Musdalafa Lyaga
Mr. Philip Nyongesa from Bungoma County has been keenly following Kilimo Hai radio programs on Radio Maisha every Thursday from 7.30 PM. Nyongesa wants to know how to control worms in his livestock.
Worm and fluke infestation have been a burden for many livestock farmers, causing large productivity losses. A bad case of roundworm infestation can prevent weight gain, causing a drop in milk yield and even causing death.
The loss of production from these worms can be huge. Depending on the species of worm and other circumstances, such as the nutrition and age of the animal, anything between one thousand and fifty thousand worms may produce symptoms of disease.
Once established in cattle or sheep, each roundworm can produce between five and ten thousand eggs per day.
So, one heavily infested animal harbouring around three thousand female worms may contaminate a pasture with several million eggs daily for up to 20 consecutive months.
When the larvae hatch on the ground they can survive for many weeks or even months, before entering another animal as it grazes.
Biovision Africa Trust Extension Officer Mr. Francis Maina has been providing extension services to farmers for over 20 years and he is well experienced with issues of Animal Health. In his experience, Maina observes that, “when an animal is burdened by worms, it starts to lose weight and its growth rate slows down due to loss of appetite. In some cases, the animal undergoes complete retardation.”
Maina continues to explain that young immature animals are the most likely to be affected by worms to this extent. To protect them from being infested by worms, farmers should always graze young animals on clean pasture and treat them against worms regularly.
Symptoms
Animals affected by worms, especially tapeworms show a number of signs including: a rough coat, pot belly, gastrointestinal disturbances and even anaemia.
In many cases appetite remains, but there is no weight gain and there may even be a loss of weight.
“Worms are normally hidden in the animals, and farmers are only alarmed when they realise that the calf for example is not growing well, says Maina. Farmers are advised to deworm their calves after every 3 months; when they are clear of worms, they can grow very fast.
Liverfluke
Another major loss for the farmer and the cause of lost productivity in the animal is the liverfluke which affects the liver. The liverfluke has a complex lifecycle involving the limnea snail as an intermediate host. After liverfluke eggs have hatched, the larval stages need to penetrate and develop in a limnea snail, which is commonly found in wet areas.
Infestating forms of the liverfluke are released from the snail, these are then ingested by animals whilst grazing. Once inside the animal, they migrate to the liver and become adult flukes. When there is a big intake of flukes, sheep and cattle can die within a few days.
But normally it is the gradual build-up of flukes in the liver, which causes the animals to become weak over a period of a few months. The lost productivity can be a huge blow to all farmers.
So, for liverfluke, roundworms and tapeworms, farmers need to have an action plan that will work and a good control programme will enable them to boost income.
Whether you have one or two animals, or a large herd, you need to consult with a veterinarian immediately you suspect that your animals are harbouring worms to an extent of losing their productivity.
The best time to give treatment against worms is at the beginning and at the end of each rainy season.
Young animals, sheep and goats are the most likely to be affected and they should be treated not just at the beginning and end of the rains, but also in between.
An interval of 4 to 8 weeks between treatments is recommended during times of challenge.
In order to control liver fluke, especially in wet or marshy highland areas, it is suggested that treatment is given every three months or so depending on the severity of the problem.
Good livestock handlers will always keep an eye out for individual cases of worm infestation. Farmers should treat all animals that are suspected of being burdened by worms with a reputable product.
There are a large number of different types of treatment available, so what should the farmer look for? “There are drugs that are sub-standard on the market and some which are probably fake drugs, or fake products, which probably don’t contain any of the active ingredients, and I would advise the farmers to be careful about this and to preferably use drugs which are known and this could be done through the help of the veterinarians,” Maina advises.
Musdalafa Lyaga is the producer of Kilimo Hai Radio programs on Radio Maisha and can be reached via email omusdalafa@biovisionafrica.org.
Francis Maina is a Field Officer at Gilgil and can be reached via email fmaina@biovisionafrica.org.