Feeding Facts

Coccidia:

Prevention is the Key

Coccidia can be a problem in most livestock species. Coccidiosis is caused by a group of single-celled protozoa that are found in the environment. Some are harmful and some are not. Coccidia strains are typically species-specific, though there is some limited crossover between sheep and goats. Some level of coccidia is almost always present in most herds or flocks.

Almost all animals carry coccidia and it is generally passed from animal to animal through manure. Some animals, especially goats, like to climb into feed troughs and that process contaminates feed or water sources and spreads the coccidia to younger animals who are more likely to have issues with coccidia.

There are several options for preventing coccidia but the most used are feed-through products that try to prevent coccidia outbreaks rather than treating after problems arise. Bovatec, Deccox and Rumensin are all good options for preventing coccidia in ruminant animals and one of those along with general sanitation

around feeders and in barns will go a long way in having success.

There are several things to keep in mind when you are looking for a feed with a coccidiostat. First, Deccox is labeled for cattle, sheep and goats whereas Bovatec is only labeled for cattle and sheep and Rumensin is only labeled for cattle and goats. With the lack of cross-specie labeling on the two ionophores, Rumensin and Bovatec, we have to be careful about which one we feed to the small ruminants.

One commonly asked question is when do you need to think about feeding a medicated feed that contains a coccidiostat. Some people tend to feed those type feeds year-round and while feeding one feed all the time is easy, it may not make sense when trying to prevent coccidia. Several articles on the subject actually caution against feeding these type feeds continuously; that generally is not a problem as we tend to graze our ruminants for a significant part of the year without feeding any feeds and that meets those criteria.

Most feed through coccidiostats tend to take a few weeks to be fully effective so one good strategic way to utilize them is to start feeding them three to four weeks before your herd or flock begins to give birth. This theoretically will lower the amount of coccidia in the mother and significantly lower the amount that the younger animals will take in. It is sound thinking and any time that you can cut down exposure to parasites it tends to pay off in the long run.

Another option is to begin feeding a medicated creep feed to the offspring as early as you can get

them to eat. Doing so will help them fight off any coccidia they ingest and prevent serious problems as they grow and eventually develop some resistance to the coccidia themselves especially in sheep. Either way you go, whether you normally have issues with coccidia, or your animals have levels so low that they don’t cause noticeable issues, there is most likely to be enough coccidia present to reduce production and a feed-through type coccidiostat will almost always add enough production to more than pay for the inclusion in the feed. Both Bovatec and Rumensin will proSome animals, especially goats, like to climb into feed troughs and that process contaminates feed or water sources and spreads the coccidia to younger animals who are more likely to have duce some other advantanges by making your animals more energy efficient and add issues with coccidia. dollars to your bottom line in multiple ways. So to recap, cleanliness is important. Feeding your females a feed-through coccidiostat for around a month before and after giving birth will more than pay for itself. Making sure that you choose a creep feed with a coccidiostat will get your young animals off to a better start and add dollars to your bottom line.