One of the main challenges in raising goats and sheep is controlling internal parasites. Year after year, the problem is getting even more difficult to address as parasites develop resistance to chemical dewormers.
The American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control is looking for solutions and sharing their findings with farmers. The consortium’s website contains articles on how to do fecal egg counts on the farm and assess the level of wireworm infection using FAMANCHA scoring (based on the colour of the inside of an animal’s eyelid).
Looking for alternative to chemical dewormers? You’ll find articles on all sorts of options. Spoiler alert: many of the natural remedies have a limited effect, if any, on parasites. Commercial herbal compounds, for example, were found to have no effect on internal parasites, whereas studies were mixed as to the success of garlic and pumpkin seeds. Pine bark in the diet, however, was found to inhibit growth or kill worms.
Visit the website to learn about the use of copper oxide wire particles or diatomaceous earth in pest control. There are also articles about the effect of feeding goats and sheep forage that has high levels of condensed tannins, such as chicory, sainfoin, birdsfoot trefoil and sorghum. You can sign up to the WORMINFO Listserv to get the latest news in your email inbox.
For more information: American Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control acsrpc.org or wormx.info
— Janet Wallace