Lessons Learned Feeding Buffalo

John Bowron DVMPrairie Heights

Bison

Disease Prevention Is Everything

Wild animals hide their diseases

Diseases become very advanced

Do antibiotics work in bison?

Treatment is disappointing

Components of Disease Prevention

Minimize Stress Adequate space: 300-

400 square feet

65-75 per group

Sort groups by size

Feed bulls & heifers separately

Don’t disturb social order

Larger animals in finishing penID & weighed on arrivalweighed again in 120 dayssorted into new groups by size

and genderrations change weigh again in 150 days

Pee wee pencalves under 300 poundsinjured calvesgood feedhopefully not many

Mounds create dry areas to lay & establish drainage

Bedding packs and mounds are provided to keep animals dry

We’ve converted all fountains to this style aka “the jug”Extreme cold weather monitor for daily ice removalHot weather some concerns about adequate access

Controlling Parasites

External parasites

Lice, mites, & ticks rare

Dense hair coat

Internal Parasites

Reduce immunity

Decrease appetite

Geographic area

Summer worming - flushing6 to 8 weeks after green

grassuse oats or oat screening

pellots fed on the grass in 30 – 40 lb piles

Safeguard dewormer

Dose at 2x the cattle dose

Deliver the total dose over 3 days

Benefits: better health, body condition & conception rates

Components of Disease Prevention

Vaccinations for Bison Cows on Pasture ….. NONE

IBR-PI3-BVD-BRSV (killed)

Leptospirosis

Clostridium disease

Pink Eye

Anthrax

Receiving Protocol

Clostridium 7 way

PastuerellaVira-Shield 6Dectomax inj.

Clostridium 7 way

Pasteurella HaemolyticaPasteurella Multocida

Vira-Shield 6IBRPI3BRSVBVD 1 & 2

Dectomax injectable

In 3 to 5 weeksvaccines are repeated

Safe Guard drench dewormer

Malignant

Catarrhal

Fever

Ovine Herpes virus

Fatal to bison

Depression, bloody diarrhea & death in three days

Spread by aerosol, water & manure

Breeding Herd Management

Winter feeding programCorn stover bales major source of roughage

Potpourri of energy & protein100 feet long, 40 feet wide, 5 feet high50 ground hay balespour 6000 gallons corn syrup100 ton modified wet distiller grains100 ton of corn silage

Feeding rate: 25 lbs/head2 to 3 times per week50% moistureInclude distillers mineral balancer to keep Ca: Phos ratio in balanceBe alert to over-conditioning cows

Mineral Feeder

Mineral available year round

PelletedWeather tolerantHighly palatable

Efforts to prevent feed wasteFeeder design

Processed feeds

Bison are dirty drinkersConventional water tanks & fountains are sources of Ecoli, salmonella…. etc.