Principles of good stock management during dipping

26.7.8 Principles of good stock management during dipping  Early morning, no rain: Dipping is best done early in the morning in hot climates, and, if possible, not during rainy weather.

 Not thirsty: The animals should be brought quietly and gently to the collecting pen and watered before entering the dip. Otherwise, they will quench their thirst with the dip solution.

 Quietly and gently: To minimize the stress of dipping, they should always be handled quietly and gently, being allowed to enter the foot-bath in single file and dip at their own pace.

 Immerse the heads: Since many animals learn to enter the dip without immersing their heads, a person with protective clothing should be stationed with a dipping crutch at the side of the dip to gently immerse the heads of animals.

 Simultaneous treatment: For optimal tick control, all animals on the same farm or sharing the same grazing areas should be treated simultaneously.

 Spray pregnant & weak animals: Unhealthy or debilitated animals should be sprayed and not dipped. Similarly, animals within one month of giving birth should be sprayed and not dipped. This will help to avoid rupture of the uterus and/or abortion.

Interval between treatment with acaricides  For optimal tick control, the tick breeding cycle must be broken. It is, therefore, best to apply acaricides before the adult female ticks engorge and drop their eggs.

 If the predominant species is the one-host ticks (e.g. Boophilus), the interval between two treatments should be 12 days for excellent control, or 21 days for good control.

 If the predominant species is a two-host or three-host tick, the interval between two treatments should be seven days. If the infestation is heavy, it is better to give four treatments at an interval of three, four and three days respectively. This should be complemented by direct application to the inside of the ears, as well as the areas around the scrotum, udder, tail, anus and vulva.