LIVESTOCK
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greater resistance to parasites. Those who demonstrate greater vulnerability to infestations should not be part of your breeding programmes. As Bath states,“ The motto must be‘ Stop Selecting Sissy Sheep!’” Good nutrition, especially protein and trace elements, are needed to support the sheep ' s resistance, resilience and immunity. But one also needs to ensure enough exposure to worms for immunity to develop. Quarantine procedures must be in place when animals are brought in from elsewhere so that worms are not introduced to the farm at the same time. As part of a“ sustainable and holistic integrated parasite management( shIPM)”, you will need to lay in supplies of medications for each of the parasites that you are able to identify. Ask your vet for advice on what is particularly common in your area. They most often come in the form of a drench, which is a liquid form of medicine that you administer through the mouth of the animal. Often one medicine will target more than one parasite, particularly the worms. Read the label, follow instructions and check the spectrum covered. Common parasite remedies available in Gauteng have one or more of four active ingredients. The names are long and to make choosing easier they have each been assigned a number, which is displayed in the top right hand corner of the bottle label: 1 = Ivermectin, a macrocyclic lactone; 2 = Albandazole; 3 = Imidothiazole; 4 = Salicylimide. Some drenches have more than one active ingredient, denoted by two numbers in
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