[Observations on the effect of some measures for preventing gastrointestinal helminth infections in sheep]

Prophylactic anthelmintic treatment of ewes about parturition has only a negligible effects on the most important species of helminths when the ewes and their lambs are not grazed on clean pasture. Haemonchus contortus infections were completely prevented in some cases but usually severe infections occurred. As the build-up of these heavy infections in lambs was slightly delayed in comparison with that in the lambs of untreated ewes, treatment about parturition should still be regarded as useful. Treatment of lambs at the time of weaning combined with moving the animals to a clean pasture is a useful though not entirely effective preventive measure. Particularly when the lambs continue to stay on the farm, they have to be moved to clean pasture and/or treated with anthelmintics more frequently.