Summer Herd Health

The summer months can bring a whole host of challenges to livestock. Despite the obvious temperature increase introducing the risk of heat stress, the parasite burden is also at its peak. Ectoparasites pose a number of problems to all livestock throughout the season. There are many species of fly in the UK that can cause a host of ailments through the warmer months.

One of these flies is the head fly (Hydrotea irritans). It is believed that the head fly is directly linked to the transmission of bacteria that cause summer mastitis.

Summer mastitis is generally a threat to both non lactating cows and maiden heifers through the summer. Often supervision of these groups can become less frequent as other areas of the farm become busier through these periods, meaning that by the time the infection is diagnosed it is already well established.

Affected udders are characteristically hot, swollen with the teat of the affected quarter being grossly enlarged and in later stages emitting a foul lumpy discharge. Summer mastitis is mainly transmitted by flies swarming the udder and carrying the bacteria between animals. Isolation of affected animals and prompt treatment is crucial to reduce spread and minimise risk of loosing the quarter. Treatment is usually antibiotic lead and can be costly, not to mention the long-term cost to your business should the infection end in loss of the quarter or the animal being culled.

There are ways to decrease the risk of summer mastitis in your herd and often prevention is better than cure. There are management factors that can also be taken into consideration. Grazing high risk cattle away from pasture that have a higher fly population is beneficial. The head fly like humid, warm and still air to breed and reside in, making wooded areas or thick hedges favourable. Grazing close to these should be avoided if possible. The larval stage of the fly life cycle requires somewhere warm and damp to complete. This makes slurry pits, muck heaps and deep littered sheds ideal breeding grounds in the warmer months. There are treatments available for slurry pools and muckheaps that inhibit the flies from hatching. Keeping sheds regularly mucked out can also help.

There are numerous other ailments that are directly linked to the increase in fly population. Nuisance flies will decrease the time that cattle spend grazing resulting in lower DLWG (daily liveweight gain) and decreased performance throughout the herd. Flies also spread Infectious Bovine Keratoconjunctivitis (I BK/New Forest Eye) which can send livestock blind, cause decreased appetite in affected animals and has a negative economic impact on your business. Biting flies that cause itching can lead to secondary infection from damage to the skin from where cattle rub and injure themselves. So, it is important to minimise exposure to these challenges where possible through the season. A highly effective way to reduce the risk of flies to your herd is to treat your cattle, before the parasite burden increases, with suitable fly control products, usually synthetic pyrethroids. These can be impregnated ear tags, pour on preparations or sprays. Flectron Fly Tags are a great method of fly control for your cattle. Cattle are tagged alongside their existing tags and once applied the tags will control all species of fly for up to four months, making them a great choice for cattle once turned out for the summer grazing season. Gloves should be worn when handling the tags as they are impregnated with cypermethrin, and tags should be removed before animals are sent to slaughter. There is a zero milk and meat withhold when using Flectron Fly Tags. Synthetic pyrethroid products offer an alternative method of ectoparasite control. We offer a range of these products in store such as Fly and Lice Spot On, Flypour, Butox Swish and Dectospot. These are applied down the back of the cattle with an applicator gun and offer up to eight weeks protection against flies and treat for lice too.

These do have a meat withhold however, ranging from three days to seventeen days.

To discuss your farm's individual needs and formulate an effective ectoparasite control plan, talk to one of our registered animal medicines advisors instore.

Spot On Sheep/Cattle - Control flies for 4-8 weeks