Cow itch

[Rockfish]

Help! I have a Jersey cow we bought for milking 2 weeks ago. She was supposed to calf at end of May (but the owner wasn't sure) but her bag has filled up in the last week...

But today she is itching like crazy and missing hair/fur on her face and neck. Could it be a mite or something else?

Thanks for any help.

[francismilker]

I'd check to see if she has lice. They're real bad in my area this time of year.

[agmantoo]

Lice are the problem. This will work and is of a size needed
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/...&pf_id=0030190

[francismilker]

Be careful what you treat her with for the lice. Most all of the wormers have a pretty long withdrawel time for milk cows. I usually only use cidectin pour-on at dry off time and ivomec+ at about 5months bred if I suspect an infestation. However, most of the time there's some type of parasite infestation in cattle. You can only tell by seeing visable external parasites or by collecting a fresh manure sample and having your vet test it for internal parasites.