NSW northeast and Qld Granite Belt

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Go to the Drench Decision Guide

 

Program summary

The WormBoss worm control program has five components that are most effective when used in combination.

A summary of the components is below (see further chapters for details).

1. Use grazing management to create low worm-risk paddocks

• Prepare low worm-risk paddocks for kidding does and weaners by preventing contamination with worm larvae in the 3 to 6 months before they are needed:
  • Spell paddocks
  • Graze with cattle or horses, grow browse, crops, hay or new pastures, or graze with goats or sheep for up to 3 weeks after the protection period (when killing worms) of an effective drench¹.
• Choose the least contaminated kidding paddocks for the most susceptible kidding does (maidens, twin-bearing, or poorer condition).
• Provide adequate browse where possible.

2. Breed and feed for goats resistant and resilient to worms

• Use bucks with better than average worm egg count Estimated Breeding Values (WEC EBVs) in KIDPLAN by choosing the more negative values. 
• Maintain good nutrition to enhance the goat’s immunity to worms. 

3. WormTest at recommended times

• Before these routine opportunities to drench:
  • Shearing (fibre goats).
  • Kid marking (all does).
  • Pre-weaning (all does).
• Weaning to first kidding: WormTest at 4–6 week (summer) or 6–8 week (winter) intervals after a short-acting drench. If using a persistent drench then see ?Effective use of long-acting drenches.
• Bucks: WormTest at 4–6 week (summer) or 6–8 week (winter) intervals after a short-acting drench and ensure a WormTest occurs one month before joining.
• If DrenchTest results are not available conduct a DrenchCheck 14 days after treatment.
• At other non-routine times as suggested in the Drench Decision Guide.

4. Drench^1,2 strategically at recommended times

• Quarantine drench all introduced goats with an effective short-acting drench that provides (for meat goats) four drench groups including one from the most recently available products or (for dairy goats) the two drench groups registered for use where milk is for human consumption.
• Breeding does pre-kidding (as they temporarily lose their immunity).
• Kids at weaning.
• Drench individual goats showing obvious signs of worm related illness and WormTest the rest.
• At other times, use the Drench Decision Guide to make drenching decisions.

5. Manage drench resistance 

This is an up-to-date, integrated regional worm control program for goats in the NSW northeast and Qld Granite Belt region. It builds upon earlier programs and accumulated knowledge, including from the former Department of Agriculture WormCheck program and the experience of researchers, consultants and advisers, as well as new information from the Integrated Parasite Management in Sheep project, funded by Australian Wool Innovation and ‘Parasite control in southern prime lamb production systems’, funded by Meat and Livestock Australia.

The program aims to improve the profitability and welfare of your goats through:

• fewer deaths and illness from worms
• fewer drenches, particularly long-acting drenches
• improved productivity
• prolonged life of drenches

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Authors:

Maxine Lyndal-Murphy (private consultant), Sandra Baxendell (Goat Veterinary Consultancies—goatvetoz), Lewis Kahn (ParaBoss), Deborah Maxwell (ParaBoss), Stephen Love (NSW DPI), and Steve Walkden-Brown (UNE).

Acknowledgement:

This document is based on the sheep WormBoss regional program with changes supported by the Goat Industry Council of Australia and funded by Meat and Livestock Australia through the project ‘Expansion of WormBoss Website to Include Goats B.GOA.0120’.

Major contributions to this publication were made from the NSW DPI program: WormKill and the Qld DAFF program: Wormbuster, as well as research from the CSIRO McMaster Laboratory and The University of New England.