Spring Sheep And Goat Thoughts
Betty Herr
Nix Besser Livestock Company
NARVON (Lancaster Co.) The flock and/or
herd has weathered the winter, hopefully provided
a crop of lambs and kids, either in the fall or early
winter, and is ready for a change of pace.
At least the shepherds and goat herders are ready
for that change. Shoveling paths for the animals is
not high on the list of our favorite things and this
winter we certainty had to do at least some of that.
Spring is here though, and after the winter we’ve
had, it is welcome. However, it brings with it a set of
activities for the shepherds among us. First and
foremost for sheep owners is getting on a list for
sheep shearing. Sheep shearers are in short supply
and you should get yours lined up early.
Mid-March is an ideal time to start getting those
gals shorn, especially if you are aiming for an early
breeding program. Certainly try to get it done
before the weather gets really warm. Then it is hard
on both the shearer and the sheep.
Along with shearing should come a worming
schedule. Through the cold weather, internal para
sites are relatively dormant. But once warmer
weather comes, those worms are on the move.
There is significant controversy about which
wormers, how often, the same wormer all the time
or alternating wormers. These are good questions to
ask your veterinarian the next time you talk to him/
her.
If you’ve only had sheep or goats for a short time
and have acres of pasture, internal parasites may
not be a big concern, but if you’ve had either for
years and have limited pasture, parasites will be a
problem.
There are several types of worming medications
so it may be important to know which parasites are
most prevalent in your flock or herd. Collecting rep
resentative samples of manure and having the vet
do fecal egg counts will give you information about
which dewormer will work best on your group of
animals.
As you determine a worming schedule be sure to
include a wormer for tape worm sometime late in
May or early in June, particularly for your young
animals. Feeding tape worms is an expensive and
nonproductive proposition.
One family of wormers, Ivermectin and Zimectin
will treat external as well as internal parasites. Safe
guard/Panacur and Valbazen are effective against
tape. Valbazen should not be used on pregnant ani
mals or just prior to breeding.
Some breeders report that its use will interfere
with breeding for one or two cycles. It is important
when treating animals to use sufficient amounts of
wormer to accomplish your goal.
Under dosing will diminish the effectiveness of
the wormer and eventually the animals will build up
irn to P' 1"
Goats metabolize most medicines differ
ently than sheep and often require higher
doses.