This document discusses parasite control programs on three New Zealand farms. Farm 1 drenches sheep with Cydectin before breeding and gives cattle annual drenching. Farm 2 drenches sheep twice yearly and cattle once after testing. Farm 3 gives fawns a lifetime drench at weaning and annually drenches stags, with all stock getting Cydectin pour-on. The document then provides general tips for parasite control including monitoring, pasture management, selective drenching and culling.

1. Farmer Presentation for
Parasite Control
By Michelle Holloway

2. Examples of Farm Drenching Programmes:
Farm 1:
• 430 ha sheep and beef property
• Stocking 2500 Romney ewes, 150 breeding
cows, 66 rising two year olds & 72 weiners,
all Angus
• Ewes are drenched before tupping with
Cydectin, and
• Pre-lambing, 2ths receive a bionic capsule
lasting 150 days and ewes receive 6 in 1
Nilvax
• Mixed age breeding cattle are drenched
once a year if needed with Oxfen C

3. Examples of Farm Drenching Programmes
Farm 1 cont..
• Cattle are fed on a crop during winter
• Farmer does not perform faecal egg counts as
doesn’t see parasitism as a problem
• All replacement stock breed on farm
• Quarantine holding paddock for stock brought
onto farm
• Poor performing stock culled
• Farmer uses cross-grazing for parasite control

4. Examples of Farm Drenching Programmes
Farm 2:
• 694ha sheep and beef property
• Stocking 4100 Romney ewes, 130 breeding
cows, Angus Herford cross
• Drench all ewes 2 times a year at main shear
and pre- tupping
• Light ewes also drenched at dipping and 2nd
shear
• Catlle drenched once a year after preg testing
in March with Closamectin (injectable)

5. Examples of Farm Drenching Programmes
Farm 2 cont..
• Cross graze sheep with cattle
• Ewes are set stocked after scanning for
pasture management
• Poor performing stock are culled
• Perform faecal egg counting twice a year at
weaning and pre- tupping

6. Examples of Farm Drenching Programmes
Farm 3:
• 55 acres fallow deer farm
• Stocking 80 hinds, 80 yearlings and 6 breeding
stags
• All fawns receive a sole drench at weaning for
their lifetime
• Hinds gain a high immunity to parasite so don’t
get drenched
• Breeding stags drenched once a year, when
draughted from hinds in October

7. Examples of Farm Drenching Programmes
Farm 3 cont..
• All stock receive Cydectin pour on
• No cross- grazing performed, solely fallow
deer
• Rotation of paddocks for pasture
management
• Supplementary fed maize in a raised trough
• All replacement stock breed on property

8. Improving Environmental Sustainability…
• Having an accurate drench programme ensure
less drenching
• Good pasture management also helps to
decrease the spread of parasites
• Only drenching poor performing stock (select
drenching due to certain stock having less
immunity to worms)
• Culling poor performing stock- not carrying
over consistently ‘wormy’ stock to increase
productivity

9. Improving Financial Sustainability…
• Beneficial parasite control = fewer vet bills
• Suitable parasite control programmes means
increased productivity and weight gain so
farmer is coming out better off
• Careful selection/breeding of replacement
stock with higher resistance to parasites = less
money spent drenching
• Lowering stocking rate which will reduce the
risk of disease which means less money for
treatment

10. Reduction in use of Drenches…
• Try to drench as little as possible
• Frequent drenching may lead to drench resistance of
a certain family
• Avoid using the same drench family each time, try
using combination drenches
• Correct drenching techniques/ dosing and worthy
pasture management will reduce need of drenching
• Perform faecal egg counts and drench (or not drench)
based on the results
• May only need to drench light or poor performing
stock instead of the whole mob

11. Selection of the best drench for the job- things to
take into account…
• Species of stock
• Preferred administration i.e. pour on, oral, injectable
• The best time of the year to drench
• Withholding periods
• Type of parasite you are wanting to treat i.e. internal
external or a number of different ones
• Age and breeding status
• Consult a vet, they can help with ideas, selection and
explaining which would best suit you.
• Remember: each farm circumstances are different

12. Choosing the right time to drench…
• When there are high levels of parasites
• Particularly when your faecal egg count result
comes back high
• Keeping an eye on clinical signs in your stock
i.e. weight, daggy ewes, decreased
production etc
• Drenching pre tupping to release stress on
ewes so they readily accept the ram
• The correct season e.g. Feb when high levels
of barbers pole or spring when grass is fresh
but stock still eating low to ground

13. Using Feed Management…
• Rotational grazing allows time for larvae to die
off pasture and pasture to regenerate
• Lower stocking rate means less parasites on the
pasture
• Supplement feeding into troughs or raised
areas reduces ingestion of larvae of pasture
• Feeding stock on a crop over winter to avoid
ingestion of parasites from pasture
• Cross grazing different species together

14. Correct dosing of stock…
• Calibrate guns to ensure they are dosing correctly
• Weigh stock correctly, as under dosing is a waste of
farmers time as won’t be working and if over dose the
stock can build up more of a resistance + costing more
• May be applicable to draught mobs into similar lines
of body weight if overall weight is significantly varied
• Ensuring correct technique to avoid under or over
dosing or infection and damage to carcass if injectable
• Read drench label to ensure correct dosing amounts,
as well as precautions or special instructions

15. Choice of Stock on Property…
• If stock have high parasite burdens, look at
introducing new breeds with better parasite
immunity
• Have a quarantine area for when stock from
other properties are being introduced to your
farm
• Possibly lease out some paddocks for cross-
grazing to decrease parasite burden
• If worst comes to worst, you may decide to
convert to farming a different species if parasite
resistance is severe.

16. Tips for commercial farms…
• Perform faecal egg count reduction test after
drenching to find out farm resistance status
• Post mortem all animals with sudden deaths
to assess total worm counts
• Make hay from badly infected paddocks to
allow larvae to die off pasture
• Consult your local veterinarian for parasite
control programmes

17. Tips for Lifestyle Blocks…
• Quarantine drench animals before
introducing property
• Graze different species of stock to help
‘vacuum up’ parasite off pasture (cross-
grazing)
• Speak to your local veterinarian about
parasite control and suggestions about which
drench may be suited to you!!