Losing Billy The Bull was a great shock to us all. He belonged to Kate and arrived at the farm on June 6th, and just 5 weeks later he was dead.
How did this happen? We were confused and sad, yet keen to understand the dynamics of this disease so we could protect our livestock in the future.
We knew we had a problem back in October when one of our old cows fell ill last year. This was the first case at the farm and after treatment with a strong insecticide, she recovered. She was lucky.
Even though I have been farming for 40 years, new diseases crop up and surprise me. Thankfully with the help from fellow Pasture For Life farmers, discussions with Kate and our local vet, we now understand how the disease works and what we can do to minimise the effects.
So what is Red Water Fever? It’s a disease that spreads by ticks which are infected with a protozoan parasite. These protozoa injest and break down the outer surface of the red blood cells of the animal they invade. The liver and the waste system of the host take these broken down cells via the kidneys and expel them via their urine. And it’s this red urine which gives the disease it’s name.
Cows can deteriorate very quickly after diagnosis and it is essential to treat them with an insecticide as soon as possible. For Bill, even though this happened, his body was overwhelmed with protozoa and sadly he didn’t make it.
We’ve since learned that these protozoa can be fought off by young calves who are still being cared for by their mothers as they have a higher resistance and can build immunity.
This was where Billy was compromised. He had been kept indoors for much of his life, so wasn’t exposed to the protozoan parasite, thus no immunity.
In many areas of Devon and Cornwall, Red Water is becoming more common. This may be because of wetter and warmer winters and the growing populations of deer. It’s not uncommon to see up to fourteen Roe Deer in our fields and although a lovely sight, they carry ticks and because of their natural roaming tendency will spread them from farm to farm.
Some areas of pasture are worse than others so we have a plan in mind; first we’ll avoid grazing these areas until later in the season when it’s drier and the grass has fewer ticks. We’ll ensure sheep graze the pastures prior to the cattle and we’ll expose both mothers and calves to these areas in Spring to build immunity in the herd.
Some farmers apply insecticides onto the skin of their livestock, which we understand is very effective in killing ticks. However this isn’t a method we want to use. We’re an organic farm, so it’s important to us that we avoid these chemicals so we can maintain a healthy ecosystem overall, including the many beneficial insects (including dung beetles) that thrive here and support the wider web of life.
Thankfully we have a new North Devon bull, named Big Trev. We know he’s come from a tick dwelling area and have been assured he’s immune to Red Water Fever. It’s been a rollercoaster ride and a steep learning curve, and so for now we wish Big T all the very best.
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