Influence of intensive rearing, continuous and rotational grazing systems of management on parasitic load of lambs

• Main Authors: M. S. Ram Prasad, S. Meenakshi Sundaram, P. Tensingh Gnanaraj, C. Bandeswaran, T. J. Harikrishnan, T. Sivakumar, P. Azhahiannambi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Veterinary World 2019-08-01
• Series: Veterinary World
• Subjects: ewe lambs; FAMACHA® scores; grazing systems; parasitic load
• Online Access: http://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.12/August-2019/3.pdf

Aim: A trial was conducted to assess the influence of parasitic load on the lambs reared under the intensive system, continuous grazing, and rotational grazing systems of management. Materials and Methods: A total of thirty numbers of the undetermined breed of ewe lambs around 4-5 months of age were randomly selected and allotted to three treatment groups: T1 (intensive system - control), T2 (rotational grazing), and T3 (continuous grazing). The T1 group lambs were raised under a stall-fed system of management, the T2 group lambs were grazed under rotational grazing strategy in four paddocks of plot-A, while the T3 group lambs were continuously grazed in plot-B. Results: At the end of the study, there was a highly significant difference (p=0.01) in the fortnightly strongyle egg count per gram (EPG) of feces among the lambs pertaining to the three treatment groups; the lambs in T3 had a higher strongyle EPG compared to T2 lambs. With regard to the overall reduction in EPG from the initial count, lambs under rotational grazing showed the maximum decrease of 54.52% compared to lambs under T3 (continuous grazing). There was a strong positive correlation noticed between the mean temperature of the day at each fortnight and the subsequent EPG at each fortnight with R2=0.87. There was a strong positive correlation noticed between mean FAMACHA® scores and the EPG with R2=0.84, R2=0.83, and R2=0.83 for T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Conclusion: The grazing management with pasture rotation should be considered as a viable option for sustainable parasitic control in case of grazing-dependent livestock husbandry in India.