Sheep parasite management practices for the last 50 years were based on the assumption that such an environment would result in a field full of dead sheep. Instead, his research seems to indicate that the St. Croix sheep utilize an immune response in which local inflammation successfully counteracts the parasites. Most importantly, subsequent blood tests indicated almost no anemia. This was startling news.So, do we all need to buy St. Croix sheep, or crossbreed our own animals to this breed? Probably not. St. Croix produce lighter-muscled, lower-weight carcasses with kempy pelts. While a St. Croix crossbreeding dose may be identified in the future, it seems we can all learn from the breed without having to utilize their bloodlines.Bowdridges research appears to show that early exposure of lambs to intestional worms seems to prime the animals immune system to respond to them. Thats where the immunomodulation comes in, and its just like children who play in the dirt grow up to be healthier adults. Therefore, all the good years when the regular use of dewormers seemed to control worm populations, we were achieving two unintended consequences -- ever-stronger intestional worms and sheep with ever-weaker immune systems.
