A neighbor of ours told me he lost 4 cows and 2 calves in the past few days. He said the cattle ate some plant after the frost that poisoned them. It wasn't Johnson grass. He said the plant looks like a pea plant with pea pods. About waist high. Anyone know what the name of this plant would be?

What area are you in?

Have you contacted the Agrilife agent for your county? Ours always says "if I don't know the answer, I know where to find the answer".

Especially helpful to forward a pic of the plant in question.

Maybe a Purple Hyacinth?

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-purple-hyacinth-bean-plants-4125532

"CAUTION: Uncooked seeds are poisonous, with toxic levels of cyanogenic glucosides. They can cause vomiting, breathing problems and convulsions. Seed must be thoroughly cooked, changing the water twice, before eating. Better to leave the cooking to someone experienced with hyacinth beans and save your seed for planting."

https://rangeplants.tamu.edu/plant/coffee-senna/#images

Eastern Bastrop county

I haven't seen the plant. He just told me this earlier today.

I am in eastern Bastrop county. Hmm. I do recall a thread on here recently on the same topic: cattle dead after getting into a plant, but I can't recalk the specific plant involved.

Lindheimer senna

That's it. We call them senna beans. Smell like coffee. Had some calves die about 10 years ago from them.
Confirmed by Vet Diagnostic Lab. When we leave cattle in a pen with the plants, we pull them all up. Leaves a smell on your hands for a few days.

Common names are tricky. "Senna beans" is also a common name for Sesbania....4 common species in Texas. Sesbania are not poisonous.

Possibly crotalaria
https://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=1391271

Just read a report of six bred cows in the Bellville area dying from eating the coffee senna plants. Owners tried slings and more to get them back on their feet, to no avail.

I have seen red or pale buckeye in that area as well which can be toxic to cattle.

Coffee senna. Lost 40 heifers years ago. Loadedmone up and took it to A&M and that's what they found. Not a good week.

Sesbania sp. (sennebean or rattlebush) are poisonous to livestock. There are a few species and some are worse than others. I do agree that coffee senna is a more likely culprit.

Does it look like this in Texas?



http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/****/2017/09/15/weed-of-the-weed-coffee-senna/

Odd how senna gets palitable after frost. Otherwise NOTHING touches it unless they're starving.

Colt98 said:

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Coffee senna. Lost 40 heifers years ago. Loadedmone up and took it to A&M and that's what they found. Not a good week.

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WOW!!!!