Parasite Life Cycles

I'm wondering if anyone here can clear up a question I have about internal parasites. I understand that part of the life cycle is releasing eggs, which then hatch, and eventually reinfect the goats via fecal-oral transmission. For this reason, rotating pastures and keeping the plants 6" or higher helps prevent goats from ingesting more parasites.

But what happens to the adult worms that are laying the eggs? Do they ever die on their own accord from old age? If a goat has a moderate infestation of adult parasites, but is continuously rotated and does not reinfect itself, will its parasite load start to come down without being dewormed?

I'd love to read any studies or resources you might know of that discusses that in depth. All I can find just talks about the reproductive, re-infestation part...not what happens to Grandma and Grandpa Worm when they get old.

Also, happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there! At least, the non-parasitic mothers. ;)

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  • Yes, old worms die and are shed in the poop, so the worm count can go down if a goat is not continually re-ingesting new larvae all the time. The mature worms are so small that you don't see them with the naked eye. For all the latest research on parasites, check out this website:

    http://www.wormx.info/

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