July Seasonal Focus

As the cooler weather conditions continue, a few timely reminders regarding parasite management.

 👉 Worms – remember to know your enemy and test, don’t guess! The key to this message is that with the colder conditions, those who have barbers pole worm issues in warmer weather should be experiencing less of this worm, as the larvae on the pasture will not develop under cold conditions.

Continuing to test to monitor worm populations is essential to maintain low numbers in paddocks, and not let the situation become out of control.

A reminder that any form of stress on an animal may translate into more severe impacts of the stress – and flow onto other areas of production. Think nutritional stress, and the impact on worms – an animal in lower condition score is more susceptible to worms and this will show up in worm egg counts. (A similar situation is commonly experienced with lice numbers skyrocketing when an animal is under stress).

Use an effective drench and conduct a drench check test 14 days following treatment to be sure the product has worked effectively.

 👉 Lice control during the winter months is commonplace, and a reminder to use a product that is effective – think about rotation of chemical groups to minimise the development of chemical resistance. Also, consider the importance of good biosecurity with your stock and introductions of new animals (or bringing them home from agistment) and the risks that they present to your operation.

 👉 Flies – in the northern areas, flies continue to be an ongoing issue. Treatment with an effective product is key – as well as understanding the payout period of tools such as eartags and the implications of leaving after the specified time of activity. Consider the implications of continued use of the same actives on other parasites and the ongoing effectiveness of your control programs.

Winter is a great time to consider your sheep flystrike management program, using the FlyBoss flystrike risk management tool. Use this tool to look at your overall program and run some test scenarios that can help you find the sweet spot (optimum) time for major activities in your flock. Attend an AWI SimpliFly workshop to get the jump on the flies in the upcoming season and discuss all things about flystrike in the coming season. (Contact your AWI state extension network to find out when these events are being staged in your area).

Now is also a good time to take a close look at your overall parasite management plan for your livestock and see if there are any opportunities to tighten the job up. There is a huge amount of information, and tools available on the ParaBoss website, jump on and take a look.