Drench: oral medicine for sheep and cattle
A drench is a liquid medicine given to livestock by mouth, usually an anthelmintic, or wormer, for sheep and cattle. Farmers commonly use the term in New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. For each treatment, note the animals' group and weight, the product and the dose given.
How do you plan drenching?
Drenching plans depend on the animals' age, pasture conditions and worm risk. Weighing a sample of the group helps establish body weight for dosing. For example, when lambs receive a weight-based drench at weaning, note the product, treatment date and average weight so you can check their treatment history later.
What should you note after drenching?
Note the product name, dose given, date, animals treated and any results from drench resistance tests. Keeping these details helps you choose a suitable product next season.
Questions from the farm
Why weigh animals before drenching?
Drench doses depend on body weight, so weighing helps establish the right amount of product. Weighing a sample also lets you check whether the group is gaining weight as expected.
Is a drench the same as a wormer?
A drench describes how medicine is given: as a liquid by mouth. A wormer treats worms and may also come as a paste, bolus or injection.
How HerdMobile helps
Bring your animals, feed stocks and farm accounts together on your Android phone. HerdMobile keeps your daily work moving offline: record events, compare feed quantities and follow sales and payments in one place. Use your own feeds and herd information to prepare a ration, then keep a backup file under your control.
Use HerdMobile to keep track of drenching for each group, including the product and date, so you can easily check which animals were treated and when.
