3 Jun 2020
“… if you are monitoring worm egg counts on a fortnightly basis and have only just taken a count before the rain arrived, don’t assume all is okay…” – sheep vet Fiona Lovatt.
Vet Times
Job Title
Farmers have been told not to be complacent when it comes to monitoring worms in lambs during the dry spell as a bout of wet weather could cause a rapid spike in numbers.
Sheep vet Fiona Lovatt has warned that while the current risk of worms is relatively low across the country due to the dry weather, as soon as the rain hits, farmers will have to get on to worm control very quickly.
Dr Lovatt said: “Worm risk will spike within a week after the rain. This means if you are monitoring worm egg counts on a fortnightly basis and have only just taken a count before the rain arrived, don’t assume all is okay and wait for another couple of weeks before checking again, as it could be too late then.”
She suggested monitoring worm egg counts alongside growth rates to give a more accurate picture of the worm situation on individual farms.
Dr Lovatt added: “Having the two bits of information can be very powerful. As a minimum, my suggestion would be to take a weight at between six to eight weeks, and again at weaning alongside faecal egg count, testing every couple of weeks throughout the summer.”
Farmers who were seeing high worm (strongyle) egg counts earlier on in the year should be particularly cautious as the dry weather will have stopped them from completing their life cycle.
Low worm egg counts are being reported on most farms involved in the Zoetis Parasite Watch scheme. The network of 26 farms is monitoring worm, fluke and flies every couple of weeks throughout the risk period, with results uploaded in real-time to the Parasite Watch website.
Real-time Parasite Watch data can be accessed by either signing up to receive monthly updates or visiting the website.
