The silent killer Disease in cows- Hardware Disease
Admin
April 28, 2026
Today we talk about the silent killer hardware disease that takes out our animals that farmers should be aware of.
Daktari… I think I’m losing her.” 💔🐄 But this time, the farmer was me. This wasn’t just any cow. This was a high-value animal on my farm, worth Ksh 230,000 a cow with great potential, good production, and part of the bigger vision I had built around my herd. Then came a battle I didn’t expect. It didn’t happen overnight. It was a slow, painful process. She started going off feed… losing weight… and despite all interventions, her body condition score kept dropping until it hit 2 you can tell from the photo attached below.
For 8 good months, I fought for her. Treatment after treatment… close monitoring… adjusting management… doing everything possible as both a farmer and a daktari. I even went ahead and installed a rumen magnet as both a preventive and corrective measure, hoping it would turn things around.
There were moments she seemed to improve… and I held onto that hope. But deep down, the body never lied. She kept deteriorating. After thorough assessment, the truth remained: hardware disease. A silent, devastating condition caused by something as small as a piece of metal yet capable of bringing down such a valuable animal.
And today, I was forced to make the hardest decision. A cow worth Ksh 230,000…Reduced to a body condition score of 2… After 8 months of relentless effort… Is now being disposed of at Ksh 20,000. That moment is heavy. It’s not just about the money it’s about the time, the effort, the emotional attachment, and the belief you had in that animal. It’s about knowing you did everything… and still lost. This experience has humbled me deeply. It has reminded me that in farming, prevention will always be stronger than cure. Because even with knowledge, even with intervention, some conditions become too severe to reverse.
To every farmer reading this, learn from my experience:
✔️ Keep all feeds completely free from metallic contamination
✔️ Be cautious with hay, silage, and feeding environments
✔️ Rumen magnets help—but they are not a guarantee
✔️ Take early signs seriously—loss of appetite, weight loss, dullness
✔️ Never underestimate small risks on the farm
8 months of fighting… one painful outcome… but a lifetime lesson. I share this so that another farmer somewhere can avoid such a loss. 🙏🐄
For mineral supplements check out our website on
www.agriherd.co.ke
For 8 good months, I fought for her. Treatment after treatment… close monitoring… adjusting management… doing everything possible as both a farmer and a daktari. I even went ahead and installed a rumen magnet as both a preventive and corrective measure, hoping it would turn things around.
There were moments she seemed to improve… and I held onto that hope. But deep down, the body never lied. She kept deteriorating. After thorough assessment, the truth remained: hardware disease. A silent, devastating condition caused by something as small as a piece of metal yet capable of bringing down such a valuable animal.
And today, I was forced to make the hardest decision. A cow worth Ksh 230,000…Reduced to a body condition score of 2… After 8 months of relentless effort… Is now being disposed of at Ksh 20,000. That moment is heavy. It’s not just about the money it’s about the time, the effort, the emotional attachment, and the belief you had in that animal. It’s about knowing you did everything… and still lost. This experience has humbled me deeply. It has reminded me that in farming, prevention will always be stronger than cure. Because even with knowledge, even with intervention, some conditions become too severe to reverse.
To every farmer reading this, learn from my experience:
✔️ Keep all feeds completely free from metallic contamination
✔️ Be cautious with hay, silage, and feeding environments
✔️ Rumen magnets help—but they are not a guarantee
✔️ Take early signs seriously—loss of appetite, weight loss, dullness
✔️ Never underestimate small risks on the farm
8 months of fighting… one painful outcome… but a lifetime lesson. I share this so that another farmer somewhere can avoid such a loss. 🙏🐄
For mineral supplements check out our website on
www.agriherd.co.ke
0 likes