[HamishMcMurray]

I'm planning on worming my small flock tomorrow for the 1st time (with the help of someone experienced).

Am I right in thinking that once wormed, I keep them locked up in the same field for a while to allow the dose to go through them and then lock them out of that field?

If so, how long do I keep them locked into the worming field and then how long until they can return once I let them out? 

Thanks

[supplies for smallholders]

Worming is a complex subject, and un-necessary worming should be avoided to prevent chances of wormer resistance.

Best way is to have a worm egg count carried out, then you know what worms you are dealing with (if any). That will influence how long to keep them out of the "Wormer field" as some species can live outside the host for upto 5 years (eg threadworm)

Thanks

[Fleecewife]

Another point re wormer resistance is that by putting them into a fresh field you are exposing them only to those worms which survived the worming dose - in other words, worms which are resistant to the wormer you used.  Those worms then have no competition from non-resistant worms, so can multiply to their hearts content in the gut and Bingo - you have a whole crop of wormer resistant worms.  The advice given by the Mordun Institute is not to put the sheep onto fresh pasture after worming but to keep them in the same field - that way, they will pick up both resistant worms and non-resistant worms, and the explosion of resistant worms is less likely to happen, or will happen more slowly.  You might think that by putting them onto fresh pasture it will be totally worm free, but these days that is not so because some of their worm burden will be resistant to the wormers.  As sheep get older they also become a bit more able to carry a worm burden, and resistant to the worms themselves (different kind of resistance) so are less likely to need worming frequently.
As SfS says, get a worm count done and learn how to tell if your sheep are looking wormy - sometimes just individual animals need to be dosed, rather than doing the whole flock.
The information from the Mordun Institute became accepted by vets a number of years ago, but farmers are slow to give up their tried and tested ways - in the face of increasing wormer resistance this is an increasing problem - yet another type of resistance, of farmers to new knowledge  .

[HamishMcMurray]

Thanks for your replies. Some food for thought. It was the vet who advised us to have them wormed although we haven't had a worm count.

I'll sleep on it and decide what to do in the morning. Sometimes it's difficult to know what to do for the best.

[Smashy and gang]

So, we've never wormed our sheep (as much through not thinking about it as conscientious objection) and don't want to do so unnecessarily.  So, how do sheep look when they are 'wormy' please? 

Thanks!

[Fleecewife]

These are the signs I can think of - can anyone else think of more? :-   They may well look unthrifty - not growing so well so sort of scrawny and not as plump and healthy as the rest of the flock.  Often they will be scouring ie with diarrhoea, giving them dirty backsides, but there can be other causes for scouring too. If you have a cat you will know what it looks like with worms - coat stark and dry, cat thinner than usual - adapt that to your sheep and that gives an idea.  However, sheep with worms will not necessarily look like that so getting a worm count is always a good idea, especially the first time around.  If you have not had sheep on your ground before, for several years, and you had your stock wormed before they arrived, it is unlikely that they will have a large worm burden, but if there were sheep on your land before you put your new flock on it then there could well be plenty of resident worms lurking.  
Hamish, it could be that your vet knows what was on it before and is giving his advice for that reason, or that he wants you to start with a clean slate ie worming the whole lot first time around. If that is so then it is a good idea to worm the lot as he advises, then start the new regime of worm counts and only worming those which need it after that.