Any water additives eg anti-parasite treatments?

[MasAhora]

I am still hand taming my 4 heifers (around 8-9months old) they are due anti-parasite treatments end of this month.
The farmer I bought them from gave them their previous treatment via injection (he's set up to pen and hold them, we're not...will be another couple of months before we are).
I do not want to rope them, they are learning to trust me slowlyyyyyy!

We are going into winter so that's a plus. However I was wondering if I can add a non-injectable treatment to their water or loose mineral salt or molasses treat?

 

[Latestarter]

The problem with water treatments is you have no idea of knowing who drank how much... There are "pour on" anthelmintics for cattle, but not sure without a vet to be sure what/when/why/how/etc. I'll tag a few folks who might be better able to answer... As I recall, you aren't located stateside... Maybe central/south America? So sorry but I can't remember... Please put at least a general location in your profile... It really helps when you ask questions or need help.

@greybeard @farmerjan @jhm47 @cjc @WildRoseBeef I know there are some others as well. Good luck!

 

[farmerjan]

You have to be careful about what wormers you use on cattle in the "brahma" or "eared cattle" family. I am not well versed in the differences, but the bos indicus and the bos taurus react differently to some of the treatments. Best bet, ask the farmer that you bought your heifers from and find out if there is a pour-on that would give you a decent coverage. Since you are in a much more tropic climate than here, I would not hazard a guess as to the worm load you need to deal with. We do not regularly worm our animals. It is on an "as needed" basis. We also use diatomaecous earth ( DE) in our feed and mineral and it seems to keep the larvae and worm populations down. We will worm any animal that looks like they need it, have done some fecal samples also. Usually a cow that has trouble shedding her winter coat will also be a bit thin and usually wormy. But as time has gone on, we are trying to keep animals that seem to be more worm resistant here and heifers from families that also need less worming.
There is a molasses type block here in the states called "safeguard" that is a "wormer" block. It has a chemical wormer that the animals lick and consume that way. Weighs about 50 lbs and you put it out for the cattle. Don't know if something like that is available there. It is designed so that they won't lick/ingest too much at a time.
Don't think I would trust a water based wormer since you really don't know who is drinking how much.

 

[MasAhora]

I did reply previously but we had a huge storm and lost power and internet...I think my post got lost!
Thank you for responding. At this moment I worry about the skin parasites (fly bourne mostly). Where we want to create the holding pen is in the paddock with a young bull (not ours but is here until slaughter maybe late July) so for a few months I can't get the girls in there to treat effectively. One has external parasites showing, she likes to tastes my chicken fermented feed if I am behind a fence (no threat) then licks the spoon with gusto.
So I need to mix with water or a treat......they won't let me touch them yet. Baby steps. Any hints or tricks are appreciated. Where I live its kind of all or nothing, most small holders do nothing and larger set up's have the right pens. We kind of messed up with the young bull.. should have put him in another paddock but it needed resting and spraying...then more resting.

 

[greybeard]

At this moment I worry about the skin parasites (fly bourne mostly). Where we want to create the holding pen is in the paddock with a young bull (not ours but is here until slaughter maybe late July) so for a few months I can't get the girls in there to treat effectively. One has external parasites showing,

Are you referring to flies buzzing around and biting the cattle or grubs under the skin?

Each is treated differently.

For flies, I use a combination of rubs and IGR pass thru insecticide. The Insect Growth Regulator does nothing inside the animal--it passes thru the digestive tract and is present in the feces. Flies lay eggs in the feces, and the larvae ingest the insecticide when they ingest feces, killing the flies before they mature. You have to start IGR early in the fly season for it to be effective. It comes in blocks or mineral tubs as well as in some feeds.

Rubs, (sometimes called back rubbers) are these things:
http://www.phwhite.com/Pink Eye Fly Control.htm

You apply a mix of carrier (crop oil or diesel) and insecticide to the rub--it absorbs a lot! The animal passes under it and the insecticide is rubbed off on to the animals back and neck. It both kills and repels a wide range of insects. I've used them for years. They work.

I have zero faith in DE as a dewormer or any other benefit, nor have I ever seen any scientific evidence that supports it's use well enough to risk losing livestock. I have tho, seen scientific evidence to the contrary. You can probably get the same results as DE by swinging a dead cat round your head while jumping up and down on one foot while reciting Mary had a little Lamb 3 times. .

http://www.usask.ca/wcvm/herdmed/specialstock/bison/diatomaceous earth.html

IF you are having grub problems (heel fly) you have to be careful what season it is.
http://livestockvetento.tamu.edu/insectspests/cattle-grub-heel-fly/
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/integumentary-system/cattle-grubs/hypoderma-spp

Here in the southern USA, we don't treat for grubs after July or before May.

Some here use ear tags for fly control too, but if you aren't able to catch the animal or pen it, they probably won't be a viable option for you. I've used the Y-Tex Python ear tags before, but in conjunction with rubs and or a pour on.
How they work:
https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef505