Effects of Sainfoin Hay on Gastrointestinal Infection with Nematodes in Goats

Due to development of resistances to broad spectrum anthelmintics in parasitic nematodes combined with the increasing demand of public to reduce the use of chemicals in farm products, there is nowadays a growing interest to seek alternative, sustainable methods to control gastrointestinal trichostrongyles in ruminants. Among the different options, the positive effects of condensed tannins in parasitised hosts begin to be well documented in sheep (Athanasiadou and others, 2000a, 2000b; Niezen and others, 1998a,1998b). In contrast, data in goats are far less extensive (Kabasa and others, 2000). The consequences of ingestion of tannins on resistance and/or resilience of ruminants have been examined either in grazing conditions with tanniferous forages or indoors by feeding sheep with Quebracho, a natural substance with high concentrations of tannins. Surprisingly, studies on the possible use of dry forages (hay) as possible source of condensed tannins are lacking despite the advantages which could be associated with this option for distribution in farms. We therefore present preliminary results on the effects of sainfoin hay on gastrointestinal parasitism in naturally infected dairy goats.