Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County will be offering an Internal Parasites in Sheep & Goats and FAMACHA Training Workshop! The fee is $20. If you would like to register contact Kayela (518-272-4210 or kls342@cornell.edu).
When: Saturday, December 8th from 9am – 12 pm.
Where: CCE office in Troy (61 state Street Troy, NY)
Instructors: Jason Detzel, CCE Ulster County and Kayela Statom, CCE Rensselaer County.
Parasites continue to be an important concern for goat and sheep producers. These parasites can cause economic and production losses and even serious illness and death. In fact, internal parasites are recognized as a common disease among sheep and goats. An infected animal may show symptoms and become lethargic, have diarrhea, lose weight or barely be able to maintain their weight. However these signs can easily go unnoticed, posing a serious threat to the health and safety of your animal.
Internal Parasites can infect the gastrointestinal tract, liver, lungs, blood system, lymphatic system, and skin. The most common parasites that infect sheep and goat herds include: barber pole worms, round worms, whipworms, nodular worms, lung worms and meningeal or brain worm.
An adult worm lives in the stomach where it lays a large number of eggs. These eggs are passed in manure. The eggs develop and hatch within 5 days to several months. A sheep or goat becomes infected when it consumes these parasites while out on pasture or in a barn. Larvae that hatch out in the pasture are splashed onto blades of grass by the rain where they are then consumed by the animal. It is necessary for the animal to ingest the larvae in order for it to complete its life cycle. Once they have been consumed, the larvae take approximately 2 to 3 weeks to mature and begin to lay eggs in the animal’s stomach. Some larvae may also become dormant after they have been eaten. These larvae wait to develop and are often immune to de-wormers.
FAMACHA and Parasite Workshop
Internal parasites, such as the ones listed above, are one of the biggest health problems affecting sheep and goats in the Northeast. As a result, producers need to know how to best combat it.Cornell Cooperative Extension of Rensselaer County will be offering a FAMACHA and Parasite Workshop on Saturday, December 8th from 9am – 12 pm. It will take place at the CCE office in Troy (61 state Street Troy, NY) and will be instructed by Jason Detzel, CCE Ulster County and Kayela Statom, CCE Rensselaer County.
In this workshop producers will be taught the basics of parasite control as well as how to develop integrated parasite management programs for their farms. As part of this workshop we will also have a hands-on training on how to use the FAMACHA Anemia Guide (good only for the barber pole worm) health exams to determine the need for de-worming, and fecal egg counts. Attendees are encouraged to bring a refrigerated fecal sample of 8 to 10 fecal pellets in a baggie from one sheep or goat at your farm to the workshop. Also, in the interest of biosecurity please wear clean clothes and shoes to the workshop and plan to change them prior to working on your own farm.
The cost for the workshop is $20. Light refreshments will be served. Please register in advance by Monday, December 3rd. For registration or additional information, contact Kayela at 518-272-4210 or kls342@cornell.edu
