This document discusses strategies for managing internal parasites in goats and sheep through pasture and forage management. It describes the lifecycle of common parasites like barberpole worms and explains how practices like rotational grazing, pasture resting, and multi-species grazing can help control parasite loads on pastures. Maintaining good forage height and quality through grazing management and using forages high in tannins or protein are emphasized. The importance of proper animal nutrition and body condition for parasite resistance is also covered. An integrated approach combining pasture, forage, nutritional, and targeted deworming strategies is recommended for effective parasite control.

1. Grazing Away Parasites
Dr. Niki Whitley
Fort Valley State University
Cooperative Extension
whitleyn@fvsu.edu
478-391-4840 (cell)
Some slides/pictures courtesy of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Susan Schoenian

2. Internal parasites
• Internal parasites (mostly “gut”
worms) are the primary health
problem in goats/sheep
• Goats and sheep are the most
susceptible farm livestock to
worms.
• Worms are rapidly becoming
resistant (‘immune’) to dewormers.
• We need to use every method we
can to control worms not just
dewormers alone Photo by Susan Schoenian

3. Barberpole worm (Haemonchus contortus)
Although there are other worms that can cause problems, the barberpole worm sucks blood and can
kill sheep and goats very quickly. These worms cause anemia (blood loss) that can be seen as very pale
eyelids (and bottle jaw – swelling/edema under the jaw from loss of blood proteins). Barberpole
worms do not normally cause scours/diarrhea. May cause weight loss.
Female worm
Barberpole worms in
a goat stomach
Pale eyelids in a sheep
caused by a barberpole
worm infection

4. Other small ruminant worms
•Trichostryonglus spp (Hair worm, others)
•Nemtodirus (Thin-necked int. worm
•Oesophagostomum (Nodular worm)
•Trichuris (Whip worm)
•Ostertagia/Teledorsagia (Brown stomach worm)
•Bunostomum (hookworms, diff species than dogs)
•Tape worms (only ones can “see” in feces)
•White drenches*
Stomach and intestinal – scours, weight loss, poor doers
Others: liver fluke (Valbazen®, Ivomec Plus®)
Gulf Coast area of U.S.; www.merckvetmanual.com/
Deer worm – Meningeal worm
*Some resistance has been found in tapeworms to white drenches (“-dazoles”); praziquantel has been used successfully
(found in some horse dewormers); work with vet
Photos by Susan Schoenian
http://blogs.cornell.edu/smallruminantparasites/chemical-treatment-protocols/
For liver fluke/deer worm – control snails/slugs or fence sheep/goats out of wet areas

5. Coccidia
Other drugs: EPM treatments for horses (working with vet; Merck Vet Manual); diclazuril or ponazuril; not
available in U.S. - toltrazuril
•Coccidia are different for each species (goats vs sheep
vs chickens, etc.); Eimeria spp.
•Causes diarrhea, weight loss, poor doers
•Damage lining SI; can be permanent.
•Treat with amprolium (Corid®) or sulfa drugs; no treatments labeled for
sheep/goats, work with vet for extra-label use
•Prevent with coccidiostats (rumensin, decoquinate, lasalocid); check
label for danger to horses/donkeys

6. Sustainable Integrated Parasite Management
• Understand parasites
• Manage animals for their problem level
• Create clean or safe pastures
• Consider multi-species grazing
• Use pasture rest and rotation
• Consider alternative forages
• Understand the role of nutrition
• Could use zero grazing
• Manage refugia (worms that will die when treated)
• Use genetic selection
• Use multiple measures of worm infection to decide which to
deworm
Photo by Susan Schoenian

7. Barberpole worm life cycle
 Adult worms lay eggs and the eggs exit the animal
in feces.
 Eggs hatch and grow inside manure to the infective
stage larvae (L3; in 3-5 days) which comes out of
the manure and can migrate up grass in dew
drops/water.
 Goats/sheep eat the grass with the L3 on it; in the
stomach, the L3 mature (L4, which can go dormant)
and then to adults – both L4 and adults suck blood).
 L3 (on ground) and L4 (in animal) can hang around
for up to 6 months (i.e. in winter; year?); 2-3 months
more typical

8. Who gets worms easiest?*
Most likely to get worms
(more susceptible)
• Just weaned up to yearlings
• Orphans/bottle babies
• Late-born (in worm season)
• High-producing females
(milkers/nursing multiples)
• Just before/after giving birth
• Thin animals
• Geriatric animals
• Stressed/sick animals
• Some breeds/not adapted
Less likely to get worms
(more resistant)
• Mature (adults)
• Dry (not milking), open or
early pregnant
• Pets (“babied”/well fed)
• Ones with good body
condition scores (BCS)
• Some breeds or
adapted/selected animals
*Manage animals/pastures based
on susceptibility

