Lessons Learned Feeding Buffalo John Bowron DVM Prairie 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: square feet per group Sort groups by size Feed bulls & heifers separately Don’t disturb social order

Larger animals in finishing pen ID & weighed on arrival weighed again in 120 days sorted into new groups by size and gender rations change weigh again in 150 days

Pee wee pen calves under 300 pounds injured calves good feed hopefully 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 removal Hot 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 - flushing 6 to 8 weeks after green grass use 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 Pastuerella Vira-Shield 6 Dectomax inj.

Clostridium 7 way

Pasteurella Haemolytica Pasteurella Multocida

Vira-Shield 6 IBR PI3 BRSV BVD 1 & 2

Dectomax injectable

In 3 to 5 weeks vaccines 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 program Corn stover bales major source of roughage

Potpourri of energy & protein 100 feet long, 40 feet wide, 5 feet high 50 ground hay bales pour 6000 gallons corn syrup 100 ton modified wet distiller grains 100 ton of corn silage

Feeding rate: 25 lbs/head 2 to 3 times per week 50% moisture Include distillers mineral balancer to keep Ca: Phos ratio in balance Be alert to over-conditioning cows

Mineral Feeder

Mineral available year round Pelleted Weather tolerant Highly palatable

Efforts to prevent feed waste Feeder design Processed feeds

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