REFUGIA AND FAMACHA

These words have become more and more popular in goat publications.  So what do they
mean?  FAMACHA is the system of checking the mucous membranes (inside the eyelids) of
the goat to determine the level of anemia the animal has.  REFUGIA is the plural of refugium,
and essentially means “refugee”.  In the goat world it refers to the parasites that have
managed to miss out on chemical treatment, they are “refugees” of dewormer medication.  
It would seem refugia is what you would not want in your goats.  However, recently this notion
has been reconsidered.  Let me explain.
Worming a goat is not 100% effective.  Some of the parasites within a goat’s system manage
to survive the poison.  These are not the refugia, they are the survivors that are resistant to the
medication.  This is bad.  These guys begin to repopulate your goat’s system with the same
resistance that helped them survive.  Overtime, as we know, your goats’ parasites are 100%
resistant to the medication and you must move on to another kind of medicine.  We all realize
where this is headed: eventually we will run out of medications (as is the case in many
southern states and most of Africa).
So where do the refugia come in?  Well, they are the ones that are still in larval form out in
your pasture and in the goats that were not treated.  These guys start hanging out with the
resistant guys and the next generation of parasites should have weaker resistance.  Now
obviously this is not a cure-all situation.  Using refugia to our advantage only delays the
resistance process, but it will not eliminate it.
So how do we use refugia to our advantage?  Here is where FAMACHA and many other
forms of management practices come in.  Keep in mind that we still want the overall worm
count in our herd to be at a minimum, we just want to try to keep the refugia outnumbering the
resistance.  Here are some practices you can consider:  

•     20% of the herd is usually carrying 80% of the parasites.  Identify these goats and worm  
them, and ONLY them.  FAMACHA will give a pretty good indication who these goats are, but
fecal counts provide exact information.  Remember:  FAMACHA only indicates the level of
anemia caused by the barber pole worm.  Regularly checking the fecals will catch most of the
other guys.
•     Avoid (as much as possible) worming more than a third of the animals in a class of goats
(kids, yearlings, pregnant and lactating does, etc.) at one time.  This way two thirds of your
goats are carrying the refugia.  
•     Up to 95% of the parasite population could be on the pasture.  This is where overall
numbers can be attacked.  Start a pasture rotation program, never allow the goats to graze
on pasture that is lower than 3” tall, avoid letting the animals graze on wet pasture, and allow
other species to graze the pastures that the goats have just left.
•     Declare war on the resistant parasites.  Make sure the medication is being used
properly.  If possible, keep the goats off feed prior to worming.  Cull the goats that continually
require worming.
•     Don’t forget your allies in this war:  the goats.  Goats are incredibly resilient animals.  If
they are strong, healthy, and have good genetics, they have the ability to suppress the worms
in their systems.  Keeping the goats healthy and strong is just as beneficial to keeping the
parasite numbers down as any other program used.  (In fact one study indicated that this
management procedure provided the BEST form of parasite defense.)

If you decide to use FAMACHA please find someone that is certified to teach you (contact
your vet for more information).  Please do not implement any new program on your farm
without consulting your vet first.  
This material is provided in good faith for information purposes only, and I do not accept any
liability to any person for actions taken as a result of the information or advice (or the use of
such information or advice) provided in these pages.
Parasite Management
Sleepy Z Goat Farm

Hastings, Michigan
Call:  (269) 945-6247
email:  sleepyz@mei.net
I am not a vet.  I am only a goat farmer sharing my experiences and the things
that I have learned along the way.  NEVER believe or use anything you find on
the Internet without first speaking with a LOCAL professional that you trust.