Rangeland Ecology & Management

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 SCHINUS TEREBINTHIFOLIUS AND INDIGOFERA SUFFRUTICOSA POTENTIAL FOR REDUCING INTERNAL PARASITES IN GOATS
Author
Stevenson, Matthew
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2015
Body

Parasite resistance to anthelmintic drugs is a growing problem, especially in small ruminant operations in the tropics, leading to dramatically reduced profitability. Range goats readily eat both Schinus terebinthifolius and Indigoferra suffruticosa, and some Hawaii ranchers have identified these tropical plants as potentially having anthelmintic properties. Twenty-four variously crossed 6-7 month old goats averaging 18kg were randomly assigned to one of three groups: S. terebinthifolius supplement (SS), I. suffruticosa supplement (IS), and a control with a grass supplement (C). Parasite loads were estimated by fecal egg count on Day 1, Day 7, and Day 14 of the trial. Treatment feeds were cut and stored in a refrigerator for no more than 48-hours prior to offering. Goats were penned by treatment overnight then given access to supplements at 8:00 for two hours. Goats were then released to graze freely in grass dominated pasture. At 18:00 each day, goats were again penned overnight with access to water only. Owing to low intake rates of treatment supplements, starting on Day 8 goats were put in separate paddocks by group and allowed access to supplements all day. Intake increased but remained low overall. All groups maintained higher than 1,000 eggs per gram (EPG) during the trial, a level considered to require treatment with anthelmintics. Average EPG did not show a significant trend in any group. While not statistically significant, SS showed a decrease in average EPG from 3,800 to 1,600. Individuals varied greatly in both their supplement intake and EPG, and in the case of SS the two may be correlated. After attempting to determine the cause of poor intake of otherwise readily eaten forages, this study will be repeated with particular attention to S. terebinthifolius and with individual feeding stations to estimate dose responses in any effects.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Sacramento, CA