Farm & Ranch
The Dr. McDonald Column — Screw Worms Are Where I Started
By Dr. Steve McDonald
What drove me to be a vet? It all started when I was 13. My great-grandfather had a ranch in Young County. He owned about 400 head of cattle, all Hereford, and about a dozen head of horses. He calved in the fall, hopefully after frost.
Earlier calving, or a late frost, insured that the newborn calves would be infested with screw worms, the maggots of tropical flies that ate living flesh.
They would set up housekeeping in the fresh, raw navels of the baby calves and snack away. The adult flies couldn’t survive the winter in North Texas, but would ride the southern winds from Mexico every spring, arriving by early June at the latest.
If conditions were right, meaning a strong southwesterly wind, the flies might arrive by mid-April. A couple of days of this wind was all it took to bring on an early fly season. It was horrible. The cattle would have to be gathered and the babies would have to be treated on their navel with a vile-smelling concoction that would kill the maggots.
To read more pick up a copy of the October 2017 NTFR issue. To subscribe call 940-872-5922.
By Barry Whitworth, DVM
Having backyard poultry is a popular agriculture enterprise. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, 0.8 percent of all households in the United States have chickens. People keep chickens for a variety of reasons with table eggs being one of the more common reasons.
Unfortunately, some of these poultry producers are not aware of the hazards that come with keeping poultry because many times they carry pathogens but appear healthy.
Chickens are carriers of several zoonotic diseases. These are diseases that can be passed from animals to humans. According to a recent survey in Pennsylvania, a majority of backyard poultry producers were aware of the dangers of avian influenza. However, this study also revealed that far fewer producers were aware of the risk of possible exposure to Salmonella and Campylobacter.
The lack of knowledge about the hazards of raising poultry likely contributes to the continued issues of Salmonella outbreaks associated with backyard poultry. In 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 1,072 illnesses of Salmonella linked to backyard poultry, and 272 of those patients required hospitalization. Oklahoma reported 43 individuals with the disease.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Tressa Lawrence
Babies are tucked away in every nook and cranny. Many ranchers across Wyoming have baby animals popping up all over this time of year.
By Lindsey Monk
Another load of grain in to keep feeding the calves until the green grass can really start popping.
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