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Management Tips for Limiting Goat & Sheep Parasite Problems
Michael Fisher, Area Extension Agent - Golden Plains Area
Date:
8/30/2011
Questions? Contact
Me
What are some of the ways that farm management can be changed to
limit parasite problems in a goat herd or sheep flock?
1. Don’t
feed hay or grain on the ground. Instead, feed from racks or feeders and keep
these clean. The goal is to limit fecal contamination of feed. Goats have a
tendency to want to climb into or on top of feeders, so these may need to be
covered or modified to prevent them from stepping in or defecating into the
feed. Rake up spilled feed and discard, compost or fed to horses, pigs, or
poultry. Similarly, clean water troughs and bowls regularly to limit
transmission of parasites through fecal - contaminated water.
2.
Don’t overgraze pastures. If your animals are allowed to graze pasture,
move the animals to new pasture (or use an electric fence to section the
pasture) every seven to 10 days, particularly during the height of the growing
season where warmer temperatures and moisture is maintained. Once a pasture has
been grazed, mow it short (2 inches or less) and remove the clipped forage.
Exposure to sunlight for three to four weeks will kill many of the remaining
parasite larvae, making the pasture safer for sheep and goats to return to
graze. Alternatively, you can move horses or poultry onto the pasture –
when these other animals ingest parasite larvae from sheep and goats,the larvae
are not able to mature and will die without causing harm to the “new”
animal that ingests them. The sheep and goats can be returned to this pasture
in about four to six weeks, provided that the alternate animals have disrupted
the fecal pellets left by the sheep and goats (poultry) or grazed the grass
down extensively (horses).
Goats do very well if allowed to
“browse” - that is, eat the leaves and stems of shrubs and tall weeds
at shoulder height to the goat. The parasites shed in feces will not
contaminate the plants at this height off of the ground because the eggs and
larvae will be on the ground or on short plants nearer the ground level.
Pastures intended for grazing can be cultivated with certain plants that show
promise in helping to control parasites in sheep and goats. These plants –
such as Sericea lespedeza and birdsfoot trefoil - contain compounds called
condensed tannins, which appear to suppress egg production by certain
gastrointestinal helminths.
There is new evidence to suggest that
certain parasites from sheep and goats can be transmitted to cattle, and vice
versa.
3. Avoid overcrowding – Because most gastrointestinal
helminthes are transmitted directly from one host to another, many parasitism
problems arise from overstocking, or simply having too many animals on a given
section of land. Overcrowding contributes to added stress on the animals as
well as added competition among the animals held in small confined areas. This
is particularly true when sheep and goats are grazing small pastures.
4.
Use deworming medicine (called anthelmintics) wisely. Your veterinarian can
test the feces of your sheep and goats to determine the level of parasitism
present in your animals, and he or she can then custom design a deworming
strategy to fit your situation. There is no single schedule for deworming
treatments that fits all of the needs of all farms and ranches. To avoid
treating your animals when they don’t need it, and to avoid delaying
treatment until animal health is compromised, consult with your veterinarian on
how best to use these medicines. Haphazard use of deworming medicines can
induce anthelmintic (dewormer) resistance of the parasites, and the medicines
may permanently lose their efficacy to kill the gastrointestinal parasites
found in sheep flocks and goat herds. Loss of anthelmintic efficacy becomes
especially important if these drugs are over-used.
5. Avoid
malnutrition. Sheep and goats are far more capable of coping with
gastrointestinal parasites if their nutritional needs are met. Feeding adequate
amounts of protein to these animals is particularly important. Your
veterinarian can help you to design a nutritional program that best fits your
animals’ needs. Combining the judicious use of anthelmintics, adequate
nutrition, and good flock/herd management will greatly diminish the negative
effects of gastrointestinal parasites in your sheep and goats.