It was so dry for so long, you could be forgiven for thinking that sheep worms had all but died out...
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Unfortunately not, and just now we are starting to see worm egg counts in local sheep creep up, and lambs not doing as well as they should.
I saw a mob of weaned lambs that had a 'big tail', and some were scouring.
A small number had died, and when I examined a freshly dead one there was a likely mixed worm burden, with barber's pole worms present and evidence of scour worms - a worm test and larval culture will provide more information.
A good drench and a fresh paddock will hopefully sort them out.
Young sheep are the most susceptible class of stock to the effects of intestinal worms because they have not yet developed any immunity to allow them to partially 'fend off' a worm burden.
This is also exacerbated by the stress of weaning. To make matters worse they have few body reserves to spare, particularly merinos.
For these reasons it is recommended that all lambs be given an effective drench at weaning.
The one that 'works' best may vary slightly from farm to farm, and doing a proper DrenchTest is the only way to know for sure.
For good practice use a combination drench that has at least three actives from different drench groups.
Giving a drench properly means weighing the lambs, dosing to the heaviest - splitting the mob into light and heavy if there is significant variation in weight, and calibrating the drench gun to ensure it is delivering the correct dose.
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Doing a WormTest 10 - 14 days later is also recommended to help assess the effectiveness of the drench.
So now is a good time to go and check your young sheep - is there a 'tail' to the mob? Are any scouring? Do some lag behind when pushed?
One or all of these can be a sign of a worm burden.
Better still, collect some faeces and do a WormTest - we have these kits in all our offices, or you can do this through your local reseller.
For questions relating to this, or other livestock health enquiries, please contact us at the Central West Local Land Services Forbes Office on 6850 1600.
