The right tools to do the job on a farm make every producer’s life much, much easier. This is especially true when it comes to tasks like applying products for parasite control on livestock. Parasites come in many shapes and sizes, but luckily there is a tool to get rid of almost every one.
Cattle Rubs
Also referred to as a “back rubber” or “fly wipe,” a cattle rub is one of the most effective ways to control horn fly populations on cattle.
A cattle rub is a long, sausage shaped roll of material that is soaked with a fly repellent solution and hung in a pasture at a level that cattle can rub on it, transferring the repellent solution to their skin. Cattle naturally seek places to scratch, making the rub very effective at controlling flies. Dr. Justin Talley, the Extension Livestock Entomologist at Oklahoma State University, suggests implementing a “forced use system” with cattle rubs – this means placing the rub somewhere that each animal goes underneath it every day. Putting the rub near water access can achieve this.
Insecticide Treated Ear Tags
Ear tags that have been treated with an insecticide are a good option for controlling both horn flies and face flies.
These tags can be placed in one or both ears on cattle. While this is a fairly low maintenance option for fly control, the treated ear tags do need to be replaced periodically when the insecticide wears off.
Certain treated ear tags can also be used on sheep.
VetGun
The VetGun paintball system from SmartVet is an innovative way to make treating flies as low stress for livestock as possible. The VetGun system uses a modified paintball gun with a carbon dioxide (CO2) cartridge that fires a small, soft gel capsule called a VetCap.
The VetCap is filled with liquid parasiticides. When a VetCap is fired from the VetGun, the capsule bursts upon hitting the animal, coating them with the solution. This system is designed for minimal fear or discomfort to the animal.
When a positive reinforcement (like range cubes or grain) is provided during the application process, animals learn to associate being hit by a capsule with good things. VetGuns and VetCaps can be used with beef cattle, dairy cows and even bison with great success.
Mosquito Mitts
Primarily used for equines, Mosquito Mitts can be used to apply insect repellent directly to an area on the animal’s body, making it more effective than if it were to be sprayed. The insect repellent is sprayed on the Mitt (glove) and then simply wiped onto the animal.
Drench Guns
Drenching is a common way to rid livestock of internal parasites like worms. A drench gun can be used to give dewormer and other medicines orally, or to apply them topically. The drench gun pulls the medicine from a container into a large syringe that is inserted into the animal’s mouth, and is released by a trigger.
With the proper tools, you can turn parasite control into a breeze, instead of a chore.
