ksmit454
Well-known member
Went and checked the herd tonight and of course my bottle calf (now over a year old) came running up to me for some scratches. I pulled a tick off of her. Any reason to be concerned about possible ticks on my cattle?
Ticks?
- Thread starter ksmit454
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greybeard
Well-known member
A tick, as in 1?
I wouldn't worry about just one.
I wouldn't worry about just one.
I was reading about Asian Longhorned ticks the other day. Don't think they are in California yet.
If you start seeing (or picking off) quite a few, I'd suggest spraying with your favorite fly spray. Anaplasmosis is a problem around here so I'm proactive about tics, generally starting in April.
MurraysMutts
Well-known member
It's right around the corner for us. I try and spray w permethrin every few weeks. The ones at home ain't bad. But my lease place is thick with woods and other crap. It's a constant battle over there.
And I agree. One tick ain't nuthin'!
And I agree. One tick ain't nuthin'!
Travlr
Well-known member
A good reason to run a herd of free range chickens...
Guinea fowl or ducks/geese will also take care of them.
And it's always nice to get those butt-nuggets.
Guinea fowl or ducks/geese will also take care of them.
And it's always nice to get those butt-nuggets.
Educate me, because I know very little about free range chickens, other than a friend of mine manages a ranch that has them, but they stick primarily around the coop/corral. So, truly the only time they would be remotely helpful is when there's a group in the corral or immediate pasture. They don't follow the cattle throughout the ranch when they're grazing or changing pastures.
We have a ridiculous amount of ducks & geese at the watershed lake, the majority of which are migratory, and the pasture around the lake is one of the worst for ticks.
Guineas are supposed to be the best for ticks, but they seem kind of stupid, and they are noisy as hell. I tried them a few times but coyotes get them as fast if not faster than they take chickens. no they won't follow far away from headquarters but will keep ticks down around that area. they don't pick them off the livestock, rather off the ground or plants/walls etc.
Gotcha, thanks! We have a ton of coyotes and I suspect that's why most of the people around here with chickens (or any kind of fowl) keep them somewhat contained. I've certainly never seen them roaming around the pastures with the cattle but yes, while they're in corrals, paddocks or very small pastures. We also have a lot of woods, which is a tick haven and where the cattle congregate when it's hot.
BFF pulled an embedded tick off her hip last week. We went from upper 70's one day, back to low 20's. They're truly the spawn of Satan and just won't die!!!
greybeard
Well-known member
you don't know ticks till you've known seed ticks. Nobody gets just one. They get dozens or hundreds..on a bad day, many hundreds...in a matter of minutes. There would be thousands on the animals.
chaded
Well-known member
I know all too well about seed ticks (Devils spawn). I think I have given some people nightmares telling them about the things. Really bad late summer here.
GoWyo
Well-known member
I think I would dose myself with Clean Up II every 35 days if I had seed ticks around here.
greybeard
Well-known member
Fire ants will get rid of them. But, they'll get rid of too many good things too.
CowboyRam
Well-known member
When dad was younger, I think it was in the mid 50's he had tick fever. He damn near died from it. The doctors around Craig Colorado didn't really know what to do for it. There was a old woman in Baggs Wyoming that had some sort of concoction that she mixed up for him. He said what was in it, but I don't remember. I do remember on ingredient, well kinda, it was I think the leaf off of the sage brush. Evidently there were no ill effects from it, he just turned 86 last month.
Nesikep
Well-known member
the feral horses here are COVERED in them at this time of year
here on the farm, really don't see many, maybe the odd one on a cow
One of my now older cows came for a petting, then went to the waterer and came right back to me, and put her head down definitely indicated where she needed some attention.. she'd JUST picked up a tick.. I removed it and she was happy again.. the same cow will show me where she has ONE louse so I can pick it off.. she's certainly one of the smarter ones
here on the farm, really don't see many, maybe the odd one on a cow
One of my now older cows came for a petting, then went to the waterer and came right back to me, and put her head down definitely indicated where she needed some attention.. she'd JUST picked up a tick.. I removed it and she was happy again.. the same cow will show me where she has ONE louse so I can pick it off.. she's certainly one of the smarter ones
Silver
Well-known member
Are they moose ticks? Times about right for them in your area I would think.
Lucky_P
Well-known member
IDK but just the barest minimum about it, but in CA... Foothills Abortion is a tick-borne disease.
Anaplasmosis, as previously mentioned, is also primarily tick-vectored in most of the country.
I've seen years here, when they were so plentiful that cows' ears were covered - and so swollen that you could hardly find the previous year's fly-tag hole to put in new ones.
Hate walking through a nest of newly-hatched larval (seed) ticks and ending up with an infestation like GB showed... chiggers ain't got nothing on seed ticks for bringing a long-lasting itch!
Anaplasmosis, as previously mentioned, is also primarily tick-vectored in most of the country.
I've seen years here, when they were so plentiful that cows' ears were covered - and so swollen that you could hardly find the previous year's fly-tag hole to put in new ones.
Hate walking through a nest of newly-hatched larval (seed) ticks and ending up with an infestation like GB showed... chiggers ain't got nothing on seed ticks for bringing a long-lasting itch!
D2Cat
Well-known member
faster horses
Well-known member
We had Anaplas in our cows when we moved from WY to SW Mt. Of course the haul stressed the cattle. The first week there, we lost a cow on Monday, one on Wednesday plus doctored some. We had no corrals there so my husband had to rope the sick cows by the hind feet, tie off and then give them LA-200. He had a great horse that would rope while he doctored. Wish I had a video of that. Cows with Anaplas tend to get on the fight, I might add. This was back when cows weren't so big, which was a good thing.
Then we called the vet out. Of course he had never met us before and he had never seen Anaplas, but we told him what we thought it was. He went home and read some of his books, called up and said, "yep, that's what you have. I am going to have to quarantine your cattle." That was not good news, for sure! He called the state vet and was told the 'tick vector' wasn't right in that area and we would not continue to see the disease. I do think we got them in and sprayed them one time. What an experience. The vet in WY, knowing the cattle had Anaplas, should never have given a health certificate for them to go out of state. The good thing was, we never had a case of Anaplas after that.
Then we called the vet out. Of course he had never met us before and he had never seen Anaplas, but we told him what we thought it was. He went home and read some of his books, called up and said, "yep, that's what you have. I am going to have to quarantine your cattle." That was not good news, for sure! He called the state vet and was told the 'tick vector' wasn't right in that area and we would not continue to see the disease. I do think we got them in and sprayed them one time. What an experience. The vet in WY, knowing the cattle had Anaplas, should never have given a health certificate for them to go out of state. The good thing was, we never had a case of Anaplas after that.
