flyingS said:
FH, I am curious about the customer with differing worm loads. Were the cattle purchased or home raised and were the pastures conditions identical. Had the pasture with a lighter worm load been deferred while the other had early spring use, etc. I think it is pretty interesting stuff. I feel like research is good but common sense has to a factor as well. The spring calf worming is always a sore spot for me. It is expensive compared to the rest of your vaccine and I don't see how it is justified. I don't understand how it makes since to worm a calf that is sucking a cow that hasn't been wormed, sometimes never in her life. Experts will argue that the efficacy of injectable wormer is 90 days. In our country it will basically get you to the 1st of August. People precondition in Sept or early Oct., meaning that there is not enough time to build a detrimental worm load. Where I question all this is in the fact that I have never gotten a straight answer from a rep or Phizer Vet as to how the efficacy is when there is a greater exposure of worms or worm load due to the fact that their mothers have not been wormed. They only answer that I have gotten that makes since is to worm the cows as well. I feel like a good pasture rotation is probably as effective as any vaccination program in a cow calf herd.
All home raised. Pasture use identical. Calves dewormed in the fall.
Run together all winter. Separated at turn-out. About a month later he
noticed the difference. Didn't identify which bunch he was concerned about.
Fecal substantianed the ones he thought didn't seem to be as thrifty.
Fecals sent to Dr. Gene White in Nebraska. Most vets don't have the
proper equipment to run fecals on cattle, theirs is for dogs (one reason
why veterinarians didn't find worms--the right device is what is known
as a Wisconsin spinner. Has a more sophisticated name than that, but
that's how I remember it.) Dr. Flint Taylor from New Mexico came up
here about three years in a row, went to different ranches and we collected
samples from neighboring ranches and he ran the fecals right there.
Very interesting. I've probably been more exposed to most on this
deworming thing. In fact, at first I was dead-set against cattle having
worms. Didn't take long for me to become a believer.
We did our own test one year. Dewormed one bunch of 2-3
year olds and didn't do the older cows. The calves off the 2-3's outweighed
the older cows by 22 lbs. I know, not a very sophisticated test, but
where the cows were, they usually came from there with very heavy calves.
There is more ways than one to deworm cattle. We use Safe-guard in
the mineral. Don't have to gather the cows and do them one by one.
In a strategic worming situation, by the time for it, the calves eat as
much of the mineral as the cows do. This way is advocated by Dr. Don
Bliss. He says the best way to deworm cattle is 'over the gums'. They
can be dewormed with a drench as well, just more work. You should
hear what he says goes on when the makers of vermectin products test
it. Things like shaving their backs.... :shock: Injectible works better
than pour-ons for worms. Orally works best of all.
Check out how many more types of worms that Safe-guard gets than
the vermecrin products. You'll be surprised.
I never advocated deworming a calf and not the cow. I agree with what
you say. The calves will just pick up worms from the cows. I think the
pour-on is cheap enough now that it can be used efficiently for lice.
Those calves should not have a worm load by branding time so you
are wasting money thinking you are deworming them at that time.
(Now bear in mind, I am not talking about the south.)
Hope this answered your questions. Our customers live in the real world
so this isn't just 'laboratory' testing. If they didn't see results, they wouldn't
use it.
