Pigs and worms

Stonehead · Post: # 35918Post **Stonehead** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 5:10 pm

As a few other people have pigs or are considering pigs, I thought it's worth pointing out that you should worm pigs on arrival on your holding.

I do this as a matter of course, and this has just paid off with our latest weaners that arrived a week ago.

They were in good shape and well looked after, if perhaps slightly small for their age. However, I've just fed the pigs and done the usual dropping inspection (one of the joys of pig husbandry), and found dead adult ascarid worms in the most recent.

As well as stunting growth, worms lead to other health problems (and can be lethal). They can also result in the meat from your pigs being declared unfit for human consumption.

If you're using organic methods, then you shouldn't practice unneccessary worming, but I think worming on arrival is a good idea as is keeping your new pigs separated from your exisiting herd until a few weeks have passed.

It's also worth worming a sow a week before she farrows, as worms can kill piglets very quickly.

PurpleDragon · Sat Oct 07, 2006 8:19 am

I think this goes for all livestock, Stonehead. I lost a hen to worms being ignorant of the fact that you have to worm them - base stupidity because I know I have to worm my cats

pamplemousse · Wed Oct 18, 2006 8:57 pm

Definately good practice to worm all, expecially new arrivals.
If people are interested in non-chemically wormers, you can get an effective liquid wormer called Multiworm for all animals. It fits in well with organic farming and doesn't affect the watercourses at all as its made of herbal stuff. Its made by a company called Science with Nature and I used it on my horse, as us horsey people are particularly fussy about worms I also get samples sent off to analyse its effectiveness - it works brilliantly!

hedgewizard · Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:09 am

I have nothing to contribute to this, other than the memory of Nixon (fat ginger cat currently asleep on my shirt for tomorrow) arriving as a kitten, so full of worms it looked like he'd swallowed a tennis ball. One dose of wormer and two days later, he was kitten shaped again...