Victoria worms, flies and lice update - July 2015

Hamilton: Andrew Whale, Livestock Logic (a.whale@livestocklogic.com.au)

Livestock Logic Key Recommendations

• Worm Egg Counts have risen considerably in last 3 weeks.
• Must monitor all stock regularly. Weaners every 2–3 weeks, mature sheep monthly until spring feed flush arrives.

Conditions in the south west of the state were great over winter with only moderate rainfall and plenty of warm conditions perfect for growing grass.  As a result, livestock have thrived and early lamb marking results would suggest lamb survival, for June in particular, has benefited.  The concern is how dry it is for this climate at this time of year and we are all hoping for a wet August/September as soil moisture levels are well below where they would normally be in late July.

We continue to see a high number of cases of hypocalcaemia in both sheep and cattle that is a direct result of the drought last year.  It is important for producers to be feeding out hay particularly to late gestation and lactating sheep and cattle with increased emphasis during periods of inclement weather.

The below chart shows how worm egg counts in the South West of Victoria have risen sharply in July and we would expect the number of weaners needing drenching in  August to continue to rise. This increases the need for regular monitoring during the winter months and spring.

Graph 1: Percentage of Weaners Requiring Drenching from Livestock Logic Laboratory this calendar year to date.  This shows a sharp rise in egg counts in July.