Do people still use cow magnets?

[The Yakima Kid]

When I was growing up cattle had magnets to prevent hardware disease. Is this still the case? I have a younger friend from the Midwest who grew up on a farm with a few beeves and she had never heard of them.

If they aren't used anymore; what do you do instead?

[kansaskaty]

We have a beef cattle herd. I've never heard of them being used to prevent hardware, but they are used to treat it.

[REDSnMOREREDS]

Hey KANSASKATY-that icon looks familiar-are you known elsewhere as Kathy?

[kansaskaty]

Hey KANSASKATY-that icon looks familiar-are you known elsewhere as Kathy?

I'm Katy....not Kathy elsewhere. Katy was taken already when I joined.

[Rixaspipfus]

I looked through the whole topic, I'm going to digest the information

[Chikz]

The feed stores here still sell them, so somebody must use them. We bought some to use on the fridge... not exactly their intended use. :-/

[JonAld]

My grandparents still use them on their dairy farm, anything that goes on pasture gets them incase they eat something metal that could puncture the stomach liner.

[Oregon Swedes]

Rumen magnets. If they still sell them, someone is still using them.

Yes, given prophylacticly to prevent hardware disease. I'd think that after the cow has a wire stuck through the lining of her gut, it might be a little late to install a magnet.

(I've got rumen magnets on my fridge, too)

[Oregon Swedes]

Cows eat small pieces of wire or metal that they find in their pasture or hay. Lining of stomach is pierced by the wire. Cow dies of infection. That is hardware disease.

Very strong magnet is placed in cow's stomach, by use of a bolus gun through the mouth. Metal sticks to the magnet, and lines up with the magnet, so it does not piece the stomach wall. Once the magnet is placed in the stomach, it stays there for the rest of the cow's life, so you only do it once.

Now that most hay is baled with twine and not wire, the possibility of hardware disease is reduced. Cows still eat the baling twine and that causes problems, but the magnet won't help with baling twine.