Probably opening a can of worms here (excuse the pun!) but I worm sampled my ewes and the results are next to nothing certainly way below what the vet would reccomend worming for so they have said to just to a fluke dose. It goes against what I was always told but should i just trust the science!?
Pre lambing worm
- Thread starter Andy84
- Start date
Yes trust the science as hard as it is to! mature ewes should never need worming and if they do it means there are other problems which need addressing like breeding, grazing management and stocking density. The amount of things animals and crops get treated for which rnt necessary is quite frightening!
- Location
- East Sussex
Very seldom ewes need worming pre lambing, but Fluke is important if the sheep have been in an area where they are likely to have become infected. It is important though to NOT use a combined wormer.
What’s the reason for that Frank?
- Location
- Welshman living in Nottinghamshire
Anthelmintic resistance
I didn’t realise it was more of an issue with Combi wormer’s.
- Location
- Welshman living in Nottinghamshire
Yeah because your worming animals that potentially don't need worming
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
Combination wormers are only any worse for developing resistance if you are using them when they don’t need one or the other ai.
However, if they do need worming and fluking (probably not with a TBZ flukicide at this time of year though), then it’s no worse than using seperate products on the same day.
However, if they do need worming and fluking (probably not with a TBZ flukicide at this time of year though), then it’s no worse than using seperate products on the same day.
Adding to this discussion without steering too far off topic , i recently attended an update day on the worm vaccine development program ( https://www.paragoneh2020.eu/parasites/helminth-infections/gastrointestinal-worms-of-sheep/ )
One of the times this vaccine could be of use is in lambing ewes to reduce the pasture egg count and subsequent worm burden for growing lambs
Trials have managed to get up to 50% reduction in egg output in ewes (after a course of 3 vaccinations ) ----however getting the vaccine approved for commercial use is a lengthy process and realistically means a 5 to 10 year wait (??)
In the meantime selective breeding has achieved the same results (with no vaccinations needed) and is available now ----- just need some enlightened breeders to pull their fingers out and start selection
This of course means that you ,the ram buyer, have to hassle your lazy ram breeders to do this
Save on anthelmintics/save on labour /slow down resistance/increase growth rates etc
I would argue that as parasites are the largest health problem in sheep and the largest cause of lamb mortality that anyone that wants to call themselves a ram breeder should be investing heavily in this simple technology
One of the times this vaccine could be of use is in lambing ewes to reduce the pasture egg count and subsequent worm burden for growing lambs
Trials have managed to get up to 50% reduction in egg output in ewes (after a course of 3 vaccinations ) ----however getting the vaccine approved for commercial use is a lengthy process and realistically means a 5 to 10 year wait (??)
In the meantime selective breeding has achieved the same results (with no vaccinations needed) and is available now ----- just need some enlightened breeders to pull their fingers out and start selection
This of course means that you ,the ram buyer, have to hassle your lazy ram breeders to do this
Save on anthelmintics/save on labour /slow down resistance/increase growth rates etc
I would argue that as parasites are the largest health problem in sheep and the largest cause of lamb mortality that anyone that wants to call themselves a ram breeder should be investing heavily in this simple technology
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
Good luck with this , many of us have spend many years and ££ getting better conformation and growth rates , sorting scrapie and other enhancements , , it still all goes down the toilet at builth where the biggest and best fed pets always make the most money encouraging yet more of the same, Worm resistance is so far down the list (although important) that its only going to be yet another cost for the breeder not returned in the market place
Speak for yourself ----our buyers value the time and work we put into selecting for parasite resistance
They are educated and knowledgeable ---they know the priorities and we try to supply them with what they want
Gains in parasite resistance do not have to be at the expense of other traits ---but you have to do the ground work (we didn't see much financial reward in the first 6 years of selecting for this trait but we most definitely are now)
Measure plenty of FEC
Apply proper selection pressure
Breeders that don't do this will be left behind by those of us that do
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
i quite agree , but your producing an easycare type sheep , so thats where your market is ,your buyers are looking for minimal intervention so worm resistance will be high on their lists , The terminal sire market is about another set of parameters and i can assure you worm resistance is low on the list of things buyers will select for over and above highly fed stock if your selling at the main sales , there will always be a few looking for it , but will be a free extra in most cases . I would be interested but only because its a desirable trait at my farm level .
Don't be afraid---lead the way , by example
There are terminal sire breeders making significant headway with parasite resistance and they are typically still within the top end of the carcass/growth analysis ---you can have both
I would also argue that all sheep need to be tending towards lower labour units (''easycare type'') because labour/feed is expensive
Most breeders would do well to throw away the creep feeders and spend the money on useful traits ---embrace the longview , prepare for the future (whatever that may be)
Don't be afraid---lead the way , by example
There are terminal sire breeders making significant headway with parasite resistance and they are typically still within the top end of the carcass/growth analysis ---you can have both
I would also argue that all sheep need to be tending towards lower labour units (''easycare type'') because labour/feed is expensive
Most breeders would do well to throw away the creep feeders and spend the money on useful traits ---embrace the longview , prepare for the future (whatever that may be)
Sheep have been domesticated for at least 10,000 years, and it is only in the last eighty years that effective anthelmintics have been available.
So during the previous 9,920 years one, would have expected that natural selection would have allowed sheep to evolve that were more or less resistant to the commonest internal parasites. (And for simplicity, we can concentrate on nematodes rather than fluke)
But that has not been the case. Is there a rational explanation for that.?
We now keep sheep in very intensive systems which means that we have very high worm burdens (wild sheep would have lower stocking densities)
We tend to specialize in our farms ---ie people run sheep for year after year instead of running a rotation which dramatically reduces many disease incidences
Because we have had access to efficient (until recently) anthelmintics we have not had to select for parasite resistance
Because we have selected almost exclusively for growth and carcass traits we have forgotten to keep an eye (measure) other important traits like FEC
It's a common mistake made by those who breed livestock ---chickens with incredible growth rates but poor mobility, Dairy cows with great milk yield but poor fertility
When you start selecting for 1 trait , and when it's an easy to measure trait like growth/arse size it's very easy to ignore everything else and just concentrate on that single trait
- Tags
- anthelmintics milk yield