White
Tail Deer Alert!
If you live in an area that supports herds of white tail
deer they carry a parasite that does not have an effect on them, but when ingested
by other hosts - like Soay - the parasites cause damage which normally results
in death. Please contact your local extension service or vet to inquire about
white tail deer in your area, and what you can do to protect your flock.
Parasite
Control
We
have transitioned away from chemical wormers to natural control of parasites with
garlic products and other natural controls. Poor little Ness - pictured at left
- either had an allergic reaction or was inadvertently overdosed and died as a
reaction to the chemical wormers when he was 5 months old. Strong motivation to
double check your syringes, and to move to natural controls.
You
can buy a large bottle of garlic powder - over a pound - at Costco for less than
$4. We have started mixing the garlic with the sheep minerals and the sheep did
not bat an eye. As they become accustomed to the taste we will increase the amount
of garlic powder until we use a pound a month - or until the fecal samples show
no/low parasite loads.
We
have also started adding a trace amount of diatomaceous earth to the minerals.
There
is an impressive document on the S.A.R.E - USDA sponsored study results on garlic
deworming of sheep. This study found that pharmaceuticals used for deworming in
sheep are becoming less effective because the worms are developing immunity to
the chemicals. Garlic juice in a ratio of 1/6 of an ounce of juice mixed with
1 ounce of water, six times a year would bring most worms under control. Read
complete study here. We will be adding the garlic juice regimen to
our natural parasite control program this year.
These
are the herbs that are contained in the Restore and Sustain natural parasite control
products available at Farmstead Supply: Wormwood, Gentian, Fennel, Psyllium, Centaury,
Coltsfoot, Coriander, Fennel, and Yarrow. We are planting our south facing hill
in these this spring and are hoping that the deer leave us enough to harvest and
store. Our intention is to feed them to the sheep fresh through the summer and
dried with their hay in the winter.
We
are also planting a pumpkin patch this year. Though I do not have the link to
the information I found an on line source that said pumpkin seeds are also a natural
parasite control. And Elizabeth, at Rainbow Apple Farm in Oregon, said her Soay
love pumpkin - so we're going to give it a try here in Washington.
Additionally
I am going to look for fresh garlic to buy in bulk. I can put it in my food processor
to chop up with apples, carrots and pumpkin and feed it with the hay pellets or
sheep ration.
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