Dollars and drenching
Don't let an undetected worm issue be one of the reasons that heifers enter the herd at suboptimal liveweights, or the reason that growing cattle fail to finish on time.
Most of the drench to be used on weaner calf blocks this year will be administered over the next 5-6 months. Since 15 month weight targets are of critical importance, every day of compromised growth due to worm challenge is a cost to your business - let's ensure that you are using the best drench at the best times to keep your calves growing through this period.
The rapid and extensive emergence of Cooperia species which are resistant to endectocide drenches (Ivomec, Genesis, Eprinex, Cydectin etc) has seen us recommend the use of combination drenches containing levamisole for the routine drenching of young cattle. There has been widespread uptake of this message, and we are seeing far fewer cases of clinical parasitism in calves at this time of the year - well done!
However there are other important worm species (Ostertagia, Trichostrongylus) present on cattle farms which will have different resistance profiles depending on the drenching and management history of the property. This in turn determines the most appropriate drench choice; given that there are now a number of levamisole and combination drench products available on the market.
Clearly it makes sense to know the drench you are using or intend to use is going to do the right job.
In addition, the grazing management, alternative forages, supplementation and pasture renewal options that you have available will affect the way that drenches are best used as part of an overall worm management programme. Confirming those drench families that work will be a sound starting point for taking actions to maintain their effectiveness.
So what is happening on your grazing block?
This season Totally Vets are offering to perform a complete Drench Test on your weaner calf block.
In simple terms, this involves taking a faecal egg count (FEC) from the calves, and dividing them into treatment groups which then receive a drench from each action family. The FEC is then repeated on each treatment group about 10 days later to allow drench efficacy to be calculated. Larval cultures are also undertaken to ascertain the performance of the drenches against each worm species.
The results will enable us to help you formulate a worm management plan for your operation that is firmly focused on smart science and high productivity, while keeping an eye on future sustainability. For less than the cost of a herd pack of pour-on, this has got to be a sensible investment!
If you'd like to get started, would like to know more, or just want to chat about worm control in general, please give Ginny a call at the clinic, or leave a message with our friendly reception staff.
