If your cattle exhibit itchiness, reduced feed intake, or altered grazing behavior, they may be dealing with a parasite issue. Managing parasites effectively requires a balanced approach—essential for the health, welfare, and productivity of cattle while also preventing resistance that could harm the herd and environment in the long term.
Parasite impact varies based on health, location, season, and management practices, so a multifaceted control approach is recommended. Here are nine strategies to manage parasites on your farm:
- Optimize Nutrition and Condition: Healthy cattle are more resilient to parasites, so ensure balanced nutrition to maintain body condition.
- Apply Biosecurity Protocols: New cattle may introduce parasites; quarantine and inspect them, and consider combination treatments to reduce resistance risks.
- Rest Pastures: Allow pastures to rest between grazing to disrupt parasite life cycles and reduce load.
- Conduct Fecal Egg Counts: Regular counts assess internal parasite loads and guide targeted treatments.
- Avoid Overstocking and Overgrazing: Maintain adequate space to reduce parasite spread and avoid overgrazing, which increases larval ingestion.
- Use Rotational Grazing: Rotate pastures, especially avoiding spring grazing where larvae may overwinter.
- Harrow Pastures in Hot, Dry Conditions: Harrowing in hot, dry weather can expose larvae to elements, reducing parasite populations.
- Cull Chronic Carriers: Remove cattle that persistently carry parasites despite treatment.
- Use Chemical Treatments Responsibly: Follow the five C’s—correct product, animal class, timing, dose, and efficacy checks—to manage treatments and minimize resistance.
With these strategies, you can keep parasite levels low, enhancing cattle health and productivity while supporting sustainable parasite control practices.