9. Basic Management
• Clean areas, especially where eat;
use feeders if supplementing on
pasture
• Clean water
• Avoid overgrazing
• Do not graze below 4-6 inches/
balance for nutrition
• Time birthing to minimize parasite
infections Photo by Susan Schoenian

10. Pasture or forage management
• Rotate pastures; every 1-3
days (MIG)
• Rest 2 months (or more)
before bringing sheep or
goats back to the pasture, in
most cases during hot
parasite season, 2-3 months
is plenty of time
www.wormx.info
(photo left)
Photo above by
Niki Whitley
More info at: www.wormx.info/bmps

11. Pasture or forage management
• If cannot wait 2 months, manage
forage height greater than 4-6”
• Up to 80% of the larvae (worms)
are in the first 2-3” of forage, but
they can migrate up 4-6” inches
• Balance for nutrition (as forages
mature, quality goes down)
Photos by Susan Schoenian

12. Pasture or forage management
•Develop some clean
pastures:
• New pastures
• Rotated with crops/tilled
• Dormant “burned” pastures
• Cut for hay (biomass
removed/area dries)
Photo by Susan Schoenian
Photo:http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2015/01/23/winte
r-burns-benefit-bermudagrass-hay-fields/

13. Pasture or forage management
• Multi-species/mixed grazing can
also help “clean” pastures
• Do not have to be together (if so,
sheep feed/mineral), can rotate
pastures among species
• Also takes advantage of differing
grazing behaviors
Bottom photo by Susan Schoenian

14. Approximate Diet Selection of Grazing Animals when Given Choice
Type of Diet
Animal Species
Grasses Broadleaf Weeds
& Legumes
Browse
(shrubs/trees)
Cattle 65-75 20-30 5-10
Horses 70-80 15-25 0-5
Sheep 45-55 30-40 10-20
Goats 20-30 10-30 40-60
White-tailed deer 10-30 30-50 30-50
Pastures for Goats and Sheep, Greg Brann, NRCS-TN (info from Southern Forages book)
Pasture or forage management

15. Graphical Description of Diet Choice
Selectivity
Graphics by Dennis Hancock
Pre-hensile lips goats/sheep make selective grazing/browsing easy!
Pasture or forage management

16. Stocking Rates on 2-2 ½ Acres
(based on animal units - AU)
Pasture Type Cows Sheep Goats Cows + Goats
Excellent
Pasture
1 5-6 6-8 1 + 1-2
Brushy
Pasture
0.75 6-7 9-11 0.75 + 2-4
Silvopasture 0.5-0.75 4-6 6-8 0.5 + 2-4
*Brush
Eradication
9-15 0.5 + 6-8
*Sheep can also be used for brush clearing though it may take longer than for goats.
Slide by Dennis Hancock, modified
Pasture or forage management
For parasite management,
could start with stocking
rates of 3-5 adult sheep or
goats per acre

17. Pasture or forage management
• Allow access to browse (like woods/cutover
areas); could even plant some?
Photo Credit: Angela Boudro, Oregon St. Univ. from Dennis Hancock, UGA

18. Photo Credit: Angela Boudro, Oregon St. Univ.; from Dennis Hancock, UGA
Pasture or forage management
8 days later….

19. Some browse very nutritious
Photo credit: D. Ditsch and B. Sears, UKCES from Dennis Hancock, UGA
Kudzu:
55-60% TDN (energy);
12-18% CP (protein)
Pasture or forage management

20. Pasture or forage management
• Will need to rotate, or could
have erosion and/or lose the
available forage
• Leave at least (no less than)
20% of leaf on individual
plants to survive? May need
more!
Photo credit: D. Ditsch and B. Sears,
UKCES; from Dennis Hancock, UGA

21. Pasture or forage management
• Forages with high tannin
(like sericea lespedeza)
have been shown to
lower worm egg counts
(and coccidia oocyst
counts) in feces of goats
and sheep
Photo by Susan Schoenian
www.wormx.info; Joan Burke
More info at: www.wormx.info/bmps

22. Pasture or forage management
• Birdsfoot (and Big) trefoil and chicory have
some tannin
Birdsfoot trefoil; photo Ken
Turner, wormx.info
Chicory; photos by Susan Schoenian

23. Pasture or forage management
• No one silver bullet
• Not even sericea lespedeza
• Long-term feeding as primary
source, lower ADG vs Bermuda;
lower (not deficient) Mo, other
minerals
• Idea for use: 2 weeks before
and 4 weeks after weaning to
help control parasites/coccidiaPhoto by Joan Burke;
wormx.info

24. Nutritional management
• Animals fed well and in better
body condition are better
able to handle or resist
worms; this is especially
important in late pregnancy
(help lower issues with
PPER?)
• Forage/pasture alone cannot
always meet energy
requirements (see note in
yellow box below)
TDN (energy)
Adapted from a presentation by An Pieschel, TN State Univ; data from Dr.
Luginbuhl, NCSU.
Sheep have similar requirement trends; breed matters – some young fast-growing kids/lambs may require 79-90% TDN!

