Tick and mosquito control for wildlife

[Sam]

Tick and mosquito control for wildlife mostly whitetail in north central Florida. What do you actually use. Someone mentioned medicated goat food to help with ticks was being used on high fence properties but can’t remember where i read that.

 

[Baker]

Tick and mosquito control for wildlife mostly whitetail in north central Florida. What do you actually use. Someone mentioned medicated goat food to help with ticks was being used on high fence properties but can’t remember where i read that.

What they may be referring to is CTC in the goat feed { Chloratetracyline} It helps reduce all parasite loads including ticks. Interestingly, CTC was outlawed in deer feed in the U.S couple years ago by politicians. However it has been used in practically every feed made for every edible animal consumed in the U.S since the 1950's....cows, pigs, chickens, goats and the list is long and complete. it increases weight gain, increases appetite , increases blood flow to antlers, improves health, improves gut health...and the list goes on. Now it can only be used in deer feed if there is a veterinarian certificate of need. However goat feed accidentally fed to deer....But candidly I would want to see what is in goat feed before I knew it was a good idea.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Repost from several years ago; I read about a study done in Texas where they put a deer bait station laced with ivermectin every sq.mi. and the results were they wiped out all the deer ticks. It'd be cheaper than treating Lyme disease.
I know a guy that got rid of his deer ticks by using ivermectin pour on product on corn in his deer feeder, he said it worked like a charm, he had an extreme tick problem, and did it for one winter, and the ticks disappeared within weeks, he recently said 6-7 years later his deer still have no deer ticks. Note; While the deer farmers do it, using ivermectin on wild deer is a very controversial topic with sportsmen.

 

[Baker]

We use protein treated with ivermectin once a year every spring at green up. Never heard anything controversial about it

 

[catscratch]

I asked this question a yr or two back and got an answer saying not to do it. The reasoning made sense at the time but I don't remember what it was.

I don't know if it matters to any of you guys but there are side affects of using meds like this. One of them is Ivermectin kills dung beetles. Dung beetles are great at adding to soil ecology with their holes and burring poo. They also help break down surface poo and get those nutrients spread evenly and decomposed more quickly.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I asked this question a yr or two back and got an answer saying not to do it. The reasoning made sense at the time but I don't remember what it was.

I don't know if it matters to any of you guys but there are side affects of using meds like this. One of them is Ivermectin kills dung beetles. Dung beetles are great at adding to soil ecology with their holes and burring poo. They also help break down surface poo and get those nutrients spread evenly and decomposed more quickly.

Makes sense now why we have so many deer droppings in our fields; the dung beetles must not be eating them anymore.

 

[catscratch]

I was just giving an example of how what we do might have some unintended consequences. I know many are trying to move away from herbicides, I think insecticides can cause similar problems. I personally don't have a problem with any of it but am trying limit my impact through chemicals. For parasites I plant and encourage native plants that are known to be dewormers. I make bluebird and purple martin houses to place on the ranch (insect eating birds that will follow a herd to feed). I give opossums a free pass as they eat ticks. Etc.

 

[Baker]

I think we are probably all on the same page regarding herbicides and pesticides. I will suggest that the odds of a single dose for a period of a week or two of ivermectin in deer feed is unlikely to have any impact on dung beetles or anything else. But if that is a concern, another thing we do is add essential oils to our deer feed including a garlic extract, clove oil, and a couple others...frankly I forget all...cinnamin maybe? Nonetheless these essential oils act as a natural anti biotic improving gut flora and reducing parasitic load. Just another of the small details that when added together can have big results

I have also read that chicory can have a cleansing effect for deer.

 

[catscratch]

I think we are probably all on the same page regarding herbicides and pesticides. I will suggest that the odds of a single dose for a period of a week or two of ivermectin in deer feed is unlikely to have any impact on dung beetles or anything else. But if that is a concern, another thing we do is add essential oils to our deer feed including a garlic extract, clove oil, and a couple others...frankly I forget all...cinnamin maybe? Nonetheless these essential oils act as a natural anti biotic improving gut flora and reducing parasitic load. Just another of the small details that when added together can have big results

I have also read that chicory can have a cleansing effect for deer.

Chicory is a plant that I'm big on for that reason.

I a lot of what I brought up is related to cattle management, so doses and effect on the environment might be a little more extreme. Garlic mixed in mineral is another cattle rancher thing... Well done Baker, well done.