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Madison Co. Virginia | I've had enough experience with blowflies on dairy calves that I've picked up on their pattern. The eggs are laid on chronically wet hair. Dry hair is no problem. Sick calves tend to sweat more, and a calf that is mistakenly tied in hot sun will obviously sweat. Occasionally dampness is weather related, but that usually dries out before the female flies have gotten to the calf. The eggs are quite easy to see on a dark-colored calf if you pay attention. They are almost invariably laid over the hips or down over the back legs. They look like very small grains of rice all standing on end, and clustered close together. I'm pretty sure that a quick shot of fly spray at this stage will keep them from developing any further, but it still wouldn't hurt to check. When they hatch, the maggots migrate down to the anus, the groin region, and between the hooves. If they're between the hooves, I just scrape them out. Otherwise, I use a decent fly spray(e.g. screw worm aerosol), which should loosen their hold immediately. I have a hard time believing that they don't eat healthy tissue. I've seen the cratered, raw flesh left behind by them, and I'm pretty sure that would not have happened otherwise. | |
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maggots on calf
