Influence of intensive rearing, continuous and rotational grazing systems of management on parasitic load of lambs

AIM: A trial was conducted to assess the influence of parasitic load on the lambs reared under the intensive system, continuous grazing, and rotational grazing systems of management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of thirty numbers of the undetermined breed of ewe lambs around 4-5 months of age were randomly selected and allotted to three treatment groups: T(1) (intensive system – control), T(2) (rotational grazing), and T(3) (continuous grazing). The T(1) group lambs were raised under a stall-fed system of management, the T(2) group lambs were grazed under rotational grazing strategy in four paddocks of plot-A, while the T(3) group lambs were continuously grazed in plot-B. RESULTS: At the end of the study, there was a highly significant difference (p=0.01) in the fortnightly strongyle egg count per gram (EPG) of feces among the lambs pertaining to the three treatment groups; the lambs in T(3) had a higher strongyle EPG compared to T(2) lambs. With regard to the overall reduction in EPG from the initial count, lambs under rotational grazing showed the maximum decrease of 54.52% compared to lambs under T(3) (continuous grazing). There was a strong positive correlation noticed between the mean temperature of the day at each fortnight and the subsequent EPG at each fortnight with R(2)=0.87. There was a strong positive correlation noticed between mean FAMACHA(©) scores and the EPG with R(2)=0.84, R(2)=0.83, and R(2)=0.83 for T(1), T(2), and T(3), respectively. CONCLUSION: The grazing management with pasture rotation should be considered as a viable option for sustainable parasitic control in case of grazing-dependent livestock husbandry in India.