Using the FAMACHA© system to control
internal parasites in small ruminants
during the summer grazing season
S. Schoenian1, J. Deitz-Band2 J. Semler1, W.
Lantz1, M.B. Bennett3, and N. Whitley4
University of Maryland Cooperative Extension1, Many Rocks Farm2,
West Virginia University Cooperative Extension3, and University of Maryland Eastern Shore4
Gastro-intestinal worms
• Gastro-intestinal
parasites (worms)
pose the single
greatest threat to
the health and
productivity of
sheep and goats
throughout most of
the United States.
The barber pole worm
• The barber pole worm
(Haemonchus contortus)
is the worm species of
primary concern in warm,
moist climates, such as
Maryland.
• It is a blood-sucking
parasite that causes
anemia and edema,
production loss and
sometimes death.
Traditional control of parasites
• In the past, parasite
control programs
relied heavily upon
the prophylactic use
of anthelmintics.
• This approach is no
longer sustainable
due to the widespread
emergence of drugresistant worms.
FAMACHA© and selective deworming
• The FAMACHA© system is
a novel system for
assessing barber pole worm
infection in small ruminants
and determining the need
for deworming.
• Selective deworming
increases worm refugia
which slows the rate by
which worms develop
resistance to anthelmintics.
Materials and Methods
• 2005
84 Katahdin and Katahdin
crossbred lambs from the University
of Maryland Eastern Shore’s sire
comparison study were rotationally
grazed from June 10 until Sept. 30
on 12.5 acres of cool season grass
pastures. Stocking rate was ~7
lambs/acre.
• 2006
31 Kiko, Boer, and Kiko x Boer
goats from the Western Maryland
Pasture-Based Meat Goat
Performance Test were rotationally
grazed from June 10 until Oct. 6 on
10 acres of cool season grass
pastures. Stocking rate ranged from
3 to 5 goats per acre.
Materials and methods
• Lambs were not
dewormed upon arrival.
• Goats were dewormed
upon arrival to establish a
baseline for fecal egg
collection.
• Fecal samples were
collected at 0, 28, and 56
days from goats and
monthly from the lambs.
• Lambs and goats were
handled every two weeks
to determine FAMACHA©
eye anemia and body
condition scores.
Materials and methods
• Lambs and goats scoring 1
or 2 on the FAMACHA©
scale were not dewormed.
• Lambs and goats scoring 4
or 5 on the FAMACHA©
scale were dewormed.
• The decision to deworm
lambs and kids with
FAMACHA© scores of 3 was
based on additional factors,
such as ADG, BSC, britch
soiling, previous scores, and
scores of other animals.
Results – Lambs (2005)
Avg. FAMACHA© score
5.0
85
# Lambs Dewormed
4.5
75
4.0
65
3.5
55
3.0
45
2.5
35
2.0
25
1.5
30-Sep
19-Sep
2-Sep
19-Aug
-5
5-Aug
0.0
22-Jul
5
11-Jul
0.5
24-Jun
15
10-Jun
1.0
The need for
deworming
peaked on July 11
when two-thirds of
the lambs required
an anthelmintic
treatment.
***
One lamb died due
to ivermectin
resistance.
Results – anthelmintic treatments
# lambs
% of flock
# treatments
22
26.2
0
35
41.7
1
14
16.7
2
6
7.1
3
4
4.8
4
1
1.2
5
1
1.2
6
84
100.0
The 84 lambs were dewormed an average of 1.25 times each vs.
conventional parasite control which would have included 3 to 4 treatments.
Effect of FAMACHA© score
on FEC, ADG, and BCS
FAM
N
FEC
N
ADG
N
BCS
1
11
51a
69
0.237ab
156
3.24a
2
83
107a
198
0.255ab
481
3.10a
3
36
329b
43
0.326a
87
2.80b
4
10
480b
10
0.309a
11
2.68bc
5
12
334b
12
0.194b
13
2.54c
P level
0.0001
0.0048
0.0001
Special thanks to Dr. Stephan Wildeus, Virginia State University for doing the statistics.
Results – sire effects
Sire
Body condition
score
FAMACHA©
score
Fecal egg
count
Average
daily gain
Dorper
3.11
1.84
209
0.260
Katahdin
2.93
2.21
228
0.254
Suffolk
2.85
2.30
375
0.275
Texel
3.14
1.84
120
0.241
P level
.0001
.0001
.0342
.8204
Results – Goats (2006)
Avg. FAMACHA© score
5.0
35
15
The need for
deworming
peaked on Aug 4
when two-thirds of
the goats required
an anthelmintic
treatment.
10
***
# Goats Dewormed
4.5
30
4.0
25
3.5
3.0
20
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
5
29-Sep
15-Sep
31-Aug
18-Aug
4-Aug
21-Jul
7-Jul
23-Jun
0.0
10-Jun
0.5
0
No goats died.
Results – anthelmintic treatments
# goats
% of goats
# treatments
4
12.9
0
13
41.9
1
7
22.6
2
4
12.9
3
3
9.7
4
31
100.0
Excluding the initial treatment, the 31 goats
were dewormed an average of 1.65 times
each vs. conventional parasite control which
would have included 3 to 4 treatments.
Conclusion
• The FAMACHA©
system proved to be an
effective tool for
monitoring and
controlling internal
parasitism in growing
lambs and goats.
• It reduced the number
of anthelmintic
treatments.
• It increased refugia.
• It identified susceptible
and resistant animals.