# How do you know your pig has worms?



## "SPIKE" (Dec 7, 2011)

I guess I'm sure they all do, since they live in and eat the dirt.
Do you just treat them regularly?
If they all look health, do you just not worry about it?
With my goats I occasionally get a fecal sample tested, but have never read about testing pigs.

Just curious

SPIKE


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

[QUOTE="SPIKE";6259257]I guess I'm sure they all do, since they live in and eat the dirt.
Do you just treat them regularly?
If they all look health, do you just not worry about it?
With my goats I occasionally get a fecal sample tested, but have never read about testing pigs.

Just curious

SPIKE[/QUOTE]

I tread my pigs ever 6 mos. Never seen a worm yet. 
The new piglets i treat after a couple mos.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

Best way to know for sure is to do a fecal test. They're not hard to do yourself. But normally it isn't necessary. Some worm load is normal and I've read it is even symbiotic, providing nutrients the animals need. Zero parasite load is an unrealistic goal. With good care most healthy animals don't have a problem with some parasites. There are some parasites that are more of a problem.

I watch for skinny animals, lack of gain, bloated belly, white gums, hair coat poor, etc.

Our first defense against parasites is managed rotational grazing. That alone pretty much does the job. We also feed whey which most worms don't tolerate apparently due to the pH. Sometimes I feed powdered garlic which cleans worms out of the digestive system very effectively. A last resort is fenbendazole or ivermec. When bringing in new livestock those chemical dewormers are a first line of defense.

See:

Worms au Natural | Sugar Mountain Farm


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## joshf (Aug 14, 2012)

I had one that was sneezing all the time. The book that was recommended to me as well as an old timer I work with said that could be worms. After two doses of wormer ,no more sneezing and lots of worms in the manure.


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

Often times worms will pass in the manure. Sometimes not. A fecal test is more costly than a dose of ivermectin and ivermectin is more of a sure thing. 
Some may say that worms aren't bad, but they sure aren't good. The longer you wait, the more worms you'll have in your pastures. If you waid for outward ssigns of worms, the organs have already been damaged.

Pasture raised, organic fed, humanely cared for, pork from wormy pigs seems to me to be a hard sell.


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## ONG2 (Sep 22, 2010)

Spike

If the fecal sample tastes like black licorice you have some serious problems.


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

ONG2 said:


> Spike
> 
> If the fecal sample tastes like black licorice you have some serious problems.


Don't say that around your pigs or you may be in serious trouble.


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## Jan in CO (May 10, 2002)

Would you give the ivermectin orally as you can with goats, or by injection?


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## gerold (Jul 18, 2011)

Jan in CO said:


> Would you give the ivermectin orally as you can with goats, or by injection?


I put it on sliced bread. Either way will work. Easy for me to feed it to them.


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## joshf (Aug 14, 2012)

Jan in CO said:


> Would you give the ivermectin orally as you can with goats, or by injection?



We used some that was a gel in a syringe type thing. It tastes like apples and the pigs love it.


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## gabbyraja (Feb 27, 2012)

Thank you Highlands! I've been looking for that exact info. I've recently been watching the chickens raid the ashes of our burn pile, after leaving them alone all summer. And I put some charred logs in with the goats. They mostly rub on them, but I catch them nibbling now and again. I'll be buying garlic powder in bulk! (I've been giving the pigs garlic cloves with their slop, but wasn't sure how much or how often, and was pretty sure none of the other animals would willingly eat it, much less the cayenne)


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## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

gabbyraja said:


> Thank you Highlands! I've been looking for that exact info. I've recently been watching the chickens raid the ashes of our burn pile, after leaving them alone all summer. And I put some charred logs in with the goats. They mostly rub on them, but I catch them nibbling now and again. I'll be buying garlic powder in bulk! (I've been giving the pigs garlic cloves with their slop, but wasn't sure how much or how often, and was pretty sure none of the other animals would willingly eat it, much less the cayenne)


Your pigs and goats will have worms. Charcoal, cloves and garlic will not rid animals of parasites. IM not so HO.


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## "SPIKE" (Dec 7, 2011)

ONG2 said:


> Spike
> 
> If the fecal sample tastes like black licorice you have some serious problems.


OH MAN, THAT'S JUST WRONG!!!!!!:nono::rotfl:

SPIKE


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## "SPIKE" (Dec 7, 2011)

highlands said:


> *I watch for skinny animals, lack of gain, bloated belly, white gums, hair coat poor, etc.*Our first defense against parasites is managed rotational grazing. That alone pretty much does the job. We also feed whey which most worms don't tolerate apparently due to the pH. Sometimes I feed powdered garlic which cleans worms out of the digestive system very effectively. A last resort is fenbendazole or ivermec. When bringing in new livestock those chemical dewormers are a first line of defense.
> 
> See:
> 
> Worms au Natural | Sugar Mountain Farm


Thanks, I hoped I had been watching for the right signs of good health.

SPIKE


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