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With the majority of cattle now housed for winter management, there will be farmers looking to administer fluke and worm products to target parasite burdens.
Cattle that are free of parasites will have higher liveweight gains over winter, which is crucial once animals are eating high levels of purchased concentrate.
However, for forward stores destined for slaughter later this year, pay attention to withdrawal dates when treating for fluke and worms.
Some products will have lengthy withdrawal dates, which can delay the sale of cattle for slaughter and increase the risk of cattle exceeding weight limits, fat class or age limits.
Product choice
Therefore, you may need to choose a product with a shorter withdrawal period to fit in with your planned finishing dates.
Withdrawal periods are also affected by when you give the product. For fluke treatments, some products target immature fluke and can be given two to three weeks after housing.
Other products target mature fluke and are most effective when given six to eight weeks post housing.
Again, this should be kept in mind when choosing a fluke product. Using a product with a later application recommendation is fine for weanlings and cows, but may not be practical for finishing cattle.
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