Worm testing - The Accidental Smallholder

Posted: Sunday 26 September, 2010

by Rosemary at 8:55pm in Sheep 1 comment Comments closed

We try to use as few chemicals as possible, without compromising our stock's health. Chemical wormers are one of the things we try to avoid. We use a herbal wormer for the sheep and the poultry but we also worm test.

Last week, I did the three ponies. I use Westgate Laboratories and they've always given good service. Currently, they are doing four tests for £28, which is really good value. I sent of the samples on saturday morning and got the result emailed to me on Tuesday.

All three ponies' samples showed no worm eggs. My vet has advised worming with Equest Pramox in December, after the first frost, then testing again in April. The winter worming is for tapeworm and encysted worms.

I've started collecting the sheep samples today and will mail them tomorrow. Lucy had a really mucky bum, which we cleaned up this morning - I'm not sure if she's wormy or if she's ODing on the sugary lick. To be sure, I took a sample just from her. None of the rest look wormy, but I want to check before tupping.

I bought raddle this week. I've always sent my ewes away to be tupped before, so I want to keep a close eye this year. Hardest bit is trying to get a colour that shows on dark brown fleece.

Leo and Buddy, after grazing fine together, decided to try and kill each other - the proximity of Nellie, our ewe lamb, may have precipitated this. We had a shuffle round this morning and Leo's in with Dickie, Buddy with the two tup lambs (all three are now destined for the freezer) and Nelly back in with the ewes. She and her mother greeted each other warmly but there was no attempt to suckle.

This week, we're preparing a paddock for flushing the ewes and we'll get them out either next weekend or the following one. Nellie will then join the two ewe lambs we're buying from the Grindon flock. Phew, it's all go!