Controlling Internal Parasites in Sheep and Goats

[rinestonegoat]

Controlling Internal Parasites
in Sheep and Goats

It's been said that "the worst enemy of a sheep/goat is another sheep/goat." The primary reason is internal parasites. One cannot eliminate worms but one can control them with these management tools:

1. Graze the lambs/kids (and their mothers) on grass that was not grazed by sheep or goats in the spring of the preceding year. Examples are hay/silage fields; cattle or horse pastures; cropland newly sown to grass. If you can do this (most cannot) then you need only to deworm the ewes/does once-before they go out to grass.

2. Dewormers. Deworm the does/ewes just before they go out to grass. If they are grazing "dirty" pastures (had sheep/goats on it last year) continue to deworm them every 19 - 21 days (not 22) for the first 60 days of grass. Deworm the lambs and kids as soon as they are seriously grazing grass (5 weeks old?). Remember that goats need twice the dosage rate of dewormer per lb. of body weight than sheep do. Continue to deworm the lambs/kids until they can moved to "clean" feed (feedlot, hay field, etc.) or until they are 120 days old.

3. Feed the ewes and does with high protein feed (e.g. soybean meal) prior to lambing/kidding. Experimental evidence suggests that doing so reduces the quantity of worm eggs that will be shed by lactating ewes and does on grass. Reducing the number of worm eggs shed is key to reducing the damage that they do, which is also why 21 days (point 2 above) is critical, as it takes 21 days for a larva that's been consumed by a sheep or goat to begin producing worm eggs.

4. Reduce the stocking rate by grazing cattle or horses with sheep/goats. The internal parasites of the first two species don't affect the last two species, but sheep parasites do damage goats and vice versa.

5. Don't graze the grass too short (less than 2 - 3 in.). A worm larvae (that hatches from eggs deposited in on the ground in sheep/goat manure) can only climb about 4 in. up a grass blade. So forage taller than 4 in. is relatively free of worm larvae.

6. Do periodic fecal samples. The results allow you to determine if a dewormer is necessary and/or which parasites need to be treated.

by Stan Potratz

[Rock Springs Ranch]

Geez,  graze sheep and goats on pasture that hasnt been grazed since the Spring of the preceding year...who has this much pasture?

Worm every 19 days...who has this much wormer, or money?

There is no doubt this management would be fantastic, not reasonable for most people though...We worm and do pasture rotation, cannot imagine worming every 19 days...whew!

[GoatTalker]

Audrey, most people are fine, on a 30 day rotation, and a 2 month worming routine. I think the authors of this material are dealing with a different climate, say for instance the eastern part of our country where they get rain during the winter and summer months, thus making parasite control a much more difficult proposition.

[rinestonegoat]

I concur....It does state to worm every 19-21 days during the first 60 days on pasture. But the things that I found interesting was that they suggested that you feed grain and do regular fecals. Something that alot of people don't do.

[Barnes]

I rotate pastures and worm by fecals, which has been every 8 weeks throughout this wet winter!

I don't agree with the thought that the longer the grass/browse the less chance for worms. I prefer to keep my pastures cut so the sun can help with parasite control.

[GoatTalker]

Cutting pastures short, decreases cocci and worm load, viat direct light and heat. Medium pastures, have a higher incidence, because yes some species only "crawl" a short distance and the dew of the evening carrys them the rest of the way.