Time to Dose the Bullocks, but with what??

NewBeefFarmer

Hi lads, been busy fencing, strimming etc.. .. watching the 3 420kg bullocks as they find there way around the land.

have them 3 wks this coming saturday.

one of the bullocks seems to be very loose, there on aftergrass now and it just squirts out straight, reminds me of the runs, and i know this isnt good.

so, question.,, i know my dad used to dose them with the gun, (grab them in the head, (like a headlock) and squirt it back, and used to also have a pour-on.

what should i do?
what products should i get? how much of the product do you give the animal?
and what can i do for my bullock thats loose in the rear-end,

Thanks all
NBF
pour-on, dose in mouth?

LostCovey

NewBeefFarmer wrote: »

Hi lads, been busy fencing, strimming etc.. .. watching the 3 420kg bullocks as they find there way around the land.

have them 3 wks this coming saturday.

one of the bullocks seems to be very loose, there on aftergrass now and it just squirts out straight, reminds me of the runs, and i know this isnt good.

so, question.,, i know my dad used to dose them with the gun, (grab them in the head, (like a headlock) and squirt it back, and used to also have a pour-on.

what should i do?
what products should i get? how much of the product do you give the animal?
and what can i do for my bullock thats loose in the rear-end,

Thanks all
NBF
pour-on, dose in mouth?

Hi NBF,

That's a really hard question to answer.

So much depends on your individual situation, your land type & drainage, how intensively you are grazing, and what has been their grazing & dosing history up to now.

Being "loose" might bring suspicion of parasites but it's not proof - maybe try a worm egg count on that one and a few more. Some cattle simply cope better with wet lush aftergrass than others. Also remember that a scour may be a sign of something else and might need a vet to look at it - especially if an animal is also dull, slow or not filling itself.

Also remember that bullock-wrestling is a hazardous pastime, and in my book injectables/pour-ons have a distinct advantage if you have strong cattle to do. Definitely cheaper than reconstructive dentistry.

A few other points worth making (remember these are generalisations, so at least some may be wrong for your farm):

A 420 kg bullock if thriving and 18 months old probably has no worms worth dosing for. In other words he might have worms but not enough, and not doing enough damage for a dose to be economically worth while.

They might have liver fluke, and if so you would dose them with something capable of killing immature fluke at this time of year, and maybe repeat at housing. If you have wet land in summer with surface puddles, you probably have some fluke on the land. Buy the best fluke drug you can afford, get good advice from your vet.

You could use a pour-on at housing time, if you are housing them, to clear lice. Most of these products will also kill worms. Buy the cheapest you can get, neither lice nor worms are likely to be a problem in this age group



These are broad guidelines, I don't know your farm.

Some very good introductory independent (non-commercial) material on demystifying dosing etc, which is tailored for Ireland is now available on the Animal Health Ireland website:

http://www.animalhealthireland.ie/parasite.php

Click on the "information leaflets" button.

Your vet/ag advisor will help customise all this into a plan for your holding & system.


Best of luck,

Lost Covey

Bodacious

Hi NBF,

You could just cover all bases and use Closamectin Pour on for Fluke and worms 40-45ml in a narrow strip along the middle of the back.. get the smaller 250ml bottle from your local coop and you'll have enough to do the three of them again later in the year. Save you getting in help/wrestling with them/and as LC says it may keep the teeth intact:D

epfff

Bodacious wrote: »

Hi NBF,

You could just cover all bases and use Closamectin Pour on for Fluke and worms 40-45ml in a narrow strip along the middle of the back.. get the smaller 250ml bottle from your local coop and you'll have enough to do the three of them again later in the year. Save you getting in help/wrestling with them/and as LC says it may keep the teeth intact:D

Dont think that will cover stomack fluke serious problem in places
Get yourself a hook dosing gun (serious job)it will still cost less than pour ons and you shoud have the gun for years

LostCovey

epfff wrote: »

Dont think that will cover stomack fluke

No it won't, and nobody said it would.

epfff wrote: »

serious problem in places

Yes, precisely, in places.

Which is why people don't dose routinely for it in Ireland.

The only drugs that control it are cr@p at killing immature liver fluke, which is a lot more common in a lot more places.

LostCovey

thetangler

"Get yourself a hook dosing gun (serious job)"
Hi
What is the best one of these to get and any idea how much.

