29 November 2023

Time to winter dose on dairy-beef farms

With dairy-beef animals now indoors well over a month on many farms, Tommy Cox, DairyBeef 500 Advisor, writes that now is good time for farmers to start thinking about their parasite control programmes.

Fluke worms and external parasites can have a significant impact on animal performance. Therefore it is important that they are eliminated to prevent any impact in performance – especially during the high cost indoor period.

Liver fluke

High levels of rainfall and mild temperatures experienced throughout the year have provided the ideal conditions for fluke to thrive and develop. Farmers across the country need to assess the situation on their farm and take action to deal with any potential issue. Remember, lack of thrive, poor appetite and reduced weight gain are all ill effects of liver fluke.

Once eaten, fluke start to feed and grow. It takes approximately 12 weeks for the fluke to grow to adult stage, when they start to lay eggs.

Faecal sampling can be used as an aid in monitoring liver fluke. However, as the eggs are only shed by mature fluke, farmers need to be cautious in waiting that long if there is an issue on their farm. The Beef HealthCheck report on a farmer’s own individual ICBF profiles contain useful information on previous animals slaughtered and if any issues with liver fluke arose.

There are a number of different flukicides on the market, but certain products are only effective again certain stages. Some classes are only effective against the adult stage of liver fluke. If using a product that only treats adult fluke, stock need to be in at least 11 weeks to ensure an effective treatment.

In areas where burdens are high and farmers need to intervene quickly, triclabendazole-based products – which cover all three stages – can be given a few weeks post housing. There is some known resistance to this product in certain parts of the county so precaution is advised.

In other cases, there are a number of products that are also effective again mature and immature fluke, and these will give an effective treatment if administered six weeks after housing. When selecting a product, check the product label to check the stages treated.

 Also read: The successful control of liver fluke

Rumen fluke

Rumen fluke is generally not as severe an issue in dairy-beef systems, but this year seems to be an exception with some reported cases. In faecal tests, the majority of animals may show low levels of rumen fluke present. Treatment, however, is not required unless clinical signs such as scouring and weight loss are evident. Oxyclozanide-based products are the only drug class effective in the treatment of rumen fluke and correct use is required to prevent resistance issues.

Worms

Worms can be an issue in dairy calf to beef systems – especially in younger stock. Stomach worm levels can be monitored using dung sampling. If detected, dosing is recommended. Likewise, dung sampling a few weeks after treatment is good practice to ensure the product used gave an effective treatment.

When choosing a product it is important that all stages of stomach worms are treated. If larvae are not treated, they can become dormant over the winter and then reappear as type II ostertagiosis in the spring and these can cause severe disease in animals. Yellow drenches derived from the active ingredient levamisole are not effective in treating these larvae, while clear drenches (macrocyclic lactone) and certain white drenches (benzimidazoles) will provide effective treatment.

External parasites

Again, there seems to be a lot of reports of external parasites affecting cattle. The unseasonably high temperatures earlier in the autumn has created a perfect environment for external parasites such as lice and mites to prevail.

These lice and mites become a problem at farm level when animals experience discomfort and start itching and scratching to try get some relief. Early treatment is critical to ensure no impact on animal welfare and performance. Clipping backs and tails assists in the control. By clipping the hair on the top of the animal, it removes the shelter area for lice to hide. Additionally, if using a pour-on, it will allow for close skin contact with the product.

Also read: CBV differences follow through to finish for Carlow DairyBeef 500 participant

Also read: A guide on winter dosing products

For more information on the DairyBeef 500 Campaign, click here.