It raises a question about a bigger philosophical issue, too. If a person lives in a geographical area where worm load is more of a problem, and if the only way to keep Blackbelly sheep healthy there is to routinely deworm, then is that person helping the breed by persistently raising an animal in an area in which it cannot naturally thrive?
So many people overmedicate Blackbellies either because
--they have raised wooled sheep and don't know any other way to do it.
--they read in a book that the "right" way to raise sheep is to regularly worm and give CBT and other vaccinations and they do not want to be negligent.
--everyone else in the area worms and vaccinates their sheep and the new Blackbelly breeder thinks this is the correct way to do things.
--they know that they live in an area with bad worm infestation and the only way they can keep their Blackbellies alive is to worm them.
Is it better to have a larger population of weak sheep or a very small population of very hardy sheep?
Carol
At 08:02 AM 11/24/2003 -0700, you wrote:
Many of you on this list have heard me get on my soap box about leaving the breed alone. It is my belief that the more we interfere with them the weaker their natural defenses to sickness and parasites becomes.
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