A survey of gastrointestinal nematodes in organically raised calves in New Brunswick

WINDER, CHARLOTTE; FERNÁNDEZ, ALICIA SILVINA; PEREGRINE, ANDREW; MENZIES, PAULA

Jornada; OVC Animal Welfare Forum; 2005

Ontario Veterinary College Animal Welfare Club

This descriptive study characterizes the gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) levels in first-year grazing organic beef calves in the Maritimes. Three farms in New Brunswick were visited monthly during the grazing season to determine the patterns of GIN contamination through fecal egg counts. Peaks in faecal egg counts occurred early in the grazing season. Variations between farms were mainly attributed to different management practices. Although several genera of GIN were detected throughout the study, Ostertagia and Cooperia were the predominant ones.