Читать книгу Hobby Farm Animals - Chris McLaughlin - Страница 20

Several species of flies delight in tormenting cattle. Cows afflicted with horn flies, face flies, heel flies, or stable flies might run around with their tails in the air, trying to get away, or quit grazing and bunch together tightly, even on hot days, trying to reduce the amount of hide exposed to bites. When this happens, it’s time to take action.

If your cattle are tame and you have time, you can spray them daily with a fly repellent made for animals. More economical are medicated ear tags or a repellent-soaked rope or post in the barnyard that the cattle will use for scratching. Inside sheds, hang flypaper or use a light trap or baited trap.

Taking preventive measures to destroy fly-breeding areas will save a lot of money in fly killer. Horn flies lay their eggs in fresh cow pies. If you develop a horn fly problem, try dragging paddocks with a harrow or any sort of homemade drag after grazing to break up the manure pats. Something as simple as an old bedspring behind a car or an ATV (all-terrain vehicle) will work. Stable flies, by contrast, breed best in the mix of old manure and hay that builds up in a ring around round bale feeders. Cleaning up feeding areas in the spring by removing the detritus will nip a lot of stable-fly infestations in the bud. To reduce other flies, in general, keep feeding and watering areas as dry and as free of manure as possible. Any cattle that have considerably more fly problems than the rest of your herd should be considered for culling.

Cattle can also suffer from ticks, lice, and mites. Cattle that spend a lot of time scratching themselves on feeders and fence posts probably have lice and should be treated with a spray or powder. Follow the application directions exactly, and don’t mix lice treatments with other insecticides. Tick control comes in the form of sprays, dips, and dusts. Scabies mites cause small sores and scabby areas, and mange mites cause thick, wrinkled skin. Roundworm, common in the winter, causes bare patches on the hide. For these problems, talk to your veterinarian about establishing effective control and treatment.

Common flies are not true parasites,but they can be big nuisances.