Loss of cattle, vet bills
Donation protected
In anticipation for expanding the farm in the new year, we brought in fifteen new cows of various ages over the past two weeks. Our first group was a group of ten Lincoln Reds that we had imported from Canada. Upon arrival before the snow storm, we set them up in the barn to quarantine for 45 days like we always do. Our original herd broke out when they heard mooing, and decided to greet them but we got them back in quickly.
One morning we woke up to find two of the young males dead. We noticed another one moving very slow and having difficulty breathing so we immediately called the vet.
When the vet arrived, we pulled the dead cows out and immediately performed a necropsy on them to determine what the cause of death was. Upon visual inspection, vet said it was "classic shipping fever". We quickly treated the entire group. The next morning calf #3 was dead. We brought the lungs of the cattle that passed to UCONN for further testing where it was confirmed shipping fever. They are currently there being tested for the specific bacteria that caused it (its basically bacterial pneumonia).
Not thinking any of our other animals were affected, we were advised by the vet that the viruses that causes shipping fever are very contagious, so we should administer medication to all of them. We learned that fast. Without even having time to pick up the medication and get it done, we had symptoms. Slow, depressed pregnant cows in our breeding herd with tons of nasal discharge and some had difficulty breathing. Because of that, we couldn't use what the vet suggested at first. It forced us to have to spend a lot more money on a different, fast acting medication for all of them. We also needed a cattle chute to hold the big ones still, adding a much larger expense.
This morning we woke up to find one of our mamas that had a young calf had also passed. We were too late. Looking across the driveway Ryan noticed another cow aborting her calf. Too late. We are praying that the rest of our animals recover quickly and we do not lose anymore.
This has been a rough year for farmers. COVID has changed everything about the way most of us conduct business. Loss of restaurant accounts and farmers markets have been devastating, forcing farmers to turn to delivery services or reducing herd numbers. The drought has made it even worse - increases in feed prices and hay and ruined well pumps.
We wouldn't be asking for help if we could manage it on our own, but sadly, the loss has become too great for the farm. We have worked hard through the pandemic to help as many families have access to meat and hope that you can help us by sharing or donating a small amount to help us mitigate some of the expenses (vet bills, medication, chute, cattle, corral panels) so we can get back to focus on springtime/moving preparation, and rebuilding the herd.
*Update: some of you have asked if we can take checks or Venmo. Our Venmo is @alycia-salvas and checks can be made out to Radical Roots Farm 146 Buck Hill Rd, Canterbury, CT 06331.
Thank you so much for reading and helping share our cause. We hope to be able to invite everyone for on-farm dinners and events this year.
#smallbusinessrelief
One morning we woke up to find two of the young males dead. We noticed another one moving very slow and having difficulty breathing so we immediately called the vet.
When the vet arrived, we pulled the dead cows out and immediately performed a necropsy on them to determine what the cause of death was. Upon visual inspection, vet said it was "classic shipping fever". We quickly treated the entire group. The next morning calf #3 was dead. We brought the lungs of the cattle that passed to UCONN for further testing where it was confirmed shipping fever. They are currently there being tested for the specific bacteria that caused it (its basically bacterial pneumonia).
Not thinking any of our other animals were affected, we were advised by the vet that the viruses that causes shipping fever are very contagious, so we should administer medication to all of them. We learned that fast. Without even having time to pick up the medication and get it done, we had symptoms. Slow, depressed pregnant cows in our breeding herd with tons of nasal discharge and some had difficulty breathing. Because of that, we couldn't use what the vet suggested at first. It forced us to have to spend a lot more money on a different, fast acting medication for all of them. We also needed a cattle chute to hold the big ones still, adding a much larger expense.
This morning we woke up to find one of our mamas that had a young calf had also passed. We were too late. Looking across the driveway Ryan noticed another cow aborting her calf. Too late. We are praying that the rest of our animals recover quickly and we do not lose anymore.
This has been a rough year for farmers. COVID has changed everything about the way most of us conduct business. Loss of restaurant accounts and farmers markets have been devastating, forcing farmers to turn to delivery services or reducing herd numbers. The drought has made it even worse - increases in feed prices and hay and ruined well pumps.
We wouldn't be asking for help if we could manage it on our own, but sadly, the loss has become too great for the farm. We have worked hard through the pandemic to help as many families have access to meat and hope that you can help us by sharing or donating a small amount to help us mitigate some of the expenses (vet bills, medication, chute, cattle, corral panels) so we can get back to focus on springtime/moving preparation, and rebuilding the herd.
*Update: some of you have asked if we can take checks or Venmo. Our Venmo is @alycia-salvas and checks can be made out to Radical Roots Farm 146 Buck Hill Rd, Canterbury, CT 06331.
Thank you so much for reading and helping share our cause. We hope to be able to invite everyone for on-farm dinners and events this year.
#smallbusinessrelief
Organizer and beneficiary
Aly Lea
Organizer
Canterbury, CT
Ryan Salvas
Beneficiary