A good worming strategy is crucial for ensuring animal health and also reducing the risk of building resistance to wormer. It can be much better for all sides. We want to take a closer look at strategies today, focusing on persistent activity. Read on to learn more.

No strategy

Sadly, too many farmers made it common practice to worm animals based on the calendar. They would do it simply because the same time of year had come around. However, this is expensive and runs the risk of herds becoming resistant.

The lack of strategy here can cause huge problems. There are only a limited number of wormers available for different animals. So, if a herd develops a high resistance to one, the farmer can’t use it anymore. Ultimately, it could mean there are no viable products left to use. Pastures could be unusable for a period due to the worm burden.

A better method

Farmers should look at choosing a specific wormer strategy instead. It should be bespoke to reflect the farm location, herd, and disease history. You should also adapt it each year to account for changes in weather and age of stock. If it has been wet and hot, there can be more worms.

Each strategy should also include carefully selecting which product to use. It is never a good idea to rely on one specific product. Using it over and over leads to resistance. Instead, you should rotate wormers regularly.

Persistent activity

A crucial thing to look at when you consider a product is how long protection can last. This is known as persistent activity. Farmers won’t need to do frequent treatments if they choose these products; the protection could last for a whole growing season.

Generally wormer can offer one of three levels of activity. Some are short acting, so they only have a duration of around 24 hours. Unfortunately it does mean reinfection can become an issue. Benzimidazole (white) products are in this category.

The second option is long acting wormers. They can provide approximately four weeks of protection. Moxidectin (clear) is the common choice here, including injections and pour ons.

Finally, we have ultra long acting products. They can have four to five months of persistent activity. Generally you can choose moxidectin injections or Benzimidazole boluses. The latter are large pills. However, typically only vets should apply them.

Think about your wormer strategy

JS Hubbuck Ltd can help farmers to raise healthy livestock. We have a range of products to help with it, including different options for worming, handling animals, and feed. You can find out about any of them by contacting us. We are happy to assist each client so they buy the right items.