04/09/2026
Worms beware!! Finally the grass is back but unfortunately this comes with its own problems, in particular, worms. Worm larvae travel up blades of grass through films of moisture before being eaten by the grazing animal - as we know, moisture has been severely lacking the past few weeks and as a result, most farmers have had respite from worms the last couple of months. Now that the 'moisture' (aka rain!) is back, the larvae will have migrated out of the soil and onto the grass, putting your animals at risk of parasitic disease.
If your animals start scouring, this could be from consuming lush grass, or from worms - perform a faecal egg count to check before worming.
Ensure you closely monitor conjunctival colour (FAMACHA score, see chart) and faecal worm egg counts in sheep, goats and alpacas, as they are all susceptible to the worm Haemonchus, which does not cause scour but causes anaemia which can be so severe, the affected animal can die.
