Tips on Preventing Parasites in Sheep and Goats – Ag Matters

Want to win the battle against internal parasites in sheep and goats?  Katherine Brosnan with Cornell Cooperative Extension says it begins at birth.  Read more for tips and a details on a workshop coming to CCE Madison County.

One of the greatest challenges for sheep and goat producers is preventing and controlling internal parasites in their animals.  The best prevention is to reduce your animals’ exposure to parasites by providing a clean environment—beginning at birth—and avoiding overcrowding of pens or premises. Balanced nutrition is very important to keep animals healthy and help them develop appropriate resistance to external pathogens, especially for dams before and after lambing/kidding. Other important preventive actions are to:

• Avoid pasturing in damp areas and during early morning and evening hours, when there is dew on the pasture.

• Rotate pastures to avoid high burdens of parasites.

• Select animals from bloodlines that show low worm burdens.

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Madison will hold a day long workshop on internal parasites in sheep and goats on Saturday, June 11th from 10:00am-3:00pm at their office located at 100 Eaton Street Morrisville, NY.

This training will be presented by Dr. tatiana Luisa Stanton, Small Ruminant Extension Specialist at Cornell University and Betsy Hodge, Livestock Educator at St. Lawrence County Cornell Cooperative Extension.  Cost for the workshop is $25, with each additional $10.  Get more details and register at CCE Madison County's website.  You can also call Katherine (315) 684-3001 ext 100 or email kmb279@cornell.edu

SOURCE:  Cornell Cooperative Extension - Katherine Brosnan