Too many worming options...HELP!

[johnpham01]

Dad of a 2nd year 4h'er here looking for some help. I have spoken with feed reps, drug reps, local feed mills, and area pork producers about the best and easiest way(s) to deworm our hogs. Since they are 4H projects, most of us only have a few hogs and for only a few months. It seems the most common wormer, Safeguard, isn't too species specific but that seems to create so much confusion! mg/lb is hard to measure when you only have a few pigs. I found that the Safe-Guard 1.8% Swine Scoop Dewormer may be the most user friendly when it comes to the dosage instructions but I still would like something more user friendly, if it exists! "Single-serving" packs, chewable tablets, gelcaps; do they exist? What about the Safeguard paste? I can only find it for horses and cattle...can this be used on swine? If so, how does the dosing need to be adjusted?

I hope there is some conversation based on my post; I'd really like to hear everything! I feel like such a rookie when I read this forum because you all sound like 25 yr veterans of the hog industry!

[mtbkmom]

It is really hard to figure the correct safeguard dose for pigs using the paste and then pasting in that amount is a nightmare. The 100/200 lb markers on the paste are for the bigger livestock dosing, not for pigs. Pigs get far less and harder for me to figure.

The swine scoop.

400lbs: 30 gms (measured the scoop on kitchen scale)
300lbs: 22.5 gms/2.25 tablespoons---wouldn't worry about a little more...make it easy just measure 2.5 tbsp.
250lbs: 18.75/1.5 tbsp. plus 1 tsp
200lbs: 15 gms/1.5 tablespoons
100lbs: 7.5gms/.75 tablespoons

I just took the amount of grams for each weight of pig, weighed it out on our little kitchen gram scale, and got my kitchen measuring spoons and figured how many tablespoons that amount is equal to. Once you do this, put it on a card and throw the card in your bucket for future reference. Too easy. I figure a little rounding up won't hurt since it is top dressed and I am sure they don't get every crumb of Safeguard I throw on top.

From this you can just ballpark...like 225 is 1.5 tbsp. plus 1/2 tsp....there abouts. I always figure a little up vs possibly down again because I am top dressing and not pasting.

I put the measured amounts into 3 separate baggies for each pig with their names on it before I start my 3 days of deworming.....that way all pigs have their 3 bags with their measured amount in their baggie done. Will say I don't like stopping and measuring and fussing with each pig for each day for 3 days. This way I can sit down in my living room the evening before and watch a Spurs basketball game and have it all set up without too much trouble.

[midwest77]

My feed mill made it as easy as possible. For my showpigs, they had a feed that had dewormer in it. Got the job done, never saw worms and the pigs didn't los a step. For my gilts/sows they would measure it out for me. I tell them how many I need them for and they would have it measured out for feeding. Have to say I'm lucky. Hopefully you can find something that works well for you.

[Piggy]

There is not much out there for pigs since they took one of the best wormers off the market after 25 years. There is Safeguard and Ivermectin. PERIOD. Nothing else works. We use both and rotate them. Tractor Supply has small amounts of Fenbendazole, i.e, safeguard. Also you can get small bottle of ivermectin, ie. ivomec. maybe your vet will give you enough for just your pigs. You inject ivemec or can be given orally. Rotate your wormers and worm approx. every 30 days. Good luck.

[octanemule]

I know nobody looks at this board anymore but I'm going to try anyway. For an injectable dewormer like Dectomax what guage and length of needle?