Latestarter's ramblings/musings/gripes and grumbles.

[greybeard]

what kind of protocols are you using?

Those that would cause most people here to have coronary issues if they even read about them but I won't state them in someone's journal. There's plenty of real info in different sources on the internet.

Most of the little things I see being done are ineffective and the person's saying they do them state they are. And, most of those things are done and mostly just make the person feel they are doing 'something' without violating their own personal feelings about other things, while their animals are still plagued by external parasites.
I do not like seeing my cattle wearing their tails out swatting flies, picking their heels up every few seconds, swinging their heads around with tongues extended trying to reach the insects on their backs and sides, or running pell/mell across the pasture trying to escape the insects. I've watched my nearest neighbor's livestock go thru that year after year, and it's hard to watch. He uses some of the same things I've seen posted in this thread. He may as well be swinging a dead cat around his head while hopping up and down on one foot chanting 'heebie jeebie heebie jeebie heebie jeebie".


It's my responsibility to everything possible to keep my animals from suffering, whether I personally like using the protocols or not.
The day my 'feelings' come before my animals' well being and comfort is the day I will get out of animal husbandry altogether.
(and no--it's not inexpensive to do what I do for my animals, but neither are the medications and other things I do for my own well being)

 

[Southern by choice]

Those that would cause most people here to have coronary issues if they even read about them but I won't state them in someone's journal. There's plenty of real info in different sources on the internet.

Most of the little things I see being done are ineffective and the person's saying they do them state they are. And, most of those things are done and mostly just make the person feel they are doing 'something' without violating their own personal feelings about other things, while their animals are still plagued by external parasites.
I do not like seeing my cattle wearing their tails out swatting flies, picking their heels up every few seconds, swinging their heads around with tongues extended trying to reach the insects on their backs and sides, or running pell/mell across the pasture trying to escape the insects. I've watched my nearest neighbor's livestock go thru that year after year, and it's hard to watch. He uses some of the same things I've seen posted in this thread. He may as well be swinging a dead cat around his head while hopping up and down on one foot chanting 'heebie jeebie heebie jeebie heebie jeebie".


It's my responsibility to everything possible to keep my animals from suffering, whether I personally like using the protocols or not.
The day my 'feelings' come before my animals' well being and comfort is the day I will get out of animal husbandry altogether.
(and no--it's not inexpensive to do what I do for my animals, but neither are the medications and other things I do for my own well being)

Real helpful Greybeard.

I know here in our area some products are no longer effective.
Frontline and advantix no longer work on dogs. many of the pyrethrin derivatives don't either which is majority of livestock products.

 

[greybeard]

That's why a combination of parasite control needs to be used--not just one thing. There is no 'magic bullet'.
From Merck:

if re-infestation is likely, a strategic parasite control program should be established.
For optimal control of horn and/or heel flies, this any any product should be used as part of an integrated control program utilizing other methods to provide extended control.

 

[Southern by choice]

That's why a combination of parasite control needs to be used--not just one thing. There is no 'magic bullet'.
From Merck:

Kind of obvious it is more than one thing. However when there is resistance then multiple methods start to be minimized. Then add dairy goats in- lots of products cannot be used in or on lactating animals environments.

Here the extension services just had a big class on fly control... of course only geared toward cattle.

Our biggest fly issues are not from dung heaps... goats have berries and no issues there... it is the spent hay and hay sheds that becomes the problem. For us given that we have so many gulleys and streams it is not easy.

 

[greybeard]

Same here. The flies don't predominantly come from the dung piles, but from the rotting vegetation in the national forest and along the river. (all they really require is any damp biomass).
I drag the pastures, I switch brands of tags each time, insuring never use the same ingredients twice in a row, I switch mixes on my rubs, and use different components in the dust bags and the mix of my pump up sprayers.
I don't have fly problems, even tho there is plenty of dampness around my ponds and 60,000 acres of wet national forest around me and my ~30 head of mommas and calves.

 

[babsbag]

My DH brought home fly bait as the lady at TSC swore by it. I took it right back since I have chickens that free range. It wasn't worth the risk. I have thought about ear tags on the collars of the goats but figure that they would probably chew on them.

Last year I used Vectra 3D on my LGD for biting flies on his nose and it worked perfectly and we were both thrilled. This year it doesn't work. Can flies build up a resistance that quickly?

 

[Latestarter]

Please feel free to go into whatever detail you feel appropriate on my journal GB. It's all for the benefit of those reading as well as the animals owned by same. Aside from personal attacks, this journal and forum are open to all comers. I have no problem with anyone sharing valuable info here. If not here, then by all means start a thread in the livestock general area.

CM is doing much better today, more like himself and less tender.

 

[OneFineAcre]

Having never had cows and the fly volume this year the cows are the culprit
Been trying to keep them sprayed
I'll be glad when they leave on July 6th
Will not do steers again
Not enough room
I mean we have enough room but we don't
They can't eat all of the grass where they are at
Too close to the house
I'll do pigs again but differently
Will not let them root up that pretty pasture
Will have a propper pen
Maybe I'll find someone to trade pork for beef

 

[Mini Horses]

CM is doing much better today, more like himself and less tender.

Well -- it is a tender location

Couple more days and he will have forgotten it all.

 

[goatgurl]

going way back in your thread and say that i'm sorry you've had an issue with your hands and arthritis. heaven knows I know how that feels. my hands are the reason I type like I do, usually all small letters. lucky to do the punctuation. my hands don't like stretching out and looking for shift keys. I know some of you are driven nuts by that but that just works best for me. glad you are better now and hope you continue to stay that way. glad you got cm taken care of before he started causing problems for the does and doelings. and as far as fly problems go I am also a big fan of fly predators. they work best if started early in the spring but they really do work. i'm like babs, I won't sprinkle granules for flys or fire ants because my chickens free range and the first thing they would eat would be those granules. the Muscovy ducks are also fly eating fools. even the babies will chase and catch flys. and @babsbag I've never used the ear tags for flys but last year the ticks were horrendous here, does would come in from pasture with anywhere from 2 to 8 ticks around their eyes every day so I hung tags from their collars and they did a good job of keeping the ticks at bay. hope the fence is progressing well. I know how hard it is to try to do everything by yourself. just keep on keeping on and you'll get there.