSE (or TSE, if you have goats and/or sheep as well)., Avoid purchasing feeds with animal by-products., For farms with mixed livestock, ensure feeding...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know the federal government regulations on feeds for livestock.
In Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has a mandatory ban in place where it is illegal to feed ruminants (including cattle, goats, sheep, deer, elk and bison) most proteins and animal by-products derived from mammals, especially those that are allowed to be fed to poultry, pigs, horses, and other non-ruminant livestock.
This includes poultry litter, which is not prohibited as feed in the United States.
In the United States, the Department of Agriculture's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows for the feeding of chicken litter because it felt it could not find any evidence that it would pose any risk of BSE to ruminants when "processed properly" through deep-stacking or ensiling .
This is not agreed upon by other countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and those in the European Union simply because no amount of heat treatment will destroy ant potentially existing prions. -
Step 2: Know the signs and symptoms of BSE (or TSE
Diagnosing this neurological disease can be a challenge if you are new to the raising livestock venture, so if you know what to look for as a means to prepare for the unexpected in your flock or herd, you can be ready to expect the unexpected.
This is highly recommended if you have a breeding herd or flock of cattle, sheep or goats of animals that reach 8 to 10 years of age and older. , With exception to feeds for hogs, poultry, horses and fish, all feeds that are made for ruminant animals should be free of animal by-products.
However, you should make sure to check the label just in case, particularly if it's a brand you have not purchased before and are not familiar with.
Feed manufacturers are usually really good about producing a sound, reliable product for your animals.
However, mishaps and errors can occur, so if you notice anything about the feed you are buying that seems out of the ordinary, talk to your local feed store supplier about your concerns.
An exception should be made with young animals that are cannot be on full feed or fed the same feed as adult ruminants are, such as grain, hay, and silage.
Milk replacer and colostrum powder formulas are made with powdered milk from cows, and are much better for young calves than soy milk replacer due to the lower fibre content.
Milk replacer nor milk itself is not a significant risk for calves to pick up prions, simply because prions tend to favour nervous tissue, not milk alveoli in the mammary glands, which is why it is still safe to feed to baby calves.
You should know which bag of feed is for which farm animal species simply by seeing the picture, colouring and label of the bag.
Some people think it's okay to feed feed to cows that are meant for pigs or chickens, but this is entirely illegal and not a very wise decision.
Thus, always make sure the feed your buying is only for the livestock it's meant to be fed to, no exceptions! , If you have more than one species of livestock that includes a non-ruminant species or two (like chickens or pigs), make sure you are feeding your chickens and/or pigs away from where you feed your cattle.
This also applies to goats and sheep as well if you have either one, both or instead of cattle.
This should be areas where your ruminant animals can not get in and have their share of the chicken or pig feed too.
Fencing off each species so they have their own feeding area, and developing feeding schedules so that one species that tends to be more nosy and pushy than the other gets to be fed first are highly recommended strategies.
Check fences regularly, and keep an eye on the critters that like to escape or get themselves into where your other stock eat, especially at feeding time. , As in the above step, if you are one that has more than one livestock species on your farm or acreage, just like with feeding, keep feed bags for your ruminant species separate from those of your non-ruminant ones.
This reduces cross-contamination risks and mistakes of feeding a bag meant for one species to another.
Though this step isn't all that crucial, it's still worth doing just to be on the safe side.
There's no need to have ruminant feeds a certain distance or an entire room separate from non-ruminant feeds, but it would make sense to store them in separate containers (a big plastic or metal garbage can, for instance) or that you can easily distinguish one feed container from another.
Keep these stored and locked up in a "designated" feed shed.
Not only do containers help keep feed separate, it also reduces the chance of mice or rats getting in and eating their way into the feed, like what is most likely to happen if you have a wood feed bin to store your bagged feeds in.
It also reduces the chance of one of your goats or cattle breaking in to the feed shed and finding some tasty chicken feed to gorge on.
You may also wish to choose to use a separate scoop for each feed to avoid cross-contamination. , Even though your federal government is doing their part to keep your animals safe from this incurable fatal disease, things can happen.
If you have an animal that you suspect may have come down with symptoms similar to BSE or Mad Cow, contact your veterinarian immediately. , If you are really leery about having your animals coming into contact with BSE, then you may have to consider selling them off.
This is the most extreme solution to avoiding BSE or TSE in your herd, though probably not the best solution if you are not keen on doing this step and still wish to raise cattle, sheep or goats regardless the risk.
Keep things in perspective:
The risk of animals getting BSE is very low, even more so if you are in a country with stricter feed bans like in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and countries of the European Union.
Just using your common sense and following recommendations on feeding and storing feed would and should be enough to reduce the risk of your animals coming down with an infection caused by prions. -
Step 3: if you have goats and/or sheep as well).
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Step 4: Avoid purchasing feeds with animal by-products.
