Choosing the right worming strategy can provide major benefits for farmers. Notably, it can save money and time, reduce the risk of parasites becoming resistant to wormer, and improve performance. One of the best strategies to try for lambs in the UK is targeted selective treatment (TST). Let’s have a closer look at how it works and the benefits.
What is it?
TST is an excellent alternative to blanket worming. Instead, what you do is only treat lambs that fail to meet performance goals. In most cases this will be weight gain over a period of time. It means you only target the animals that are failing to grow effectively.
The key thing here is you need to weigh lambs. Firstly, you need to get a baseline. Then, you can conduct a second weighing at a later date and see how much they have grown. Some quick maths can tell you if they are achieving weight gain targets for the period. Those that are don’t need any form of anthelmintic treatment. Animals with poor growth scores may need treatment.
Is everything in order?
The expectation is lambs should achieve minimum weight gain goals when all the relevant factors are in place. This includes providing enough high quality feed. It’s also important to consider the weather and feed conversion. Even if animals are falling short, if they are still gaining an acceptable amount of weight they may not need a dose of wormer; they could be handling the worm burden effectively.
If animals are consistently failing to achieve weight gain targets, you need to look at the potential cause. It could be that they are struggling with the worm burden and need treating. Or, it may be another issue such as an underlying health problem like lameness or poor genetics.
Benefits
The move to targeted selective treatment can be really beneficial to farmers. For one, it can reduce the volume of drench they use. This can provide direct cost savings. Critically, you will only be paying to treat the animals most likely to need it.
Perhaps more importantly, TST can reduce the risk of worms building resistance to wormer. It is one of the biggest concerns for farmers in the UK. In fact, a number of farmers are already at a point where some products no longer work because they have used them for blanket worming for too long.
Additionally, TST can actually help to improve performance. Monitoring weight gain makes it easier to refine your overall strategy, including adapting how much feed you are providing, conditions, etc. It can improve animal welfare and actually boost growth.
Cooperation
A key thing to keep in mind though if you are a farmer and want to move to targeted selective treatment is the importance of working closely with a vet. This can help to interpret data and understand what could be happening on the farm. It can include exploring potential issues other than worms. They can also offer help with checking the efficacy of any treatments you need to do.
Do you need to order wormer?
JS Hubbuck Ltd is a company you can trust if you need to order different agricultural products. We have a broad range, including fertiliser, wormers, feeds, clothing, and more. You can buy whatever combination of goods you need from us, making it incredibly convenient and saving time. Even better, you’re free to ask us questions if you need any further information about anything.
So, get in touch today if you need help with wormer or other products. We’ll give you the best service every single time.