Megamectin

[cswilson]

I think basically we treat 100 percent of our cattle to get the 10 percent that might be compromised by parasites-We didn't do the cows last year and a few lost some hair but a few hundred didn't. The Ivomec type products did seemlike wonder drugs when they came out especially if you liked to buy 2nd cut cattle and upgrade them-the reason they were second cut is probably they were in the 10 percent I mentioned above-knock the worms out of them and away they'd go.

[kato]

This is a good conversation...

I agree with grassfarmer about the Spotton and Malathion. They both have not much appeal. As for the pour on and the chewing lice, we've had neighbours who used the injectable because it was raining, and had big failures in chewing lice control. (They had the cattle tested, and it was confirmed.)

I guess if the cattle are out on open range more in the winter, they won't be as big of a problem, but here in Manitoba we get a lot of snow and a lot of cold, and the cattle do spend a lot of time in sheds, or else hanging around in very close contact in the yards. The lice just seem to love it too.

It's a problem, and I wish there was a miracle cure for it.

As far as worms go, Safeguard does a pretty good job at a reasonable price. It gets tapeworms too, which the others don't get. I remember years ago we had a calf that just wasn't doing well, so we put him in the chute to check him out. He was all excited, and let a tapeworm fly that was about 3 feet long! Gross! We treated him with Levasole, and you could actually almost see him gain weight after that. How he got tapeworms, I do not know, but it's the first and last time we ever saw one.

[cowman]

I wonder how the organic boys manage? I mean are all their cattle lousy and full of worms? You would think they might have a tough time selling those parasite infested animals?
There are people who seem to be raising a very good product without chemicals? The Hovens of Eckville come to mind?
I believe they raise what might be a superior product...or at least they are sure paid very well for it?

[WoolyBear]

Dectomax pour on for the cattle, Ivomec drench (or Valbazen) for the sheep and Safeguard (0 day withdrawal) in the feed for the hogs are the dewormers of choice on our farm. I have read about diatomatous earth and salt mixes for worm control in ruminants........... any thoughts out there about that?

[grassfarmer]

Cowman, as you say Hovens have a great reputation as organic producers - they must have ways to control their pests - ps I heard from a good friend that their steaks were v. disappointing though - tough as hell.
woolybear, I know diatomatous earth works on poultry - as does a dustbath due to the fine particles litteraly choking the lice. I don't know how you could use it on cattle to get the same effect. After cswilsons comments it would suggest to me that it might be worth not treating the 10% for worms but culling them or not keeping progency off them - would you eventually get a herd that didn't need wormed? That would be progress.

[cakadu]

WoolyBear - several years ago DE or Diatomacious earth did make the rounds and there are still people that use it today. Some who tried it had disastrous results and others found it worked well. Why it worked in some situations and not others is hard to tell - management practices definitely come to mind as a factor that could produce different results.

Are there breeds of cattle that would have some natural resistance to internal parasites? I know with our hair sheep that they do in fact have a natural resistance to internal parasites and I would guess that with the hair rather than wool that we rarely see any problems with lice either. We do keep an eye out for parasitic problems and fecal floats are done regularly, we just don't follow any type of regimen.

Kato, where Safeguard is really good is that it gets the worms that bury deep into the gut and reappear during times of stress such as calving. There is a term for it, but it escapes me at the moment. Valbazen is another one that gets those types of parasites. Both are drenches and need to be given orally. The only downside is that they don't do anything for lice - just internal parasites.

[nerves]

I wonder also grassfarmer how much the animals color comes into play here to. Maybe some of these parasites are more attracked to certain colors? I took a pack trip with horses about 15 years ago through a rugged part of B.C. and the horseflys and the blackflys were chewing up the dark colored horses to the point were if you rubbed the horses between the front legs were they sweat your palm would red with blood. Yet the sorrels and lighter colored horses were getting chewed on once in awhile but nothing like the dark ones. Weather and climate also plays a big role here to in my opinion. I noticed more lice and ringworm on dry years than on years with more rain fall. I am not a bug expert but these some personal observations.

[cowman]

I winter my cows in an area that has a lot of willow brush. The cows just love to get in there and do the old scratch routine every spring...lice or no lice!
Some of them lose a bit of hair but no big deal. A month later it is all over.
Have you ever found a louse on a cow after she sheds her winter coat? Now I'm talking about the little red lice not the blue lice. Haven't really seen any blue lice on my cattle for many years.
Now if I gave a rip what anyone thinks of my cattle or I was trying to sell purebreds then obviously I'd have to do something, but for commercial cattle? Who cares?
I like to think I raise a pretty decent product that has a very minimum of chemical additives. I feed a very good mineral/salt mix, adequate feed and lots of good straw. I rarely ever use an antibiotic and I keep my vaccinations down to a minimum. Now mostly because I am cheap and sort of lazy, but also because I think that is the way beef should be raised! I know I don't want to be eating any old Ivomec, or Scour guard, or recycled cow parts!

[grassfarmer]

Nerves, the colour preference I notice is for white. My Charolais bulls get covered with flies compared to the cows - is that because they are white or because they are bulls?

[nerves]

I have noticed this to were if run your hand down thier back you can kill hundreds of flies. It is probably a white bull thing or a bull thing, because the cows that are standing around him have no were near the flies the bull has. When we had the large group of commercial cows if a cow had pinkeye it was usally a herford, we didn't have any black whitefaces in the herd so I don't know if the flies were more attracked to the red or the black. Cowman maybe some organic rancher will tell us there is something in that willow dust that chases the lice out. I know that willow dust can make my eyes burn when I'm putting it in a brush pile.