ANTHELMINTIC TREATMENT OF YOUNG BEEF CATTLE IN THE WALLUM REGION OF SOUTH‐EASTERN QUEENSLAND

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
An anthelmintic treatment trial on 125 Brahman-British crossbred 2 to 4 month old calves was undertaken on Wallum country in south eastern Queesland. The calves were divided into 5 experimental groups, grazed together and treated as follows for 17 months: Group 1--Untreated controls; Group 2--Monthly levamisole--niclosamide on 4 occasions; Group 3--Monthly levamisole until 1 month after weaning; Group 4--Levamisole 3 to 6 weeks after saturating rains; Group 5--No levamisole--niclosamide as for Group 2. The mean body weight gains for cattle in Groups 1 to 5 were 95, 124, 105, 121 and 97 kg respectively. Four cattle were lost from each of Groups 1 and 3 and five from Group 5. Most of these losses occurred towards the end of the second summer rainfall season. Faecal egg count maxima were recorded around weaning in untreated groups and during the summer rainfall period of both the first and second summer in all groups. The most prevalent nematode species encountered were H. placei, Cooperia spp and O. ostertagi. It is recommended that in this region cattle under 2 years of age should receive anthelmintic treatment at least in autumn and spring.

This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit: