Worm egg counts - what’s this on slide?

[GreenerGrass]

Going to run through my lambs with their second heptavac shortly and today did egg count. Found nematodirus eggs so will do a white drench at same time as a few are starting to go loose. Found two of these red stripes, just wondered if anyone knows what they are?

Couple of coccidia showing on photo, quite high counts but lamb age means they should be resistant soon I hope? Lambs aged 8-12 weeks.

 

[Alex Hawtree]

Potential that it could be some of the lambs gut lining if Cocci is present. Lambs (if outside) have been under considerable amount of pressure this year and therefore lambs might not with stand cocci at that age like they would in a normal year. I'm having to Baycox my lambs for a second time this weekend, mainly due to the fact that I've had to constantly move ewes and lambs because of no grass and wet fields which has created dirty pastures.

 

[GreenerGrass]

Thanks for the message Alex, cocci counts seem to vary considerably but I had speciation done twice and once showed 25% pathogenic and the other 87% on counts of 44.000 and 4600 respectively. Both readings were in labs but my own counts would be in line with the second lab.

Lambs are not showing clinical signs of cocci but like you ours are having to be moved to try and reduce mud which is chronic this year. The lambs got their second heptavac yesterday and also second white drench for nemo. I know it’s of no concern but I was shocked by the length of tapeworms coming out of some of the lambs today.

Thanks again for reply. Perhaps some damage is being done by the cocci in spite of no scouring?

 

[neilo]

Could it just be a bit of a strand from a nibbled bale string?

Btw, age has no bearing on whether a lamb is developed resistance to cocci, only exposure can do that. Years back, we took various blocks of grass keep locally. One year we took on an ex-horse place, so clean grazing. Ewes and lambs went straight there from the lambing pens and stayed until early June, when they were run across some neighbouring fields to get to another block that had a good handling yard. The clean block had no cocci, so no exposure or challenge in those lambs. The second block had been heavily stocked with sheep for many decades and was covered in cocci. Those lambs were hammered within a few days, which corresponded with hit, thundery weather. At one point I was picking up 20 dead lambs a day, ending up with a pile of two hundred 30-35kg lambs before we could get the Sulfonamide drugs and inject for 3 consecutive days (no Vecoxan back then). It’s not something I ever want to go through again and I learnt a lot about cocci.

 

[Hannah Rose]

I always assume this is bailing twine. I see a lot of blue fibres too.

 

[GreenerGrass]

@Hannah Rose @neilo

Have some blue string bales and some red string hay - checked them after your post - and sure enough they were on a red string bale. I've never seen it before - that said wouldn't often be having to feed hay at a time of year I'm doing egg counts!! Thanks both you have it solved, that makes good sense.

Also noted your advice on coccidiosis neilo - much appreciated.