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Parasites are
OK - we all have them
We
all carry around microscopic creatures that live inside and
outside of our bodies, and sheep are no exception. This is
normal, and when the numbers of microscopic creatures that a
body carries are in balance, large and small creatures work
together and live in harmony.
Balance
is the key
Livestock such as sheep (and cattle and hogs and poultry)
often spend at least part of the year in large groups and/or
in fairly confined spaces. Under these conditions, internal
parasites can experience a population explosion, and upset
the natural balance. When this occurs, the internal
parasites start using too many of the nutrients that the
animal takes in, and her health begins to suffer.
Chemical
wormers are the most common control method used
Many livestock producers use what are called "chemical
wormers" to keep the parasite population under control in
their animals. These powerful chemicals are administered to
the animals on a regular basis, either by mouth, by
hypodermic needle, or as an additive to their daily feed.
Chemical wormers can be quite successful if used in
conjunction with pasture rotation so the animals do not
graze on ground that they've already infected with worm
eggs. But there are downsides to to this
approach...
The
drawbacks
Of course, regardless of the pasture management methods, a
major drawback to killing these parasites with chemicals is
that they tend to mutate very quickly in order to survive
the onslaught, so new and more powerful chemicals have to be
developed to kill them, and the cycle continues.
And then
there are the issues of feeding our animals substances that
are essentially pesticides, and the residues that may
possibly end up in our food supply.
Where does
this cycle end?
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An
alternative to
chemicals
Many producers raising livestock by natural and
organic methods are breaking this cycle of pumping
more and stronger chemicals into our animals by
using natural approaches to keeping the parasite
levels in harmony.
Unlike
the "quick-fix" mentality of modern medicine, using
natural methods successfully requires a thoughtful
blend of several different approaches. Three
approaches that are used at SkyLines Farm are:
- Garlic
- Diatomaceous
earth
- Rotationial
grazing
Garlic,
the miracle
herb
For
thousands of years, garlic has been revered as
having powerful and sometimes magical benefits. One
very potent and effective use of garlic is as a
vermifuge (it kills or drives out intestinal
worms).
I have been using
garlic successfully since 1992, combined with the
other practices described below, both to control
internal parasites in the sheep and as a general
health-booster. Just to be sure, though, I have my
vet perform fecal tests regularly. Every test since
1992 has shown zero or very low worm
counts.
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In superb
health without
the benefit of chemical wormers,
the Montadale ewe April has
always been a wonderful mom.
Here, she keeps a close eye on her first lamb,
a little Romney-Montadale ram
just a few days old and
ready to start exploring his world.
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CAVEAT #1:
1) Now and then, a shepherd asks me if I think this program
could work for someone who's been worming their sheep
chemically for a number of years. I started out
chemical-free in 1992 and have never deviated from that
course, so that's a tough question to answer. However, I do
believe a shepherd could at least significantly reduce the
parasite load by integrating organic methods into their
existing management program. It wouldn't happen overnight of
course, but over time there should be improvement in worm
loads and overall flock health. A complete transition to
organic methods might involve long-term resting of pastures
or plowing and replanting pastures, but in my opinion it's
certainly worth attempting.
The procedure
CAVEAT #2: Though the basic procedure for using garlic
as a vermifuge remains about the same among shepherds, most
adjust the recipe or the schedule for their particular flock
needs. What follows is what works for SkyLines Farm . .
.
In the early days I was a
purist about dosing the sheep with only pure, fresh, organic
garlic. I used to painstakingly crush each clove of fresh
garlic, mix it with molasses and cornmeal, and form it into
little balls which I then forced into the sheep's mouths.
They certainly didn't appreciate me shoving my hand in their
mouths, and I didn't care for it much either! But, with only
5 or 6 sheep, it was tolerable.
As the flock grew, I
quickly decided that there are such things as economies of
scale. It's obviously more practical to give the sheep their
dose of what's good for them with a quick, easy squeeze of a
syringe in the mouth at the same time that I do other
things, like trim their hooves. After dosing them with
garlic, I lock the sheep in a dry paddock for a day or two,
so they can pass any worms and/or eggs they might have in
their systems. They then go out to graze in a fresh, rested
paddock.
The garlic
recipe
The recipe I use is based on the recommendations of British
veterinarian and herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy (see
Links & Resources page, The Herbal Handbook for
Farm and Stable). I've found that a generous proportion
of molasses in the mix makes it much more palatable to the
sheep (some even beg me to let them suck it out of the
syringe), and Juliette de Bairacli Levy believes that
molasses greatly aids garlic in its efficacy.
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THE
SKYLINES GARLIC RECIPE
PER SHEEP
1 Tbsp powdered garlic
1 Tbsp molasses
1-2 Tbsp water or less, just enough to thin
so it will go through the tip of a
syringe
Dose adults with
about 40 cc's by mouth
Till about four months of age
lambs get half this amount
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I started out measuring
these ingredients precisely for dosing jut a few sheep. I
now dose up to 125 sheep at a time, and have learned to
eyeball the proportions of ingredients. I haven't yet
overdosed sheep with this recipe and doubt that I could . .
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The "garlicking" schedule
THE
SKYLINES GARLIC SCHEDULE
Five Time Per Year
> Before
breeding in late fall
> Before lambing in spring
> After lambing in early summer
> Mid summer
> Late summer
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I
originally "garlicked" the sheep four times a year, but
added a 5th dosing in mid-summer to try and deal with the
problem of nasal bots in the sheep. The number of nasal bot
cases in the SkyLines flock has dropped dramatically since
then, down to just 3 sheep out of 95 in winter '06-'07. I
can live with that, especially since I'm totally avoiding
the one and only treatment I've been able to discover for
nasal bots, which is Ivomec. I conducted an informal study
on the nasal bot issue over a 5-year period, and you can
read about it here.
