The objective of this study was to examine the effect of different proportions of dried
sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) in the ration against the nematode Haemonchus contortus
in lambs. 24 lambs were allocated to 4 groups. Each group received 750 g barley
daily. Group KG received only hay, Group VG1 20 %, group VG2 50 % and group
VG3 80 % of sainfoin. Individual fecal egg count (FEC) and live weight were performed
weekly. All lambs were infected over the whole study period of 8 weeks with 100
larvae in each case three times a week. After the study period all lambs were slaughtered
for post mortem investigation.
The consumption of sainfoin hay over a period of 8 weeks was not associated with a
reduction in FEC or in live weight performance. These results demonstrate no nematocidal
effect of a tanniferous forage legume fed alone over 8 weeks against
H. contortus