Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Young lambs have far less tolerance to a worm infestation. A worm load
that would have no impact on an adult can quickly kill a lamb, and the dying
lamb may not look thin. To reduce infestation in lambs that are on pasture
with the ewes, practice what is called forward creep grazing: that is, let the
lambs graze each clean pasture ahead of the ewes by way of a creep-type fence
opening that the ewes cannot get through.
Identifying Worm Infestations
Signs of a heavy worm load in sheep include the following:
Anemia
Potbelly
Scours (diarrhea)
Wool break
Coughing
Bottle jaw
Weight loss
Some of these are self-explanatory, but the others may be new to you.
Anemia. Anemia is usually the fi rst symptom of roundworm infection,
though it's not always easily discernible. Anemia shows up as a very pale,
grayish color of the inner, lower eyelids and gums, which in healthy animals
are a fairly bright pink. This disorder is the direct result of intestinal worms
drinking the sheep's blood — up to a pint (0.5 L) a day in heavy infestations.
The sheep becomes listless, has pale mucous membranes, and loses body con-
dition. It may waste away and die if it is not dewormed.
ROUNDWORMS:
COMMON AND PROBLEMATIC
Roundworms that inhabit the digestive system are the most com-
mon internal parasites for sheep in North America. Haemonchus
contortus, the large stomach worm, is common and problematic for
sheep in high rainfall areas, and Ostertagia circumfecta, the brown
stomach worm, is more common in drier areas. Roundworms feed
on blood and bodily fl uids from the stomach lining, causing anemia
and serum loss. Although each worm only takes a few drops of
blood per day, in a heavy infestation thousands are present, and
the blood loss can quickly become overwhelming.
 
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