Worm control practices on sheep farms in the Slovak Republic.
A questionnaire to obtain information on worm control practices and sheep management was performed on 49 sheep farms in 2003 and 2004. The majority of Slovak farms kept native breeds Tsigai (22 farms) and Improved Valachian (14 farms). Farms were divided according to their altitude to lowland, upland and lower highland farms. Sizes of pastures and stocking rates for lowland, upland and lower highland farms were 81.5, 269.2, and 316.7 ha and 6.3, 2.6, and 2.9 sheep/ha, respectively. One third of farmers (33.3%) used permanent pastures and two thirds of breeders (66.7%) rotated sheep between pastures. Mean drenching rate for lambs and yearlings/adults was 1.76 and 1.70, respectively. The most frequently used drugs during period from 1999 to 2004 were albendazole and ivermectin. On 13 farms benzimidazole drugs were applied in spring before turn out and macrocyclic lactones in autumn before turn in. Benzimidazoles and macrocyclic lactones were used almost exclusively on 7 and 9 farms, respectively. Visual appraisal was the most common practice to determine weight of animals (87.8% of farmers). Weights of the heaviest animals were used for determination of anthelmintic doses only on 16.7% of farms. Coprological examinations were performed on 47.9% of farms, usually in frequency once per year (75%).
Cernanská
Dana
D
Parasitological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 040 01 Kosice, Slovak Republic. cernanska@saske.sk
Várady
Marián
M
Cudeková
Patrícia
P
Corba
Július
J
D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006374:Helminthiasis, Animal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018154:Slovakia / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000871:Anthelmintics