25. Nutritional management
• Higher protein has been shown to reduce
problems with worms; up to 30% above
requirements
• Some browse/brushy plants with high
protein: mimosa, locust (black/honey),
mulberry, privet, kudzu, green briar,
trumpet creeper
• Pastures (with legumes for
weanlings/lactating females?) only in
vegetative state MAY meet protein
requirements (see note below in yellow
box)
•Supplemental feeding on pasture helps them fight worms
Adapted from a presentation by An Pieschel, TN
State Univ; data from Dr. Luginbuhl, NCSU.
Protein
Sheep have similar requirement trends; breed matters – some young fast-growing kids/lambs may require 19-25% protein!

26. Body condition scoring
Spine
Transverse
processes
Muscle Fat
1 Individually clearly felt,
sharp, obvious
Fingers easily pass
underneath Very little No
2 Form a smooth line
with deep undulations
Smooth round
edges
Concave Very thin
3 Only slightly detectable
undulations
Well covered
have to push firmly
to get fingers
underneath
Not concave
Not convex
Moderate
4 Only detectable with
firm pressure Cannot be
felt at all
Maximally
developed
Convex
Thick
5 Not detectable Very thick
Score: 1 2 3 4 5
Videos available online for
goats at Langston University;
for sheep at Purdue
University (search body
condition scoring and choose
videos for more)
For dairy goats, use ADGA
information for body
condition scoring (online)
Goats score 0.5 score higher
than sheep with same fat
cover
Try to keep between 2-4,
depending on production
status!

27. Pasture or forage management
• Use of annuals can help with parasite
management through:
• Creation of ‘new’ (clean) pastures
• Providing supplemental nutrition
• Warm season examples: chicory,
millet, sorghum, sunnhemp, cowpeas
• Cool season: small grains (oats, rye,
barley, wheat), ryegrass, clovers; rape,
turnips, forage peas, radish; some
mixes for deer may be good for goats
(and sheep)
SunnHemp; photo by Susan Schoenian

28. • Zero grazing or hybrid systems
• In before dew; out when dried off
• Or never graze, bring fresh forage to them
(cut and carry); or bring hay/feed
• If in barns/shelter or dry lots with no
access to grazing, few/no worm
problems (as long as don’t eat off the
ground); can be economically feasible
• Coccidia could be a problem if feeders,
waterers, housing not kept clean
Pasture or forage management
Bottom photo by Susan Schoenian

29. • Plant multiple plant species for pastures/browse
• Some have tried grasses mixed with forbs (i.e. dandelion, chickweed,
birdsfoot trefoil, plantain); talk to local county Extension agent for ideas
• Manage refugia on pastures by managing number of
animals dewormed (targeted selective treatment; TST)
• Manage pastures for high quality forages
• Soil testing/fertilizing
• Mow/Trim as needed for forage quality
• Weed control (?) – for those weeds with little/no nutritional value and
toxic plants
Pasture or forage management

30. Pasture or forage management
• Can conduct fecal egg counts to
indicate potential parasite burdens on
pastures (can learn to do yourself)
• Duddington flagrans
(Bioworma®/Livamol® with
Bioworma® – fungus with potential to
reduce pasture burdens
• Traps larvae in poop (and digests it) so it
cannot infect animals
• Feed daily (more research needed); may
target groups with most problems Photos: Susan Schoenian

31. Reducing pasture contamination – Bioworma® cost (minus shipping)
Animal
Livamol with
Bioworma® per
animal
Bioworma ® per animal
50 lb lamb/kid $0.30/d; $9/mon $0.10/d; $3/mon
100 lb ewe/doe $0.60; $18/mon $0.20/d; $6/mon
Pasture or forage management
Bioworma/Livamol ready to feed: ($89.50/15 lb or 240 oz; $0.373/oz); 0.8 oz/d/50 lb; 1.6 oz/d/100 lb
Bioworma (must mix): ($495/15 lb or 240 oz; $2.063/oz); 0.05 oz/d/50 lb; 0.1 oz/d/100 lb
More info in the BIOWORMA webinar available at: www.wormx.info/webinar-videos

32. Pasture or forage management
• Again, no ‘silver bullet’
• Use an integrated approach to
include pasture/forage and
animal management, genetic
selection, and deworming
management, etc.
Photo: Molly Klein; wormx.info
Fact sheets on pasture management, nutritional management and sericea lespedeza,
among others available at: https://www.wormx.info/bmps