Garlic
odor?
Many people have asked whether dosing sheep with garlic
might impart a "garlicky" odor to the wool. I've found
absolutely no garlic odor to the sheep's fleeces, to their
breath, or their milk. In fact, some of my freezer lamb
customer have speculated that the regular doses of garlic
might be a contributing factor to the terrific taste of
SkyLines lamb. Since I always cook lamb with lots of fresh
garlic, I tend to agree with this theory . . .
Diatomaceous
Earth
Natural parasite
control involves a multi-pronged approach. In addition to
using garlic to worm the sheep, I also add diatomaceous
earth to the sheep's loose mineral mix. Diatomaceous earth
is a naturally-occurring substance. It is the fossilized
remains of long-dead sea creatures, and it is mined from
ancient sea beds and ground to a fine, powder-like
consistency. It is believed that the microscopic sharp edges
of the DE particles scrape off the worm eggs that the adult
worms have attached to the sheep's intestinal walls, so they
can pass out with the feces.
(Window on another
world: Since learning years ago about the life cycle of
some of these internal parasites, I've just never been able
to look at a pasture in quite the same way. When I look down
now I see, in my mind's eye, an entire world of microscopic
creatures, all going about their busy lives much the way we
do. Interesting perspective.)
The DE recipe
The sheep get their DE in a ratio of about 1/4 DE and 3/4
salt-mineral mix. In 1992 I started out by feeding the DE
free choice to the sheep, separately from their
salt-mineral, so they could tell me how much they required.
The 1/4-3/4 ratio is what they chose to eat, so after about
a year I began to mix the two into one container for
convenience.
I should note here that
many of these procedures were not well known even in te
90's, so natural and organic producers had to experiment,
figure out things like dosages for ourselves, and share what
we'd learned with each other. The garlic and DE approach is
now used very successfully by a great many natural and
organic livestock producers and is approved for use under
USDA Organic Certification.
Where to get DE
I have purchased DE through Garden City Seeds in
Montana/Washington and Peaceful Valley Farm Supply in
California, both suppliers of organic garden seeds, tools,
and supplies. I currently purchase larger quantities (50 lb.
bags) through Azure Standard in Oregon. I imagine that
suppliers in the midwest and east carry it also. Several
suppliers have warned livestock producers not to use the DE
designed for swimming pool filtration, but to use
agricultural or food-grade DE instead. I've always played it
safe and ordered food-grade or livestock-grade
DE.
Rotational
grazing
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The third part of
the program, pasture rotation, is extremely
important to parasite control (it's also a critical
part of pasture management, but that's addressed
elsewhere).
Sheep shed worms
and worm eggs in their manure, and resting a
pasture lets the sun, wind, and cold kill off most
of the worms and eggs so the sheep don't reinfect
themselves as they graze.
Twenty-one day
life cycle
Research has shown the life cycle of roundworms,
the most common parasite to infect sheep, to be
about 21 days. To break this cycle, I allow the
sheep to graze each paddock absolutely no longer
than three weeks - one or two is more typical - and
then move them to a fresh paddock and rest the
previous one for a minimum of a month, six weeks,
or more. Most my pastures rest for about 6 months
during the fall, winter, and early
spring.
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In late summer,
SkyLines sheep graze
in the rested spring lambing yard.
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It's working
To ensure that these methods are working at SkyLines Farm, I
have had fecal tests performed frequently over the years
(worm eggs are shed in sheep's manure, and show up under a
microscope). My vet used to look through the microscope and
just scratch his head. He couldn't believe the worm egg
count could be so low without the use of chemical wormers.
The latest fecal test showed a zero count.
Herbs in the
pasture
Some people seed medicinal herbs in their pasture ground,
which I think is a great idea if you can keep the herbs
going from year to year. That's the easy way to let the
sheep dose themselves with what's good for them.
On my previous farm, there
was a small paddock that used to be a vegetable garden. The
paddock was dotted with horseradish that had gone wild, and
the sheep liked the horseradish so well they completely
grazed it out within a few seasons. I suppose I could have
replanted the paddock with horseradish and maybe garlic, but
that's a job for a farmer with a tractor who doesn't mind
plowing up a perfectly good pasture every few
years.
Instead, I now try to time
the spring grazing rotations at SkyLines Farm so that some
of the dandelions in the pastures have an opportunity to go
to seed every year. Dandelions have long, deep taproots that
bring minerals up from the subsoil to the surface. For this
reason, they're a great spring tonic for the sheep, and all
of the animals go after the flowers and the leaves with
relish.
Future pasture seeding
that I do will include seeds of select beneficial herbs, and
that's a topic that I'm still researching.
<<< UPDATE APRIL 2021: >>>
OVER THE 20+ YEARS since I created this page, my parasite control methods have remained the same. All the critters at SkyLines
Farm remain healthy, happy, and with low or no parasite load. It works!
A REQUEST:
If you want to contact me to clarify something about my methods, I'll be happy to try and answer it, at no charge. However,
PLEASE EMAIL instead of calling. Trading voicemails is a
waste of time for both of us. I'll respond much faster to an email anyway!
My best to you, in your quest to be a better shepherd! Melissa
SkyLines
Farm 4551 Highway 6 Harvard, ID 83834
CONTACT
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