So many Shepherds have dealt with fighting Barberpole worm over the last years and more then most have seen on their farms in several years. The weather plays a major part of parasite problems. 

I have done some research on natural ways to help in reducing the parasite issues and some breeders have had great success with some methods when it hasn’t worked out well for others. 

After researching for sometime I decided it was time to try some other ways to maintain the health of the lambs early on in their life.

All sheep have parasites and when put under stressful times these nasty beasts appear before we even notice it and usually after it’s too late. Yes, we all do the FAMACHA test but that isn’t always accurate as that can change in a flash. 

So I asked myself how can these lambs be stressed in the environment that they are so use to daily. Happy lambs with good food, clean housing, and their mammas that produce great milk for them. 

Lambs immune systems don’t kick in early on so they are much more susceptible to issues with parasites. Feed is important as it helps in their development and by feeding more grains they can fight off more issues with parasites as their systems are much stronger. 

My husband told me early on that “you can feed your way out of a worm problem but you can’t worm your way out of a feed problem.” So one thing that is important is to feed your lambs a high protein grain along with good quality hay and of course minerals but was that enough!

As I researched I started to read about cobalt deficiency in lambs. 

I found that in many areas that our soils are deficient. Your hay may look great however if the soil is deficient in minerals needed by the lambs it can play over in start to show up in weaker less thriving lambs.

As I continued to research I found that sheep and especially lambs need cobalt in their diets in order to integrate vitamin B Complex into their systems.  Vitamin B Complex is essential for energy metabolism and the production of red blood cells (this was the key that made me really start to think). 

Further research led me to understand that without the B Complex that lambs were more susceptible to lowering their immune systems which in turn cause stress levels to rise. Stress levels elevated causes the parasites to become much more active and that in turn causes the red blood cells to to become a big issue.

I think once I read that the red blood cell levels rise significantly that’s when I realized that B Complex may play a major role in the problems Breeders are having with controlling the parasites.

Research suggests that we start to give B Complex injections at 4 weeks and continue every two weeks until the lambs are four months old. 

We want to start the B Complex as their immune system starts to become active. We need to make certain that we provide the B Complex in these important few months of their lives. The lambs have stresses. They compete for feed, they are slowly being weaned by their own mothers and placed on new pastures were they are more susceptible to picking up those bad worms over and over again and trying to keep up with the flock. 

B Complex is harmless to a lamb. You cannot overdose them on it yet it’s essential for their health. 

B Complex is manufactured through micro-organisms in the rumen (the first stomach). At times lambs will show signs of this deficiency through low growth and at times diarrhea which causes issues with the absorption of B Complex.

After speaking to one of our great veterinarians he assured me that B Complex is vitally important in lambs and sheep in general. His advice was to give the injections every two weeks during those informative months that are critical in their survival. 

So consider the findings and if the lambs are stressed, low in a specific vitamin (B12), when their systems are compromised even in the least it can cause low red blood cell counts and bring out the parasites which will cause anemia and ultimately death can occur. 

We have use B Complex on all of our lambs to test this finding. 

As mentioned B Complex is not harmful, it’s a natural way to help the immune system. We want to attempt to stray away from the dewormers as much as possible. 

This research had opened my eyes and the combination of events through the stress is so obvious to me now on how it effects the lambs and at times the adults as well.