With the pheasant breeding season now underway, ensuring bird health is not impaired by worm infestations is critical to achieving a successful crop of poults for rearing. This warning comes from Janssen Animal Health’s Phil Macdonald who says the warmer weather of spring will only make the worm infestation problem worse.
’Warmth increases the number of infective eggs of the various parasitic worms that can harm game birds,’ he says. ’The importance of regular, strategic worming treatments was confirmed in a study by SAC Veterinary Science Division more than a decade ago into the causes of mortality and culling of adult pheasants.’
Phil Macdonald, pig and poultry business manager, says breeding birds will benefit from treatments on entry to wintering pens and before being placed in laying pens. ’They may need several treatments during lay, especially if the laying pens have been used for many years.’ This can be done without any concerns regarding egg laying and hatchability.
Trials have shown that treatment with Flubenvet, the only licenced wormer available to the industry, is effective against all the worm species of major economic importance in game bird production. These include gapeworms (Syngamus trachea), caecal worm (Heterakis gallinarum), large roundworm (Ascaridia galli) and hairworm (Capillaria spp).
Dealing with worm eggs in the birds’ environment, as well as worms in the birds, is critical to keeping infestation levels low and producing healthier game, he warns. ’There are almost endless potential sources of infection, from faeces of other game birds and wild birds, and also from eating earthworms, and other invertebrates, which can carry intermediate stages of some worm species.’
Good planning and management are keys to the success of beating worm infestation, he says. ’’As well as trying to ensure availability of clean pens put a strategic worming programme in place, where the timing of treatment breaks the life-cycle of worms, and treat with a licenced anthelmintic such as Flubenvet from Janssen Animal Health.
’This ensures you get the job done and help to provide healthy, robust birds for rearing.’