Ticks, Mange and External Parasites in Sheep and Goats

External parasites in sheep and goats are mainly ticks, mange mites, lice, keds and flies. They cause itching, wool and hair loss, damaged skins, anaemia, weight loss and, in the case of ticks, serious blood diseases. Control works best when you inspect animals regularly, identify the parasite with your vet, treat the whole affected group with the right product and method, respect withdrawal periods and clean the pens.

External parasites are easy to underestimate because they rarely kill quickly. But a herd that scratches all day eats less, grows less and sells for less, and some ticks carry diseases that can also affect people. A clear plan beats random spraying.

The main external parasites and what they do

Goats tend to suffer more from mange and lice; sheep with heavy fleece are more exposed to sheep scab, keds and fly strike. Exact parasites vary by region, so confirm with your vet, especially for mange, where a skin scraping under the microscope tells mite types apart.

Ticks and tick-borne diseases

Ticks do more than suck blood. Depending on the region, they can transmit diseases such as:

• Heartwater (in much of Sub-Saharan Africa): fever, nervous signs and sudden death in sheep and goats.
• Blood parasites such as anaplasmosis, babesiosis and theileriosis: fever, anaemia, jaundice, weakness.
• Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF): carried by some ticks in parts of the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Animals usually show no signs, but the virus is dangerous to people.

Practical tick rules:

• Inspect ears, udder, tail base, groin and between the legs, especially in warm and wet seasons.
• Never crush ticks with bare hands. Wear gloves when removing ticks or handling animals during slaughter, and wash hands well. This matters for CCHF.
• Keep grass and bushes around pens short, seal cracks in walls where ticks hide, and keep new animals in quarantine until checked.

Mange: catch it early

Mange spreads by contact and through shared rubbing posts, walls and equipment. It starts small: a scratching goat, a crusty patch on the ear, an animal biting its flank. Left alone, it spreads through the herd and can reduce skins and wool to worthless.

What to do when you see mange signs:

1. Isolate the affected animal and the ones it lives with.
2. Ask the vet to confirm the mite type with a skin scraping. Treatment choice depends on it.
3. Treat all contact animals, not only the visibly sick ones. Mites hide in animals that do not yet show lesions.
4. Repeat treatment as the vet instructs. Many products do not kill eggs, so a single treatment often fails.
5. Clean the environment: scrape rubbing posts, clean feeders and walls, and do not reuse untreated equipment.

People handling mangy animals, especially with sarcoptic mange, should wear gloves and wash well, as these mites can cause itching in humans.

Treatment methods: choose with your vet

Products for external parasites come in several forms: pour-ons, sprays, dips and some injectables. Each has strengths and limits:

• Pour-ons and spot-ons are easy to apply but must be placed correctly and suit the parasite.
• Sprays and hand washes need good coverage of the whole body, including under the belly and between the legs.
• Dips give full coverage for heavy fleeces and mange but need careful handling and safe disposal of the dip liquid.
• Injectable products act on some mites and internal parasites but not on all external ones.

Rules that apply whatever you use:

• Choose the product and method with your vet, based on the confirmed parasite.
• Weigh animals or estimate weights carefully and follow the label exactly.
• Respect meat and milk withdrawal periods before selling or slaughtering, especially close to Eid.
• Wear protective gloves and clothing; many products are toxic to people and to fish and bees, so never rinse equipment into water sources.
• Treat the whole affected group at the same time, and record it.

Avoid using the same product family again and again without checking results. Ticks, lice and flies can become resistant just like worms, as explained in our deworming program guide.

Prevention routine for the year

• Weekly visual check: scratching, wool or hair loss, crusts, ticks on key body areas.
• Quarantine every new animal for about 3 weeks and inspect it closely before mixing; see quarantining new animals.
• Seasonal plan: agree with your vet on extra checks before tick season, before winter for lice, and around shearing.
• Fly control: keep back ends clean, treat wounds quickly, remove manure and wet feed that attract flies.
• Good nutrition: thin, stressed animals carry more lice and mites.

Recording treatments in practice

When several groups are treated on different dates with different products, it is easy to lose track of who was treated, who needs a repeat and when the withdrawal period ends.

In Throf, each external parasite treatment is recorded per animal or group as a treatment, with product, date and notes. You can set a reminder for the repeat treatment the vet asked for, place mangy animals in isolation status so workers keep them apart, and check each animal's health history before selling. Over time, the records show which pens and seasons bring the most trouble.

The short version

Look before you spray. Inspect regularly, confirm the parasite with your vet, treat the whole affected group with the right method, repeat when needed, respect withdrawal periods and protect yourself from ticks. Clean pens and good records keep external parasites from coming back.