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Cattle health management: IRRIGATION Prevention better than cure TURNisKEY SOLUTION
We ognisable Design & he cold weather has arrived in most by its blue-grey colour, is T parts of the country and in the next a For one-host tick, and newly hatched Build You few months we shall notice further larvae feed and moult on the cattle for IRRIGATION NETS LAND PREPARATION
effects of the dry winter weather which should be followed by warm, wet conditions. Managing the health of your herd is a critical step towards profitable cattle production. Waiting until you experience a loss on your farm may cost you dearly. It is therefore important to invest in the prevention of diseases in your herd. Why vaccinate? The three main reasons to vaccinate are to increase immunity, reduce the spread of disease and eliminate diseases. Vaccination programmes should always be customised according to your farming operation. Items to consider while establishing a vaccination programme include geographic region, and the type of cattle on your farm. A vaccination programme is an important element in a comprehensive, wellplanned herd health control strategy.
about 3 weeks until the fully engorged adult female blue tick drops off to lay her eggs on the ground. They often appear in June/July and may infest cattle into the spring. The tick is easy to recognise on the back, sides, neck, and upper legs of the cattle. All farmers know this tick species, which transmits redwater and gallsickness mostly during wet summer months. Larvae are very small, and farmers must look carefully for these parasites when deciding when to dip. The enzootic areas of the disease correspond to the distribution of the vector species in southern, eastern, and western African countries. Avoid dipping calves to control blue
Preventing diseases by using a herd health management plan saves time and money. (Photo: pixabay.com) tick for up to 4 to 6 months of age during cooler months as 4 to 5 month old calves are resistant to redwater and gallsickness. Allowing them to be exposed during this period will induce a resistance to these two tick transmitted diseases. Brown ear ticks are well known to farmers. The life cycle is yearlong with larvae and nymphs active in winter, and adults active in summer around January, February, and March. The adults can cause severe damage to the ears, head, neck, and areas under the tail, leading to skin damage and screw worm infestation. The adult tick also transmits theileriosis causing high mortality in cattle.
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Graphics:Maruapula.A@TheAgriShop-2021
External parasites External parasites include horn flies, face flies, stable flies, ticks, and lice. The largest health problem comes from the additional stress caused to animals by these insects. When infested, cattleTraining& Research spend more time in the shade and do not graze, which leads to poor offered at performance. Metsimotlhabe Eliminating the areas where pests Tara Farm reproduce also helps to reduce the severity of external parasites. Pour-on and dips are effective in treating animals infested by ticks. It is important to understand the life cycle of ticks and recognise the stage and species of ticks infesting cattle when treating for tick infestation. The blue tick, which is easy recSome ticks species may overwinter off the hosts. (Photo: pixabay.com) ProAgri Botswana / Namibia / Zimbabwe 20
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