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Step 5: For farms with mixed livestock
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Step 6: ensure feeding areas are separate.
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Step 7: Keep ruminant feed separate.
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Step 8: Keep your veterinarian on speed-dial in case anything happens.
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Step 9: Sell off your animals.
Detailed Guide
In Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has a mandatory ban in place where it is illegal to feed ruminants (including cattle, goats, sheep, deer, elk and bison) most proteins and animal by-products derived from mammals, especially those that are allowed to be fed to poultry, pigs, horses, and other non-ruminant livestock.
This includes poultry litter, which is not prohibited as feed in the United States.
In the United States, the Department of Agriculture's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows for the feeding of chicken litter because it felt it could not find any evidence that it would pose any risk of BSE to ruminants when "processed properly" through deep-stacking or ensiling .
This is not agreed upon by other countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and those in the European Union simply because no amount of heat treatment will destroy ant potentially existing prions.
Diagnosing this neurological disease can be a challenge if you are new to the raising livestock venture, so if you know what to look for as a means to prepare for the unexpected in your flock or herd, you can be ready to expect the unexpected.
This is highly recommended if you have a breeding herd or flock of cattle, sheep or goats of animals that reach 8 to 10 years of age and older. , With exception to feeds for hogs, poultry, horses and fish, all feeds that are made for ruminant animals should be free of animal by-products.
However, you should make sure to check the label just in case, particularly if it's a brand you have not purchased before and are not familiar with.
Feed manufacturers are usually really good about producing a sound, reliable product for your animals.
However, mishaps and errors can occur, so if you notice anything about the feed you are buying that seems out of the ordinary, talk to your local feed store supplier about your concerns.
An exception should be made with young animals that are cannot be on full feed or fed the same feed as adult ruminants are, such as grain, hay, and silage.
Milk replacer and colostrum powder formulas are made with powdered milk from cows, and are much better for young calves than soy milk replacer due to the lower fibre content.
Milk replacer nor milk itself is not a significant risk for calves to pick up prions, simply because prions tend to favour nervous tissue, not milk alveoli in the mammary glands, which is why it is still safe to feed to baby calves.
You should know which bag of feed is for which farm animal species simply by seeing the picture, colouring and label of the bag.
Some people think it's okay to feed feed to cows that are meant for pigs or chickens, but this is entirely illegal and not a very wise decision.
Thus, always make sure the feed your buying is only for the livestock it's meant to be fed to, no exceptions! , If you have more than one species of livestock that includes a non-ruminant species or two (like chickens or pigs), make sure you are feeding your chickens and/or pigs away from where you feed your cattle.
This also applies to goats and sheep as well if you have either one, both or instead of cattle.
This should be areas where your ruminant animals can not get in and have their share of the chicken or pig feed too.
Fencing off each species so they have their own feeding area, and developing feeding schedules so that one species that tends to be more nosy and pushy than the other gets to be fed first are highly recommended strategies.
Check fences regularly, and keep an eye on the critters that like to escape or get themselves into where your other stock eat, especially at feeding time. , As in the above step, if you are one that has more than one livestock species on your farm or acreage, just like with feeding, keep feed bags for your ruminant species separate from those of your non-ruminant ones.
This reduces cross-contamination risks and mistakes of feeding a bag meant for one species to another.
Though this step isn't all that crucial, it's still worth doing just to be on the safe side.
There's no need to have ruminant feeds a certain distance or an entire room separate from non-ruminant feeds, but it would make sense to store them in separate containers (a big plastic or metal garbage can, for instance) or that you can easily distinguish one feed container from another.
Keep these stored and locked up in a "designated" feed shed.
Not only do containers help keep feed separate, it also reduces the chance of mice or rats getting in and eating their way into the feed, like what is most likely to happen if you have a wood feed bin to store your bagged feeds in.
It also reduces the chance of one of your goats or cattle breaking in to the feed shed and finding some tasty chicken feed to gorge on.
You may also wish to choose to use a separate scoop for each feed to avoid cross-contamination. , Even though your federal government is doing their part to keep your animals safe from this incurable fatal disease, things can happen.
If you have an animal that you suspect may have come down with symptoms similar to BSE or Mad Cow, contact your veterinarian immediately. , If you are really leery about having your animals coming into contact with BSE, then you may have to consider selling them off.
This is the most extreme solution to avoiding BSE or TSE in your herd, though probably not the best solution if you are not keen on doing this step and still wish to raise cattle, sheep or goats regardless the risk.
Keep things in perspective:
The risk of animals getting BSE is very low, even more so if you are in a country with stricter feed bans like in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and countries of the European Union.
Just using your common sense and following recommendations on feeding and storing feed would and should be enough to reduce the risk of your animals coming down with an infection caused by prions.
About the Author
Robert Allen
Experienced content creator specializing in lifestyle guides and tutorials.
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