My cattle have suspicious minds. Any little thing they see me doing different, wearing different clothes, even talking to myself while shooting video, they are looking alert and considering their flight path for escape. So I was pretty fortunate to get at least two of the cows treated with ivermectin (ivomec?) without them even noticing. After the past winter's problems with magpies pecking holes in one of the yearling bull's back I thought I'd try this treatment. The theory is that the warble fly larvae work their way up through the body and make holes in the animal's skin thereby attracting magpies. Typical scavengers that they are, magpies will keep coming back for more and no matter how many I shoot there are always more to replace them.
It is a pretty simple process of measuring out the dose of liquid ivermectin(which will kill the fly larvae) by pouring the liquid along the animal's back.
I did it while they were eating up the chop I had just threw in the trough and they never even noticed. Two down, seven to go. Warm and sunny. Most of the snow gone. It is an early spring.
I hate those bot flies.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have any similar problems here, but with crows and blue-jays around, I'm surprised.
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