Dear Daktari, I am a keen reader of your articles. I keep two exotic dairy animals together with five indigenous animals on my four acre farm in Voi. I am struggling to manage ticks spread on my flock. What can I do to control these parasites?
[Mwaluma Johnson, Voi]
Thanks Mwaluma for the question. Ticks are the most important pests of cattle and other domestic animals more so because of the diseases that they spread and their sucking of blood which reduces milk production. Babesiosis, East Coast Fever, Anaplasmosis are among fatal diseases spread by ticks. Many farmers think that ticks are only found on the animal’s body and therefore do application of chemicals and forget about environment where ticks stay. Ticks are hardy parasites and can lay as many as 1,500 eggs in once cycle and that presents a great challenge in their control.
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There are house designs that can favour infestation with ticks. Houses with cracks and crevices are also a good hiding and breeding places for ticks. If you are housing exotic cattle breeds the shed should be tick-proof. Exotic breeds are susceptible to tick-borne diseases. Cracks and crevices on the walls of cattle shed should be covered. Having an acaricide band around the cattle shed will help keep away ticks.
Clean environment
Any waste – including, cow dung, broken bricks, wood piles in the compound will offer a good hiding and breeding places for ticks. Cleanliness is thus a way of keeping at bay ticks. Clearing of vegetation will control certain tick species. Long grasses offer favourable grounds for ticks.
Chemical control
The application of acaricides is the most widely used method of tick control. There are several acaricides available in the market. However, there is a current challenge of resistance. For this reason, it is always a good practice to get guidance on which group of compounds will work for your area and species of ticks that have infested your farm. Under heavy infestation it is recommended to apply the acaricide every two weeks. Acaricides are applied by dipping, washes, spraying, pour-on, spot-on and recently by injections. Insecticide ear tags are commercially available in some countries for the control of horn flies, face flies and spinose ear ticks. Dipping is an expensive operation but is desirable when a large number of cattle are to be treated or when a tick eradication programme is in place. I have observed county governments doing this. Dipping is better done in the morning to avoid ingestion of the acaricide and to improve the penetration of the chemical.
Separation of indigenous and exotic cattle
Most farmers in Kenya, keep exotic cattle and indigenous cattle in the same compound. The indigenous cattle will mostly graze outside while the exotic ones will be kept under semi-zero grazing. This rearing system perpetuates tick infestation as the roaming indigenous breed continuously bringing in ticks to the susceptible exotic breeds and their crosses.
Quarantine is a very important measure especially for newly purchased animals, which can carry ticks into the farm. Quarantine and simultaneous application of acaricides can help clean the animal before it is mixed with the others.
[Dr Othieno is a veterinary surgeon and the head of communications at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Kenya. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of FAO]
