About 30 head of cattle died on a ranch in El Paso County, CO, in December after ingesting high levels of nitrates.
The cattle were examined by Dr. John Heikkila of Choice Veterinary Service, who said the elevated levels of nitrates were found in at least one hay bale. The unnamed rancher said they fed the cattle the same hay for two weeks without incident before the cattle’s death.
Nitrates are commonly found in livestock feeds, but at high levels can lower the oxygen-carrying capacity of animal blood, leading to death. They hay broker who sold the hay planned to test his stocks for high levels of nitrates. So far, no additional cattle deaths have been reported.
