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Acorn poisoning threat to young livestock this winter
 


By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Squirrels, birds and small wildlife are known to dine on acorns. Cows, on the other hand, can eat a few acorns, but too many green ones can cause deadly poisoning.
While acorn poisoning may be far from the minds of livestock producers, the concern should be real. An increase in this year’s fall acorn production across the state means those farmers who have oak trees in their pastures need to be on the lookout. Acorns from these trees could cause kidney failure in their animals, particularly in cattle and sheep.
“I was at a meeting of beef cattle industry representatives and Ohio cattlemen just last week and there’s a real concern for acorn poisoning,” said Stan Smith, extension educator in Fairfield County and a beef cattle expert. ”There’s acorns everywhere and young calves in the 400- to 700-pound range that are still with Mama may be still craving additional feed.
“Eating too many acorns can have a negative impact. It can result in kidney failure in the young animals; not so with the mature animals.” He said the larger animals tend to eat other foods, which help dilute the harmful effect of acorns in the body.
“It’s those feeder calves that are getting to that point in their life where they are ready to really start growing, and they’re looking for additional energy and maybe there’s not enough forage there in the pasture to satisfy their needs. They find a pile of acorns and they tend to eat them like candy.”
According to Smith, producers with oak trees in their pastures may want to consider moving their herd away from the dropped acorns or fencing off larger areas covered with acorns. “The potential for acorn poisoning could be a bigger issue this year since there’s an abundant crop of acorns,” he said.
In a survey conducted this year at 38 wildlife areas across the state by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Wildlife, an average of 52.3 percent of white oak and 67.8 percent of red oak trees have produced acorns this year. That’s a 33 percent increase in white oak acorn production over last year, and a 31 percent increase in red oak acorns.
“Acorn production is cyclical, with some trees producing acorns nearly every year, and others rarely producing,” the DNR statement said. “This year is an above-average year for acorn mast production.”
“While producers need to try to keep their cattle and sheep from ingesting all acorns, the green acorns seem to be the most toxic,” Smith cautioned. “Symptoms of acorn poisoning can include abdominal pain, excessive thirst, frequent urination, lack of appetite, a thin, rapid pulse and rough hair coat.
“If a cattle or sheep producer has acorns or oak trees in their pasture, it may be a good idea to check things out and maybe move the animals to a different part of the field until the squirrels can get in there and carry the acorns away.”
Experts at the West Virginia University extension service say while there is no antidote for acorn toxicity, producers can provide impacted animals with fluid and electrolytes to keep their kidneys functioning and give the animals mineral oil, which should provide a laxative effect.
“The best bet is to try to keep the animals away from oak trees and keep them from ingesting acorns,” Smith said. “There’s not a lot that can be done to help the animal once it gets to the point of kidney failure because once the kidneys stop working, there’s nothing you can do.”
11/20/2014