By Antynet Ford

David Kibett restored his dairy farm profits in Eldoret, which were being eaten away by hidden ticks and resulting East Coast Fever. by changing how he controlled the pests, stopped the calf deaths and vets’ costs, and almost doubling his milk production.

David started dairy farming in 2023, buying improved breeds that saw one of his best cows producing up to 18 litres of milk per day, But, around mid-2024, something started going wrong with his the milk production steadily falling.

“I have been keeping cows for a number of years but ventured into dairy farming three years ago. I keep cross breeds of Friesian and Ayrshire. I have six of them. Mid-2024, one and half years after I started the dairy farming, I realised that my milk production was reducing. For example, one of my best cows, which I was milking at that time, reduced from 18 litres a day to 10 litres averagely on a day,” he said.

His first suspicion was feed quality or breed performance. He continued spraying the animals against ticks weekly, believing he was protecting them. But the problem persisted.

It was during a routine cooperative meeting, he shared his struggle with fellow members. A veterinary officer in the group visited his farm and immediately noticed the problem, not lack of spraying, but incorrect spraying.

The vet discovered David was only spraying the cows’ backs, yet ticks hide under the tail, inside the ears, around the udder and between the legs. He was also using little water and excessive chemical concentrate, meaning the acaricide never reached the skin. The cowshed and pasture, where ticks breed, were never treated, and spraying intervals were irregular, allowing ticks to complete their life cycle.

“Just like other farmers, I never knew ticks would be a thorn in the flesh and make my milk production reduce. I realised the problem was ticks when we met during our normal cooperative meeting and I shared my struggle to our members. That was when a vet officer who is amongst the group promised to come and help me check the cows as they were now even becoming weak and some were not feeding well. When he came, he walked around the cowshed and pasture, then carefully examined the animals. He told me I was not killing the ticks even though I was spraying the cows once a week.”

The vet diagnosed the animals were suffering from East Coast Fever caused by ticks with the treatment costing Sh6,500 per cow, although David lost a heifer calf that received the treatment late.

After treatment, David stated that he adopted a strict tick-control plan.

“After the animals healed, I started mixing the acaricide exactly according to label instructions and used enough water so the animal was properly soaked. I also learned to focus on tick hiding areas, especially under the belly, inside ears and beneath the tail. Also, instead of spraying when I remember, I have created a schedule and strictly follow it. During rainy periods. I spray twice a week and during dry weather every 10 to 14 days without skipping.”

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“Since when I started doing this early last year, I have realised ticks were living in my environment. I slashed tall grass around the cowshed, drained stagnant water and cleaned the resting areas. The wooden posts had cracks where ticks hid, so I treated them regularly. I also began rotating acaricides every few months after learning ticks develop resistance if the same chemical is used repeatedly.

“The biggest change has been the milk production and my best cow returned to about 17 litres a day. Even more important, I have not recorded a case of East Coast Fever in over a year. Veterinary costs have dropped sharply, and I no longer spend emergency money on treatments,” he said.

“The cows are calmer during milking, their skin is smooth and wounds healed. Fertility has also improved, and cows now conceive faster because they are healthier.”

“My advice to farmers is simple. Ticks are not a small nuisance. They are a hidden business loss. A farmer may think feeds or breed is the problem while ticks are silently reducing milk, fertility and growth. The solution is not using more chemicals. The solution is spraying correctly and managing the environment where ticks live. Once I controlled ticks, dairy farming finally became profitable for me.”

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