I developed this for a video series for South Africa farmers.

1. D O I N G M O R E W I T H L E S S
Economical Parasite Control
SUSAN SCHOENIAN
Sheep & Goat Specialist
University of Maryland
sschoen@umd.edu
sheepandgoat.com | sheep101.info | wormx.info

2. Gastro-intestinal
parasites (worms)
• Primary health problem of
sheep/goats, especially those
being raised in moist (rain +
humidity) climates or during the
rainy season or wet periods.
• There are many parasites that
infect sheep/goats, but the
barber pole worm (Haemonchus
contortus) is the biggest killer.
• Worms have developed resistance
to the dewormers.

3. How do parasites cost you money?
CLINICAL SUB-CLINICAL NO CLINICAL

4. Clinical
parasitism
• Mortality – death losses
• Production losses
• Weight gain
• Body condition
• Wool production
• Milk yield
• Reduced immunity
• Treatment costs
drugs + labor (monitor + treat) Obvious signs: anemia, bottle jaw, scours, loss of
weight and body condition, anorexia, lethargy

5. Sub-clinical
parasitism
• Production losses
• Weight gain
• Body condition
• Wool production
• Milk yield
• Reduced immunity (disease resistance)
• Treatment costs: drugs + labor (monitor + treat)
Clinical symptoms are not obvious.

6. Healthy
animals
• Unnecessary deworming
• Treatment costs: Drugs + labor (monitor + treatment)
• Prevent animals from developing immunity.
• Contribution to drug resistance due to unnecessary exposure of worms to
dewormers.
No effect on health or productivity

7. Targeted selective
treatment (TST)
on non-treatment
• Only treating those animals which
need dewormed or would benefit
most from treatment; leaving
some animals untreated.
• Reduces number of animals that
are dewormed.
• Reduces amount of dewormer
that is used.
• Increases refugia: worms that
have not been exposed to
dewormer(s); thus, remain
susceptible to future treatment.
• Prolongs effectiveness of
dewormers; delays development
of resistant worms.

8. How do you know when
and which sheep need
dewormed?
Decision-making
tools for making
deworming decisions
1. FAMACHA© eye anemia system
2. Five Point Check®
3. Performance
4. Other criteria
Usually, combination of factors

9. FAMACHA©
System

10. FAMACHA© eye anemia system
Clinical
Category
Eye Lid
Color
Packed Cell
Volume/PCV
Deworm?
1 Red > 28 No
2 Red-Pink 23-27 No
3 Pink 18-22 ?
4 Pink-White 13-17 Yes
5 White < 12 Yes

11. Five Point
Check©
• Also developed in South
Africa.
• Follow-up to FAMACHA©
• Addresses limitations of
FAMACHA© which is only
useful for blood-feeding
parasites, barber pole worm
(and liver flukes).
• Uses five checkpoints on the
animal’s body to make
deworming decisions for the
other parasites that can
infect sheep.

12. Five Point Check©
Checkpoint Observation Possibilities
1 Eye
Anemia
1-5 (FAMACHA© card)
Barber pole worm (Haemonchus)
Liver fluke
Other diseases
Undernourishment
2 Back
Body condition score
1-5
Brown stomach worm (Teladorsagia)
Bankrupt worm (Trichostrongylus)
Nodular worm
Other worms and diseases
Undernourishment
3 Tail
Fecal soiling
0-5 (dag score)
Brown stomach worm (Teladorsagia)
Bankrupt worm (Trichostrongylus)
Nodular worm (Oesophagostomum)
Other worms and diseases
4 Jaw
Soft swelling
“bottle jaw”
Barber pole worm (Haemonchus)
Liver fluke
Other diseases
5 Nose Nasal discharge
Nasal botfly
Lungworms
Pneumonia
Other diseases

13. Five
Point
Check®
Source: Gareth Bath

14. FAMACHA©
and Five Point check©
training in
South Africa
The FAMACHA© and Five Point
Check© systems were developed by
scientists in South Africa
Training is available through
rural veterinarians and other
trained persons.
famachasystem@gmail.com
How to get a FAMACHA© card

15. Online FAMACHA© Certification (USA)
https://www.wormx.info/online-famacha-certification
+ +
Watch video Take quiz Make video of FAMACHA© scoring

16. Performance as a deworming criteria
• Happy Factor™ (European/NZ model) - deworm animals which fail to reach targeted weights
• Average daily gain (ADG) - deworm animals with lower rates of gain (combine with FAMACHA©)
• Milk production - deworm highest producers (dairy goats)
• Number offspring - deworm ewes with 3 or more offspring

17. Example of TST
criteria for
periparturient
ewes
One or more
• FAMACHA© > 4
• Body condition score < 2
• 3 or more offspring
• Yearling
Source: Canadian research, 2017

18. Targeted selective treatment doesn’t work without effective treatments.

19. Dewormer
resistance
• Resistance is the heritable
ability of a worm to survive
a normally effective dose of
dewormer.
• First reports of dewormer
resistance were recorded in
1964.
• Multiple dewormer
resistance is a worldwide
problem on sheep/goat
farms.
• Resistance varies by farm.

