Bova-Pro

[tenbach79]

Has anyone used this? Comes in two forms a bolus capsule or a concentrated powder to help with feeding high nitrate feed. Got out test back on our BMR feed and the nitrates are in 3000 range. Had our vet tell us about this product, but dont have alot of guys around here use the stuff before.

Dont have enough feed to grind and mix to help off set the high nitrate feed. Cant find some either or way to much for me. Got the stuff advertised to sell to try and buy some back, but everyone is in the same boat dont have enough other feed to grind with it.

Have had high nitrate feed before just not this high. Thinking I could feed it closer to calving time to be safe with aborting calves. Everything that i read from our extension service is you can feed it, had some nutrionist say NO WAY!
Just looking for some advise?

 

[Nicky]

Is it the NO3-N, or just NO3? In 2008 ours was almost that high, 2450. We kept our calves and fed it to them. We didn't kill any but they didn't gain much either. We sold the steers in the spring and kept all the heifers and put bulls with them. Think we had 50% conception, if that. We did well on the opens when we sold them. They sure gained when they hit green grass. If it is NO3-N at that level I sure wouldn't feed it to cows. I guess you could try after calving if you're brave but I bet they wouldn't do well and probably wouldn't milk very good or have a good breedback. Just my thoughts.

 

[Faster horses]

Can you feed your other feed and then go back and feed it last? That's what
we did with some that was really high. If you calve in March, you need to not
feed it after February 1, then you can feed it after the cows calve, but you
need to fill them up with other feed first. We got along fine until we fed
part of a bale first one day and we had two cows with malpresentations. We
took one to the vet and he showed us it was from nitrates! The gums were white from lack of oxygen as the nitrates cause them to smother.

We had 1400 little square bales of oats one year that were really high in
nitrates and it took us three years to use them up.

I sure understand your dilemma. Good luck!

 

[tenbach79]

I think we have enough corn stalks to keep them satisfied for awhile. We start calving around march so I think we can go until then without having to feed alot. If it was like last year with no snow or cold I think we could get by. Just makes me sick to have 600 bales of good looking feed that possibly I can't use. And after this summer it's really penny pinching time.

The worst part was this was a irrigated field we had plenty of water but it was just so dand hot that it still never keep up. Every time that sprinkler went around that last stuff just got stressed. I actually think I put to much fertilizer on when I planted and this is having some effect also.