I was looking for hay on Craigslist, and saw this:
Sericea lespedeza hay - $3 (Red Boiling Springs, TN)
Date: 2011-09-03, 4:17PM CDT
Reply to: sale-mttub-2580721951@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Sericea hay for sale, this is good goat quality hay, Sericea is a natural dewormer for goats and sheep. It might work well for other livestock too.
3.00 per bale
615-388-2616
- Location: Red Boiling Springs, TN
- it's ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Curious as to how healthy this hay would be for goats, I did a quick search online. I found out 2 things: Sericea lespedeza is considered a noxious, invasive weed in some Great Plains states, but Auburn University (Alabama) found that it is useful in helping control gastro-intestinal nematodes in goats (see paper below). Since I already considered lespedeza a good goat hay, I may get some and try it out this winter!
Sericea Lespedeza, an Anthelmintic Plant for Goats with Great
Potential in Pasture Renovation and in Pure Stands
J.A. Mosjidis1, T.H. Terrill2, S.A. Shaik2, J.E. Miller3,
B. Kouakou2, and G. Kannan2
1
Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, GA, USA
3
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
2
Infection with gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), particularly Haemonchus contortus, is a major limiting
factor to economic goat production in the southern USA. Recent reports (3)indicate that anthelmintic resistance
in goats has become highly prevalent in the southern USA. Grazing forages high in tannins has been shown to
reduce number of parasite eggs in sheep and goat feces in a number of studies (1,2).
Research on the effect of sericea lespedeza forage on GIN in goats (2) has shown that animal grazing on
sericea lespedeza alone or grazing on sericea lespedeza alternating every 2 weeks with fescue-crabgrass
reduced total fecal egg output based on FEC (parasite eggs per gram of feces) and fecal output, rate of larva
development (larvae per 10g of feces), and animal worm burden compared to those animal grazing on crabgrass
alone. These results suggest that grazing a sericea lespedeza cultivar such as AU Grazer or including it in
pasture renovation may result on reduced contamination of pastures from GIN larvae.
The anthelmintic potential of sericea lespedeza hay was evaluated in an 8-week feeding trial with goats.
After 3 weeks grazing, 20 yearling Spanish-cross does were moved to pens and fed either ground sericea or
bermudagrass hay diets balanced for crude protein and energy with a small amount of supplement. All 20 does
were fed the bermudagrass diet for a 1-week adjustment, after which 10 animals were switched to the sericea
diet for 4 weeks (experimental period). All the does were then fed the bermudagrass for an additional 3 weeks.
Throughout the trial, parasite eggs was determined weekly for each doe. Egg shedding (ES) was similar
between the two groups during the 3-week adjustment period, significantly lower (P < 0.05) in sericea-fed goats
during the 4-week experimental period, and not different during the 3-week post-trial period. Feeding sericea
lespedeza hay to goats reduced nematode ES and may have potential to reduce pasture contamination from GIN
larvae.
1. Athanasiadou, S., I. Dyriazakis, F. Jackson, and R.L. Coop, 2000. Consequences of long-term feeding with
condensed tannins on sheep parasitized with T. colubriformis. Int. J. Parasitol. 30:1025-1033.
2. Min, B. R., W. E. Pomroy, S. P. Hart, T. Sahlu. 2004. The effect of short-term consumption of a forage
containing condensed tannins on gastro-intestinal nematode parasite infections in grazing wether goats. Small
Ruminant Res. 51:279-283.
3. Mortensen, L.L., L.H. Williamson, T.H. Terrill, R.A. Kircher, M. Larsen, and R.M. Kaplan, 2003. Evaluation
of prevalence and clinical implications of anthelmintic resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes in goats.
JAVMA 223:495-500.