Tasmania

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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 autumn and winter weaner paddocks by using ‘Smart grazing’ where possible. Give the weaners an effective drench before they enter the 'Smart grazed' paddock.
• 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 worm-resistant goats

• 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 the second summer drench (January) to ensure it is required.
• Weaners 3–4 weeks and adult goats 4–6 weeks after all short-acting drenches or after a WormTest shows drenching is not required.
• Goats going onto crop that is to be kept low worm-risk for weaners, as well as the weaners before they use the paddock.
• Goats showing apparent signs of barber’s pole worm (especially during January in the summer rainfall region and on irrigation summer pastures).
• Bucks 7 weeks before mating.
• If DrenchTest results are not available, conduct a DrenchCheck 14 days after treatment.
• And 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 either of the most recently available products or (for dairy goats) fenbendazole and abamectin which are registered for use where milk is for human consumption.
• Breeding does pre-kidding (as they temporarily lose their immunity).
• Does at weaning unless in the high rainfall zone and will stay on perennial pastures, or they already received a drench at marking.
• Kids at weaning.
• Bucks prior to mating.
• Give the first summer drench in November/December (as the pasture is haying off).
• Goats going onto paddocks that are to be kept low worm-risk for weaners.
• Weaners going onto highly contaminated short-rotation ryegrass pastures (i.e. in the pasture’s second or third year). Consider a long-acting product (see Effective use of long-acting drenches?).
• 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 Tasmania. 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), Paul Nilon (Nilon Farm Health).

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’.

The basis of this program is from research performed in Victoria by the former CSIRO Division of Animal Health, the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and The Mackinnon Project (University of Melbourne School of Veterinary Science) and the cumulative knowledge and experience of sheep consultants in this region, in particular, Dr Paul Nilon.