Thanks

whelan1

NewBeefFarmer wrote: »

Hi lads, been busy fencing, strimming etc.. .. watching the 3 420kg bullocks as they find there way around the land.

have them 3 wks this coming saturday.

one of the bullocks seems to be very loose, there on aftergrass now and it just squirts out straight, reminds me of the runs, and i know this isnt good.

so, question.,, i know my dad used to dose them with the gun, (grab them in the head, (like a headlock) and squirt it back, and used to also have a pour-on.

what should i do?
what products should i get? how much of the product do you give the animal?
and what can i do for my bullock thats loose in the rear-end,

Thanks all
NBF
pour-on, dose in mouth?

are they coughing? is it fresh grass they are on?

NewBeefFarmer

whelan1 wrote: »

NewBeefFarmer wrote: »

Hi lads, been busy fencing, strimming etc.. .. watching the 3 420kg bullocks as they find there way around the land.

have them 3 wks this coming saturday.

one of the bullocks seems to be very loose, there on aftergrass now and it just squirts out straight, reminds me of the runs, and i know this isnt good.

so, question.,, i know my dad used to dose them with the gun, (grab them in the head, (like a headlock) and squirt it back, and used to also have a pour-on.

what should i do?
what products should i get? how much of the product do you give the animal?
and what can i do for my bullock thats loose in the rear-end,

Thanks all
NBF
pour-on, dose in mouth?

are they coughing? is it fresh grass they are on?

No coughing, after grass from fields baled in late july.

I was only going dosing as like us taking a tonic or something.

whelan1

i normally dont dose until they start coughing but thats just me, ring your vet and ask their advise , maybe the grass is causing the scour but to be on the safe side i would ask the vet

Suckler

LostCovey wrote: »

Also remember that bullock-wrestling is a hazardous pastime, and in my book injectables/pour-ons have a distinct advantage if you have strong cattle to do. Definitely cheaper than reconstructive dentistry.

Agreed; why anyone would attempt this is beyond me. I expect to read about these people in the thread on farm accidents or as recipients of "Darwin awards"

whelan1

Suckler wrote: »

Agreed; why anyone would attempt this is beyond me. I expect to read about these people in the thread on farm accidents or as recipients of "Darwin awards"

but for dairy cows the only fluke dose you can give is orally, hence my bleeding knuckles:rolleyes:

Tipp Man

Some guys need to toughen up here - afraid to dose a few cattle:rolleyes:

(the pour-ons are very easy though;))

vanderbadger

used the head scoop there for the first time recently..a good job for dosing in fairness

Suckler

Tipp Man wrote: »

Some guys need to toughen up here - afraid to dose a few cattle:rolleyes:

(the pour-ons are very easy though;))

whelan1 wrote: »

but for dairy cows the only fluke dose you can give is orally, hence my bleeding knuckles:rolleyes:

:rolleyes: Indeed. So it's back to a childish argument of who can act tougher than who then. I'll stick with common sense thanks.
If the only dose is orally then you ensure they are restrained. It's simple.
No other industry would accept / get away with operating with disregard for safety but farming is different for some reason.
I was responding to the OP's statement of " I know my dad used to dose them with the gun, (grab them in the head, (like a headlock)"

Suckler

vanderbadger wrote: »

used the head scoop there for the first time recently..a good job for dosing in fairness

+1: its quick and easy.

Tipp Man

Suckler wrote: »

:rolleyes: Indeed. So it's back to a childish argument of who can act tougher than who then. I'll stick with common sense thanks.
If the only dose is orally then you ensure they are restrained. It's simple.
No other industry would accept / get away with operating with disregard for safety but farming is different for some reason.
I was responding to the OP's statement of " I know my dad used to dose them with the gun, (grab them in the head, (like a headlock)"

ah wind your neck in - i was only joking

Suckler

Tipp Man wrote: »

ah wind your neck in - i was only joking

It's a long way down off my high horse.:o

LostCovey

Suckler wrote: »

It's a long way down off my high horse.:o

And anyway, there isn't room for two on my high horse.

pakalasa

I dosed cattle there orally recently (Zanil), for the first time in years. I use pour-on and injections normally. Not half as bad as I thought. Even the mad ones were grand,... and I had to do them twice with a syringe. Once there's no wall nearby to skin knuckles, then no problem. Grap them on the far side of the mouth, from the top, not the nose and in /out before they know what's happening. There's a lot more dangerous things done.

redzerologhlen

When I was doing my college placement a few years ago we bolus'ed 100 cows in a day and they all had to get 2 of them....fun day. Id very tired arms in the evening!!