Fly problem help?

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Irishred

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Hi all,

My baby holsteins are now all on the road to good health (I hope).

This last one that got sick though has another issue as well. Flies or rather their off spring - maggots. They are all over his rear. A couple of the others had gotten some under their tails but the spray (apparently for pink eye) got rid of them. But this poor guy has a bad infestation. I washed a bunch off but only had access to bucket water to do it. That and limited time as one of my kids was sick yesterday as well. Son said they used to get something for screw worms? but it isn't sold anymore. Any suggestions for something the kill these buggers? I would be very thankful.

Thanks
 
I would put a rope halter on the calf, tie it up and wash it with a hose and flea shampoo that can be used on cats or puppies, soaping several times. Then spray the calves with fly spray.

Maggots have a high EWWW factor. yuk.
 
Yes, they do Chippie. And the poor boy has them bad.

I would love to wash them off with a hose but there is not one close by them and he has been pretty sick. I will see later depending on how he is feeling and the weather, if I can get him to a hose about getting them washed off. That and these are not, nor to be halter trained.

Any medicinal type suggestions?
 
spray with gentian violet, various brandnames available in aerosol form, or you can use wound oil, any cattle dip like Dazzel, if you can get it there.
 
I would use a screw worm aerosol spray with permethrim. You can get it at your local feed store. It will kill maggots dead in a hurry. I'm not suggesting that the other suggested treatments won't work, I just know that this will do the job quickly and reliably.
 
Can of starting fluid, like you use for starting desiel engines in cold weather. Spray where the maggots are. The screw worm spray works real good.
 
As little as they are, go ahead and stick a rope halter on him, grab him by tail and get him where you can wash him. You really need to get the poop and crud off of him. It can scald the skin and make him raw.

You won't be making a pet out of him by putting a halter on him. Anyhow in a couple of months, he will probably have forgotten all about it.
 
Irishred":31dmdwok said:
I would love to wash them off with a hose but there is not one close by them and he has been pretty sick.

Figure it out, the calf needs - emphasis on needs - to be cleaned up!
 
how far is the hose anyways? just throw a rope on his neck and grab his tail and get him there one way or anyother. or throw him in the back of the truck and have someone hold him down. once he gets pinned if he is a yonug calf they play dead alot of the time and it will be really easy.
 
Mix up some permethrim with water in a pump up sprayer and spray the cow down with it. It will kill them and offer protection until the next good rain.
 
Okay this may sound weird but if you have any mastitis treatment, like Today, squirt that up him like an enema. That's where you have the maggot problem, then spray with some dawn/water mixed up, that will help wash him and also get the buggers off of him.
 
I forgot to come back and post about this. Thank you for all the responses.

They found the screw worn spray at the feed store and that took care of the problem PDQ, and he has been all cleaned up.
 

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