# cow SCRATCHING!



## wstevenl (Mar 26, 2008)

I have a Dexter cow that I noticed on Sunday had rubbed off the hair on the top of her shoulder/neck area. It's been bitterly cold here in SE Missouri and now part of that area is scrapped down to a red, bloody layer. Only the very first layer of skin seems to be off. I saw her rubbing on a gate latch last night....
I also noticed last night that our Lowline bull had started to rub his hair off in the same area. 

Mites? What should I do so she doesn't hurt herself more???


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

I'd suggest it's lice. Although most of the time the lice go to the underneath side of the cow during the winter when it's cold. 
There are a couple of things you can do. 1) is to use some ivomec pour-on wormer. 2) is to take a tow-sack and soak it down in mineral oil and hang it up in a handy rub spot. Either of these two should help if it's lice. The mineral oil isn't long term but will help to keep them at bay. Have you given your cattle any kind of wormer lately?


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## gwithrow (Feb 5, 2005)

do you have hay in a hay ring? if so, cows will rub that part of their backs raw getting to the inner part of the bale of hay...can't hurt to treat for lice either..


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## wstevenl (Mar 26, 2008)

They have access to one round bale at a time, with no ring. 
They have not been wormed with anything but DE or Apple Cyder Vinegar since mid summer.
They are putting their heads into holes in the round bales sometimes but I saw her rubbing this spot on the gate latch and post. Most of the year the cows are in paddocks made of electric fence and don't have a place to rub.


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## ksfarmer (Apr 28, 2007)

I also would suggest lice. I second Francismilker's recommendation of Ivomec.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

wstevenl

Cattle have lice most of the time. During the summer it is too hot on exposed lice for them to venture from underneath the underside of the animals. As winter comes on the lice multiply and start migrating over the animals creating the situation you are observing. The lice are not difficult to control. Permethrin in oil applied with a backrub at the salt/supplement trough or by spraying works. This early in the year and the patches occurring is an indicator that you do need to treat.


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## SusyTX (Sep 9, 2008)

I'd also suspect lice. We've had really good luck dusting them with DE. We made a "shaker" out of a plastic coffee can by punching holes in the removable top, and just used it on the neck areas where they'd been scratching. 

I'd completely forgotten about winter lice, thanks for the reminder! Gotta go get the homemade duster out again....


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## copperhead46 (Jan 25, 2008)

I agree, it's lice!! they'll drive them crazy.
P.J.


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## Curtis B (Aug 15, 2008)

Glad this was posted, as I have one that has a similar issue, only it is up top in the back, and a patch on his side. He is not rubbing though, he is licking the hair off. Would I treat the same way, or is it something different.


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

hey, thanks for this thread! our milk cow has been itching so hard on the homemade wood stantion while I milk that the entire stanchion was listing last night (I whack her to make her stop - but she times the scratches to the most delayed whack response opportunity)

dusted her with food grade de this morning and rubbed it in. Hoping for a less scratchy cow in a few days.


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## wstevenl (Mar 26, 2008)

I put her in a stall to keep her out of the horrible cold wind a little better and dusted her good with DE. I'll see how it goes for a few days. Tonight or tomorrow I'll go around and dust other bovines (bull first) before they get too bad. 

Does anyone know if DE works very well for this? I would much prefer this over come chemical. Is there some other low-chem solution that anyone has used other than DE?


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Pyrethrin


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

Ivemec, or generic ivemec works great to. Cydectin is even better but expesive. Cydectin also treats mange in cattle too. We have had tail head mange in the past with our milk cows. So we always use the cydectin. Its also listed for dairy cattle to boot. I never been a fan of powders for cattle.
Bob


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## wstevenl (Mar 26, 2008)

Why did you say you've never been a fan of powders on cattle?


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## Madsaw (Feb 26, 2008)

It takes longer for teh drug in the powder to take effect over the whole animal. The use of a pour liquid or a injectable you have results over night. I have personal applied Cydectin to a tic infested steer about mid afternoon. The next morn he had about 5 or 6 tics still on him that I could find. The liquids are absorbed alot faster and therefore are in teh blood the lice and such the little critters feed on.
Bob


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## arcticow (Oct 8, 2006)

IF you are gonna dust, Rotenone works better than pyrethrin, you can also get pyrethroids in a pour-on.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

Pyrethroids are synthetic chemicals. wstevenl was looking for something more natural. Pyrethrin is extracted from a flower.


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