20. How to determine
which dewormers
work on your farm
Fecal egg count reduction test
• Compare before and after fecal egg counts (10-14 days)
• Sample 10 or more animals for each drug
• Don’t need to check for all drugs at once.
• Sample same animals each time
• Need high enough fecal egg counts or enough animals
• Can evaluate composite (pooled) samples instead of
individual samples to save time/money.
• < 95% reduction in fecal egg count – resistance present
< 80% significant resistance
< 60% dewormer no longer effective as sole treatment

21. Do-it-yourself
fecal egg counting
McMaster slide

22. Do-it-yourself
fecal egg counting
Can also use fecal egg counts to monitor
pasture contamination and identify more
resistant (or susceptible animals).

23. Controlling parasites
without drugs or with less
deworming
• Pasture and grazing
management
• Nutrition
• Management
• Genetics
• Impactful deworming
• Confinement
• Common sense

24. Pasture
management to
control
parasitism
• Reduce the length of stay on
pastures
• Reduce stocking rates
• Increase pasture rest periods
• Alternate grazing between small
ruminants and other herbivores:
cattle, horses, ostriches
• Don’t graze pastures too short.
• Avoid hot spots on pastures
(grassed pens, leaky waterers).
• Put lambs/periparturient ewes on
least contaminated pastures.
• Use alternative forages for grazing.
Parasites are primarily a numbers game.
Sheep get infected with they ingest third stage larvae (L3).

25. Nutrition to
control parasites
• Well-fed animals mount a better
immune response to parasites.
• Animals with low body condition are
more susceptible to the effects of
parasites.
• Supplemental nutrition, especially
protein, can reduce the impacts of
parasitism.
• Body condition score your animals
regularly to help you manage the
health and nutrition of your animals.

26. Periparturient
egg rise

27. Managing the
periparturient
egg rise
• Deworm ewes in late
pregnancy; targeted selective
treatment recommended.
• Keep ewes in confinement (zero
grazing) during periparturient
period.
• Increase level of protein in late
gestation ration; by-pass protein
is most beneficial.
• Lamb at a time of the year when
parasites are less active.
• Manage ewes according to
number of lambs they have.

28. Using genetics to
control internal
parasitism.
• Raise or cross with a more resistant
breed.
• Select rams that have the lowest
FAMACHA© scores and/or fecal egg
counts.
• Cull ewes that have the highest
FAMACHA© scores and/or fecal egg
counts but be careful not to discriminate
against ewes rearing multiples, as they
usually have higher fecal egg counts.
• 70:30 rule: 30 percent of sheep are
responsible for 70 percent of fecal egg
output (find them and cull them).

29. Use confinement (zero
grazing) to control
parasites, especially in
susceptible animals
• Worms are practically
eliminated in confinement.
• Parasites do not survive well in
straw, dirt, or on slatted floors.
• Grassed pens can be high risk.
• Coccidia can be more of a
problem in confinement, since
it is transmitted in feces.

30. There is usually no need to deworm animals that
are raised in confinement (zero grazing).

31. Get the most impact
when you deworm
• Oral treatments (drenching)
• Combination treatments for
clinically-parasitized animals:
combinations of dewormers with
different modes of action
• Don’t underdose
• Dose based on accurate weight:
dose for heaviest in group
• Calibrate equipment
• Proper drenching technique
• Low stress handling
• Don’t mix products
• Properly store unused dewormer
• Don’t use significantly expired
dewormer

32. Use your head:
anticipate problems
• Consider animals
periparturient ewes, weaners
• Consider weather
warm, moisture
• Consider land
slope, aspect
• Consider pasture
species, ground cover

33. SUSAN SCHOENIAN
Sheep & Goat Specialist
sschoen@umd.edu
sheepandgoat.com
sheep101.inf0
wormx.info
Facebook @MDSmallRuminant