As the days shorten and temperatures drop, farmers across the country are preparing to bring their cattle and sheep indoors for winter. One important task to consider before housing your animals is worming. Treating livestock for parasites before housing can have a significant impact on their health and productivity through the winter months and beyond.
By worming your animals before they enter winter housing, you reduce the risk of parasitic burdens affecting their feed efficiency, growth, and overall health. Let’s explore the key benefits of pre-housing worming and how it can help you manage a healthy and productive herd.
Why Worm Pre-Housing?
During the grazing season, livestock are constantly exposed to parasites such as gutworms and lungworms. While animals often build some resistance, the parasite load can still impact growth and performance, particularly in youngstock. Bringing these parasites indoors with your herd can lead to health issues, increased feed requirements, and long-term productivity losses.
Worming pre-housing reduces parasite burdens, helping livestock maintain condition and make the most of their feed during the winter months when energy needs are higher. Additionally, treating before housing helps avoid contamination of indoor areas, preventing the build-up of eggs and larvae in bedding and feed areas.
The Key Benefits of Worming Pre-Housing
- Improved Feed Efficiency:
- Parasites like gutworms reduce the efficiency with which livestock can convert feed into energy, leading to reduced weight gain and poor growth. By worming before housing, you ensure your animals are parasite-free and able to maximize the nutritional value of their winter diet.
- Boosted Growth Rates:
- Worm burdens can lead to stunted growth, particularly in calves and lambs. Pre-housing worming allows younger animals to continue growing without the drag of parasitic infections, leading to better growth rates over the winter.
- Reduced Respiratory Issues:
- Lungworm can cause respiratory issues in cattle, particularly in youngstock or those with a heavy parasite burden. By treating animals before housing, you reduce the risk of respiratory problems, which can worsen when animals are brought into closer quarters with less ventilation.
- Lower Risk of Contaminating Housing:
- Without treatment, livestock may carry parasites into housing, contaminating feed and bedding with worm eggs and larvae. This can lead to reinfection throughout the winter and impact the overall health of the herd. Worming before housing minimizes the risk of parasites spreading and helps maintain a cleaner, healthier housing environment.
- Enhanced Overall Health:
- A parasite-free animal is a healthier animal. Worming pre-housing supports the immune system, reduces stress, and helps animals maintain body condition, which is especially important during the colder months when energy demands increase.
- Cost-Effective Management:
- Addressing parasite burdens before housing saves on the extra feed costs required to combat the growth loss and poor feed conversion associated with parasitic infections. This preventative measure can also reduce vet bills linked to parasite-related health issues, such as pneumonia caused by lungworm.
Worming Strategies for Pre-Housing
When considering worming your livestock before housing, it’s important to select the right treatment for the specific parasites your herd or flock may be carrying. Here are some general strategies:
- Choose the Right Wormer: There are a variety of worming products available, including broad-spectrum wormers that cover a range of parasites. However, targeted treatments may be more appropriate if you suspect a specific worm burden, such as lungworm or liver fluke. Always consider conducting a faecal egg count (FEC) before treatment to confirm the presence of parasites and choose the right product.
- Dose Accurately: Accurate dosing is essential for effective worming. Under-dosing can lead to resistance, while over-dosing can be wasteful and harmful. Be sure to weigh livestock and dose according to the product’s guidelines.
- Consider Liver Fluke Treatment: Autumn is also a key time to manage liver fluke, which can cause serious health problems in livestock during the winter. Combining a fluke treatment with your worming program can help protect your animals from both parasites.
How Murray Farmcare Can Help
At Murray Farmcare, we understand the importance of managing parasites in your herd or flock to ensure strong health and productivity through the winter months. Our Territory Managers are here to support you in developing an effective worming strategy tailored to your farm. Here’s how we can help:
- Parasite Testing: We can provide faecal egg count (FEC) testing to assess the level of parasite burden in your animals and recommend the most appropriate treatment.
- Tailored Worming Plans: Our team can advise you on the best worming program for your farm, helping you select the right products for your specific needs, whether for gutworms, lungworms, or liver fluke.
- Product Recommendations: We stock a wide range of wormers to help manage parasite burdens effectively.
Get Ready for Winter
Worming pre-housing is a simple but effective step to ensure your livestock are in peak health as they enter the winter housing period. By reducing parasite burdens, you’ll improve growth rates, feed efficiency, and overall health, helping your animals thrive through the colder months.
For more information or to discuss your worming strategy, contact your local Murray Farmcare Territory Manager today. We’re here to help you safeguard your herd’s health and productivity this autumn.