A simple but important skill to ensure your sheep are healthy

Babydoll ewe lambs ready to head to their new home

This weekend a couple of lambs born from our flock went to their new home, and while their new owners were here for pick up, I quickly showed them a simple skill that makes a huge difference in monitoring the health of lambs. It can be used with sheep of all ages, but is especially important for growing lambs and lactating ewes.

So what did I show them? It’s called FAMACHA scoring. The FAMACHA scale allows you to monitor your sheep for internal parasites and catch any changes early on, so you can focus on preventative care and use natural support for any sheep that are showing early signs of a parasite load, typically before you see more obvious signs such as weight loss.

What is FAMACHA?

The score is used because it indicates the level of anemia in sheep caused by blood-feeding parasites. By looking at the color of the sheep’s lower eyelid membrane (inside their eye), you can estimate how much of a parasite load she is carrying.

scoring your sheep

Score	Anemia Status	Action
1	No anaemia	No deworming, monitor
2	Acceptable, mild anaemia	Usually no deworming, recheck soon
3	Borderline	Deworm young, thin, pregnant, or if many in your flock score 3
4	Moderate anaemia, immediate attention needed	Deworm, support red blood cells, monitor recovery
5	Severe anaemia, critical attention needed	Deworm urgently, support red blood cells, contact vet

Rough idea of colors in the FAMACHA score card

How to Check Your Sheep

Checking only takes a few seconds and most of our sheep are very used to it and don’t “bat an eye” when we check them:

Hold your sheep’s head steady in one hand and gently push down with the thumb of your other hand below the eye, on the lower lid. You’ll see the lower lid turn out a bit and that will expose the mucous membrane.
Look at the color of the inner eyelid for red or dark pink. If you see pale pink or white, that sheep needs your help right away. You can get a FAMACHA chart to compare the colors.*
If you check your lambs weekly during the growing season, you should have plenty of time to help turn things around as soon as you see their color lighten.

*The chart above is a rough idea of coloring; if you want to do more formal scoring you can purchase (copyrighted) scoring cards and take a course for training in FAMACHA scoring.

Holistic Management

On our homestead, we don’t just monitor for parasites, we actively work to create an environment where parasites can’t thrive.

Multi-species rotational grazing: Moving animals away from an area where they have grazed (and pooped!) and giving that area a rest period means that the parasite eggs that hatch from the manure in that area will not find their way back into another sheep. Even better if a different species grazes that area before any sheep return, since internal parasites are generally species specific and they meet a dead end if ingested by a chicken or cattle.
Species appropriate nutrition: Sheep who are eating high-quality forage, drinking clean water, eating natural minerals and vitamins (like those found in kelp) are more able to handle a low-level parasite load without any ill effects.
Breeding goals and culling: This can be a hard one to face, especially when you have just a few beloved animals, but keep in mind that what you breed, you get more of. If an animal is consistently struggling with parasites despite your best efforts at good management, ideally you should not breed that animal.

What to expect

Don’t be discouraged if you see a range of scores in your flock. Each sheep has an individual makeup but by incorporating FAMACHA scoring into your weekly routine, you can shift from risking reacting to a problem that’s far along, to proactively stopping parasites before they become a serious concern. Your careful observation of your sheep is the most important part of keeping them well and making your homestead a success. I hope you found this helpful, and that you will add checking FAMACHA scores to your weekly chores!