How to Deworm Beef Cattle? A Detailed Guide to Common Deworming Methods
As an important economic livestock industry in China, beef cattle farming covers a very large area in our country. When raising beef cattle, poor management often leads to problems that affect their growth. One of the more common issues is parasitic infestation, which makes deworming work essential. So how exactly should it be done? Below, the editor brings you the deworming techniques for beef cattle. Let's take a look!
1. Deworming Time
Since the peak activity period of parasites is generally concentrated in spring and autumn, the main deworming times also fall in these two seasons. However, we still need to control the timing and frequency of deworming according to the epidemic characteristics of the parasites. We should also reasonably adjust the deworming time based on the growth stage of the cattle. When deworming cows, it must not be done during their breeding and gestation period, to avoid affecting the reproductive rate of the cows. For young cattle, deworming should be carried out at around two months of age, following the standard deworming procedure.
2. Deworming Methods
When deworming, you must choose between external application and oral administration based on the instructions for the deworming agent. For oral administration, stop feeding the night before, and to control the dosage accurately, try to treat the cattle one by one. If the number of cattle is large, then mix the drug with the feed, and control the dosage according to the cattle's body size. For external application, control the dosage according to the instructions; even if it has no effect, it must not cause poisoning. Then pay attention to the injection site, and externally applied products must never be ingested by the cattle.
3. Selection of Deworming Drugs
When choosing deworming drugs, select ones that are well-known, have low toxicity to cattle, and show relatively obvious effects. Then frequently observe the growth of the beef cattle, and when parasitic infection is found, carry out deworming work promptly. However, note that deworming drugs are not effective against all parasites. Therefore, we must prepare two or more deworming drugs and use them in combination to improve the deworming effect. Finally, be sure to control the dosage, because deworming agents are toxic. You can first conduct a trial to determine the dose, and if there are no abnormal reactions within a day, then expand the deworming scale.
4. Precautions
After deworming, promptly clean up the manure in the cattle shed and dispose of it by deep burial or burning, to avoid the presence of parasites or pathogens. Then carry out a comprehensive disinfection of the cattle shed, with bleaching powder as the main disinfectant, ensuring all corners are disinfected thoroughly. This prevents parasites remaining in the manure from reinfecting the beef cattle. Most importantly, pay attention to the dosage to prevent overdose causing poisoning in the beef cattle. Moreover, there is no effective antidote after poisoning, so everyone must be careful!
The above is a brief introduction to how to deworm beef cattle. When deworming, everyone must pay attention to the above points; otherwise, deworming will fail and breeding benefits will be affected. That's all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only. Thank you for reading and supporting us.