Pests such as flies and fleas irritate cattle, distracting them from grazing. Internal parasites such as worms harm cattle by feeding on their blood or by penetrating glandular tissue and causing diarrhea and malnutrition. Either type of infestation has a negative impact on weight gain.
Things You'll Need
- Protein cubes
- Hay
- Diatomaceous earth
- Garlic
- Worming cubes
- Mineral licks with fly control
- Insecticide sprays
Instructions
Feeding
Allow calves to nurse until they are six months old. Nursing while grazing will help your calves gain weight quickly.
Supplement your cow's winter diet with high protein range cubes, which provide 38 to 41 percent protein. According to the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, high protein cubes improve the intake and digestibility of forage, helping cattle maintain and gain weight.
Improve your pastures by planting grasses that provide high protein and nutrition, such as alfalfa or bermuda grass.
Graze your cows when grasses are at their most nutritious, right before they convert their energy reserves from growth to seed production.
Allow cows to self-feed on hay during the winter. Rather than rationing hay by feeding a few small square bales at a time, use large round or square bales surrounded by a hay ring or electric fencing. Cows can eat as much hay as they need to supplement limited winter grazing.
Pests and Parasites
Stay alert for signs of pest and parasite trouble. Visually inspect cattle for flies and fleas, and watch for diarrhea or weight loss, which can indicate a problem with worms.
Treat cattle for fly infestations, fleas, lice and mites by dusting diatomaceous earth over their hides. Diatomaceous earth consists of the microscopic skeletal remains of marine algae called diatoms. These broken skeletons have sharp edges that rip the parasite's exoskeleton and innards, causing them to die. Be careful not to inhale or allow your cows to inhale the dust.
Reduce the irritation of flies by introducing rotational grazing to keep your cattle ahead of the flies that hatch from four- to six-day-old manure.
Set out tubs of solid mineral supplements containing a fly treatment. Fly pupae emerging from manure containing the insect growth regulator cannot molt into adult flies, breaking their life cycle. Results are usually effective in one to two weeks.
Spray cows with insect and fly repellent designed for use on cattle.
Mix small amounts of diatomaceous earth with mineral supplements to treat internal parasites. This also benefits cows by increasing their calcium intake.
Add chopped garlic to cattle feed as a natural dewormer. In "Grass Fed Cattle: How to Produce and Market Natural Beef," Julius Ruechel recommends mixing minced garlic with alfalfa pellets and molasses.
To prevent and eliminate worms, feed specially formulated worming cubes according to the manufacturer's guidelines. These cubes contain the protein and nutrients cows need, along with a chemical component that kills worms. Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service recommends feeding worming cubes over several days to ensure each cow receives the appropriate dose of deworming medication.