Manage lice over winter to improve cattle performance
Timing of application and proper dosing can make difference in how pour-on takes on lice.
September 18, 2020
While cattle producers have a need to grow healthy animals for a successful operation, lice are on a different track and ready to thwart that effort by making the animals miserable, affecting their health and performance, according to Boehringer Ingelheim.
In an announcement, Boehringer Ingelheim pointed to a University of Nebraska study showing that a moderate to high lice population in feeder calves significantly decreased average daily gains by 0.21 lb. in the untreated group of animals versus those that were treated.
“Lice can also affect milk production,” said David Boxler, a University of Nebraska Extension educator and livestock entomologist who worked on the study. “What’s worse, what cattle experience with lice infestations, including cold stress, can set up the animal for other issues, including respiratory problems and a generally higher susceptibility to other illnesses.”
At the University of Nebraska West Central Research & Extension Center in North Platte, Neb., Boxler is passionate about finding ways to deliver effective parasite control and has been working with everything from trap prototypes for stable flies to essential oils for cattle horn flies.
“We’re battling parasites without the promise of new parasiticide modes of action,” he said. “While we’re always searching for other unique options, it’s important to follow label directions and use the products we do have available correctly to enhance product efficacy.”
If using a pour-on dewormer for external parasites such as lice, Boehringer Ingelheim noted that applying it when it’s going to do the most good is key, but do so can be challenging with everything else going on at the ranch.