Am. Soc. Anim. Prod.
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Am. Soc. Anim. Prod. 1924:37-41
© 1924 American Society of Animal Science
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Disease in Cattle Caused by Feeding Sweet-Clover Hay1

C. P. Fitch

University of Minnesota

Abstract

Certain factors in connection with this condition seem to be well demonstrated and are deserving the careful attention of all livestock men who are feeding or who contemplate growing sweet clover. One of the most important is that ordinarily sweet clover does not cause any harm when fed to livestock, but that under certain circumstances, some sweet-clover hay will cause the death of cattle, particularly young ones. Also Dr. Schofield States that certain sweet-clover ensilage is injurious. We have had no experience with this product nor have we any cases where sweet-clover pasture has injured livestock. It has also been the experience of those feeding sweet clover that occasionally deaths result from dehorning, castrating, manipulation of the ovaries (removal of the corpus luteum) due to excessive hemorrhage. Whether or not molds are the only cause of this trouble in our judgment remains to be definitely proved. Dr. Schofield has pointed out that molds grown on substances other than sweet clover will not induce the disease. He has also made clear that the mold may be confined to the center of the stalk and escape notice. For this reason hay which was not visibly moldy has caused deaths among cattle. For the present, at least, all moldy sweet-clover hay should be regarded with suspicion.

It is quite difficult to cure sweet clover without some mold, therefore the greatest care must be taken in harvesting this crop. As has been stated above, certain sweet clover which is apparently free of molds is poisonous. Our last feeding experiment would indicate that even if sweet-clover hay did contain the poisonous principle, that it could be fed sparingly over a 4-months: interval if properly supplemented by other feeds. We desire to emphasize that the other feeds must be used in considerable quantity, as we have observed the disease where a small amount of silage and grain was fed with the sweet clover.

There seems to be no definite cure or treatment for this disease. The deaths, however, promptly cease if the poisonous sweet-clover hay is withheld from the diet.

Experiments are now under way at University Farm to determine what the toxic substance is and how it may be produced.

Footnotes

1 Published with the approval of the Director as paper No. 421 of the Journal Series of the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station.






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Copyright © 1924 by the American Society of Animal Science.