S. Schoenian1* and J.W. Semler2
1Area Agent, Sheep and Goats, University of Maryland Cooperative
Extension, Western Maryland Research & Education Center, Keedysville, MD
21756
2Extension Agent, Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Maryland
Cooperative Extension, Washington County Extension Office, Boonsboro, MD 21713
Gastro-intestinal parasites are the single greatest threat to the health and productivity of sheep and goats throughout most of the United States. FAMACHA© is a novel system that uses an eye anemia chart to assess Haemonchus contortis (barber pole worm) infection and the need for deworming individual sheep and goats. To demonstrate its use, 84 crossbred and purebred Katahdin lambs from a sire comparison study were rotationally grazed on 13 acres of pasture from June 10, 2005 until September 30, 2005. The lambs were handled every two weeks to determine FAMACHA© eye scores and body condition scores. They were weighed every four weeks to determine average daily gain (ADG). Lambs scoring 3, 4, or 5 on the FAMACHA© scale were dewormed with either levamisole or moxidectin. Lambs scoring 1 or 2 were not treated with an anthelmintic. During the 112-day grazing period, the 84 lambs required 111 anthelmintic treatments for an average of 1.25 treatments per lamb. The number of lambs treated every two weeks ranged from none on August 5 to 56 on July 11. Twenty-two two lambs required no treatment during the grazing period. 34 lambs required only one treatment. Fourteen required two treatments. Only 12 required 3 or more treatments. FAMACHA© scores ranged from 1.6 to 3.10. Eye scores and frequency of deworming was affected by sire breed (P<0.001). Average daily gain was 0.3 lbs. per day for the duration of the grazing period. The FAMACHA© system proved to be an effective tool for managing internal parasitism in grazing lambs and resulted in significantly fewer treatments than had the lambs been treated on a monthly basis, as is common in the industry.
This abstract was presented as a poster
at the Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the National
Association of County Agricultural Agents, Cincinatti, Ohio, July 2006.
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