This has to do with how feed moves through the rumen, which is a chamber in the cow’s stomach, cattle nutritionist Phillip Lancaster says. He shares that as the feed passes through the rumen in the normal digestion process of a beef animal, there is a liquid layer the feed must sink through to get to the next chamber — the reticulum.

“The particles have to be dense enough to sink into the reticulum, but plastic pieces are very light, so they float and can accumulate in the rumen over time,” Lancaster says. Death can happen when the plastic ball acts like a plug, either preventing gas release or passage down the digestive tract.

Eating chopped plastic is a greater challenge for cows than for cattle on feed because of the years of a cow’s life vs. that of a feedlot steer, Lancaster says.

“A greater percentage of a cow’s diet is hay, and she is consuming it over a lifetime, compared to a steer who only has about 10% of his diet as hay, and he is only in the feedyard for about five months before being processed,” Lancaster says.

With that in mind, the experts agree the best strategy for the herd is to remove all plastic wrap before offering the hay to the herd.

Along with the lessened risk of digestive issues, Brian Lubbers adds that removing the wrap is also physically safer for the cattle.

“That wrap can get stomped in the mud and get tangled around their legs, which in some cases leads to lameness for the animal,” he explains.

To hear the full discussion, listen to Cattle Chat on your preferred streaming platform.

Editor’s note: An instructor of agricultural and natural resources at K-State, Lisa Moser is communications coordinator for the Beef Cattle Institute.