mysunwolf
Herd Master
We have two Katahdin bottle lambs right now that are a few weeks old. They've had their CD/T shots. Just wanted to know when the first worming should be. The barn is a dirt floor barn, but they haven't been out on pasture yet.
When to Worm Bottle Lambs
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mysunwolf
Herd Master
Okay, I figured out the answer to this baaad question: it's complicated 
Though I did find a NZ website that said to never worm before 8 or 9 months.
What does everyone here do to make sure their flocks aren't wormy? Natural preventatives like garlic juice? Verm-X? Doing monthly fecals? Do you do fecal tests by individual sheep or by flock? Do your own test at home or take to the vet? Or do you just go by FAMACHA?
Though I did find a NZ website that said to never worm before 8 or 9 months.What does everyone here do to make sure their flocks aren't wormy? Natural preventatives like garlic juice? Verm-X? Doing monthly fecals? Do you do fecal tests by individual sheep or by flock? Do your own test at home or take to the vet? Or do you just go by FAMACHA?
Four Winds Ranch
Loving the herd life
Mine get wormed at weaning. About 5 months old!
I follow a scheduale on the worming.
Ewes get wormed every fall. Sometimes in the early summer, depending on the year.
Every fall when the ewes get done and the lambs are weaned, the lambs get wormed as well!
I follow a scheduale on the worming.
Ewes get wormed every fall. Sometimes in the early summer, depending on the year.
Every fall when the ewes get done and the lambs are weaned, the lambs get wormed as well!
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mysunwolf
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Thanks for this! I'm so interested in how different people manage their flocks, and I have no idea where to begin.
So you do the whole flock once a year, in the fall. What wormer do you use? Ever had any resistance issues?
Sheepshape
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Different problems over here.....LOTS of worms in these hills!
I usually worm lambs at about 4 months (and give flukicide at the same time).Coccidostat also may be needed. I worm again pre-tupping and pre-lambing ( the resistance to parasites is much lower at this time). Flukicide 2-3 times per year depending on how wet the season has been. Our damp and temperate climate is a hotbed for worms.
This may sound a lot, but our local 'serious' sheep farmers worm 4-5 times per year.
Recently I have been taking the pooled faecal samples from 10 'suspects' to the vet for egg count (done for less than £10 by the vet)......saves on missing serious parasitism or using unnecessary/inappropriate wormers.
Over here we rotate the wormers, clear, white and orange to try to prevent resistance or target the suspected parasite with the appropriate wormer.
I usually worm lambs at about 4 months (and give flukicide at the same time).Coccidostat also may be needed. I worm again pre-tupping and pre-lambing ( the resistance to parasites is much lower at this time). Flukicide 2-3 times per year depending on how wet the season has been. Our damp and temperate climate is a hotbed for worms.
This may sound a lot, but our local 'serious' sheep farmers worm 4-5 times per year.
Recently I have been taking the pooled faecal samples from 10 'suspects' to the vet for egg count (done for less than £10 by the vet)......saves on missing serious parasitism or using unnecessary/inappropriate wormers.
Over here we rotate the wormers, clear, white and orange to try to prevent resistance or target the suspected parasite with the appropriate wormer.
Heather gray
Chillin' with the herd
When do you worm pregnant Ewes?
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mysunwolf
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Sheepshape, where are you? How do you know if the sheep's a "suspect" for worms?
I would also like to know when to worm pregnant ewes. I have read to worm them after breeding, and right after lambing.
I would also like to know when to worm pregnant ewes. I have read to worm them after breeding, and right after lambing.
Four Winds Ranch
Loving the herd life
I usually do them once a year (the whloe flock), in the fall when it starts to freeze pretty hard at night. I use Ivermectin.
Some years, I have to worm in the early-mid summer as well, if the year is a wet one because we end up with a lung worm issue. If I find a sheep with a worm problem, I do them all! Sometimes, I trade off with Valbazin to make sure I don't end up with a resisstance problem(when it is safe to do so) (Valbazin is very harsh and can only be used on open ewes.)
I have wormed pregnant ewes before, a month before lambing and never had an issue.
Sheepshape
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Mysunwolf......I live in mid Wales just on the edge by the Epynt Mountain range (pimples in comparison to what you have in the States, but 1,000 ft and a wet, misty, murky and temperate climate).
It is better to worm about 4-6 weeks before lambing as the ewe has lowered immunity at this stage, Her body has to tolerate and not reject a growing 'parasite', her lamb/s, of a different genetic make-up.Cells from the lamb usually get into the mother's bloodstream before the placenta breaks and at the time of delivery. If the immune system was working as it does in the non-pregnant animal, she would get a massive 'transfusion reaction' and could die. The same situation prevails in humans. So, in the last third of pregnancy the immunity falls to all 'foreign beings,' and this includes parasites.
Always check the wormer is suitable for pregnant ewes as some wormers may cause foetal abnormalities or abortion, or have just not been tested in this special group. Ivermectin, moxodectin etc are, but levamisole is not.Ivermectin drench kills dung beetles and other natural ground-dwellers, though, so I try to avoid it.
Sheep who have worms often go off their food, lose a little weight or growth slows, coat lacks lustre, belly more swollen than normal, may show signs of belly cramps or have pale mucosae, ord changed bowels...usually looser than normal. Individual sheep may only show some of these signs.
Liver fluke thrives here as it has a snail as the secondary host, and snails love the gloomy mud and wet. Liver fluke is a real killer, and lambs have to be drenched fairly on to avoid lamb losses after the first 3 months of life.
The situation may be a little different where you are, but no doubt the issues are very similar.
It is better to worm about 4-6 weeks before lambing as the ewe has lowered immunity at this stage, Her body has to tolerate and not reject a growing 'parasite', her lamb/s, of a different genetic make-up.Cells from the lamb usually get into the mother's bloodstream before the placenta breaks and at the time of delivery. If the immune system was working as it does in the non-pregnant animal, she would get a massive 'transfusion reaction' and could die. The same situation prevails in humans. So, in the last third of pregnancy the immunity falls to all 'foreign beings,' and this includes parasites.
Always check the wormer is suitable for pregnant ewes as some wormers may cause foetal abnormalities or abortion, or have just not been tested in this special group. Ivermectin, moxodectin etc are, but levamisole is not.Ivermectin drench kills dung beetles and other natural ground-dwellers, though, so I try to avoid it.
Sheep who have worms often go off their food, lose a little weight or growth slows, coat lacks lustre, belly more swollen than normal, may show signs of belly cramps or have pale mucosae, ord changed bowels...usually looser than normal. Individual sheep may only show some of these signs.
Liver fluke thrives here as it has a snail as the secondary host, and snails love the gloomy mud and wet. Liver fluke is a real killer, and lambs have to be drenched fairly on to avoid lamb losses after the first 3 months of life.
The situation may be a little different where you are, but no doubt the issues are very similar.
