In winter producers will notice increases in populations of biting and sucking insects and lice in beef cattle.
“Keeping a lookout for signs such as cattle scratching and rubbing their bodies on fence wire, boards and trees is the best indication that there may be a problem with lice,” said Bill Grabowsky, beef specialist with Alberta Agriculture in Wetaskiwin.
“If the lice are the sucking type, they concentrate in the more tender areas of the body like the udder, tail, head, eyebrows, ears and scrotum. When the cattle scratch and rub these areas, blood stains are visible. In extreme cases, especially in younger animals, sucking lice can cause anemia.”
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Lice can lead to reduced animal production and performance. A 1987 study showed moderate infestations of lice reduced average daily gain by .019 kg.
“The life cycle of these lice varies from three to four weeks, after which, if the newly hatched larvae have not been killed off, re-infestation occurs,” said Grabowsky.
If cattle are not treated in the fall or if the facilities they are housed in are not disinfected after an outbreak of lice, the herd can be re-infected.
There are a wide range of safe treatments on the market. Most require pour-ons or self-treatment stations. Grabowsky recommends discussing a louse control program with a veterinarian. Topics to be discussed include withdrawal times, age and size of animals, pregnancy status, grub control protocol and nutrition.
“Getting rid of lice totally just isn’t possible, but treatment is available at a reasonable cost. It’s part of doing business in the beef industry.”
