Why and How To Do FAMACHA Scoring Information

Improving Small Ruminant Parasite Control in New England
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (LNE10-300)

Why and How To Do FAMACHA© Scoring
Use of the FAMACHA© system allows small ruminant producers to make deworming decisions
based on an estimate of the the level of anemia in sheep and goats associated with barber pole
worm (Haemonchus contortus) infection.

Figure 1. Barber pole worm
(Haemonchus contortus)

The barber pole worm (Figure 1) is the most economically
important parasite affecting sheep and goat production on
pasture and the most common cause of anemia during the
grazing season in most of the U.S. It has a small “tooth” that
lacerates the animal’s stomach (abomasum) wall, and it feeds
on the blood that is released. This can result in anemia,
(reduction below normal in the number of red cells in the
blood) and in severe cases, death.

The FAMACHA© card, developed in South Africa, was
introduced to the U.S. by the American Consortium for Small
Ruminant Parasite Control (www.acsrpc.org). It is a tool that
matches the color of the eye mucous membranes of small
ruminants with a laminated color chart showing 5 color
categories that correspond to different levels of anemia.
Category 1 represents “not anemic” with category 5
representing “severely anemic.”
The FAMACHA© system uses the scores determined with
the card to identify and selectively deworm sheep and goats
with anemia. Selective deworming minimizes drug use and
slows the development of drug resistant GIN parasites. It can
also aid in selective breeding decisions by identifying those
animals that are most susceptible to barber pole worm
infection.

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Figure 2. FAMACHA© card.

www.acsrpc.org

Precautions
FAMACHA is only applicable where the barber pole worm (H. contortus) is the main GIN
parasite causing clinical disease.
Redness of the ocular membranes can be caused by eye disease, environmental irritants, and
systemic disease. Though they are uncommon, these conditions can mask anemia.
Other causes of anemia exist, but they are uncommon compared to barber pole worm infection
during the grazing season.
An elevated FAMACHA© score is not the only reason to deworm an animal. GIN can play a
role in other signs of disease including:
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Diarrhea
Bottle jaw
Poor body condition
Dull hair coat or abnormal fleece
Exercise or heat intolerance

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Improving Small Ruminant Parasite Control in New England
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (LNE10-300)

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General guidelines for using the FAMACHA© card
Always check eyes outside in direct, natural light. If options are limited due to handling
needs, an area of the barn where natural light enters directly in the morning or afternoon
(such as a door or window) is acceptable. When scoring, there does not need to be bright
sunshine, but it should be performed in full daylight.
Always use the card when scoring your animals and do not try to score from memory of the
colors.

How to examine your animals with the FAMACHA© card:
• Proper FAMACHA© scoring technique includes exposing the lower eye mucous membranes
and matching them to the equivalent color on the FAMACHA© card (Figure 3). COVER,
PUSH, PULL, POP is a 4-step process describing the proper technique.

1. COVER the eye by rolling the upper
eyelid down over the eyeball.
2. PUSH down on the eyeball. An
easy way to tell if you are using
enough pressure is that you should
see that the eyelashes of the upper
eyelid are curling up over your
thumb.
3. PULL down the lower eyelid.
Figure 3. FAMACHA© scoring a goat. The lower eye mucous
membranes are exposed and compared to the colors on the
FAMACHA© card to estimate the level of anemia. Use the COVER,
PUSH, PULL, POP! method described above.

4. POP! The mucous membranes will
pop into view. Make sure that you
do not score the inner surface of the
lower eyelid, but rather score the bed
of mucous membranes.

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Match the color of the pinkest portion of the mucous membranes to the FAMACHA© card.

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Make sure that you do not shade the eye with your body.

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Be quick – make your decision and move on. The longer the mucous membranes are
exposed, the redder they get. Go with your first impression.

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Repeat the process and score the other eye because it may be different. Use the higher score
and err on the side of caution.

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There are no half numbers!
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Improving Small Ruminant Parasite Control in New England
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (LNE10-300)
Interpreting the FAMACHA© results
Animals in FAMACHA© category 4 & 5:
• Always deworm sheep & goats in categories 4 & 5.
Animals in FAMACHA© category 1 & 2:
• Don’t deworm 1’s & 2’s unless there is other evidence of parasitic disease such as the
presence of diarrhea, poor body condition, dull hair coat or abnormal fleece.
Animals in FAMACHA© category 3:
• Consider deworming if:
o >10% of flock/herd scores a 4 or 5.
o Lambs and kids (usually recommended).
o Pregnant or lactating ewes/does (usually recommended).
o Animals in poor body condition.
o Concerned about an animal’s general health and well being, for example, if an animal is
in poor body condition, or suffering from another disease.
o Always err on the side of caution.
How often do I monitor?
If <10% of herd/flock scores in categories 4 or 5:
• Every 2 weeks during the grazing season. Susceptible animals can go downhill rapidly when
worm numbers are high (warm, moist conditions / summer months).
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During spring and fall, when
temperatures are cooler and the barber
pole worm may be less active, this
interval could be extended to 3-4 weeks.

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During winter the interval can be
extended, but remember that ewes/does
may develop problems with the barber
pole worm when lambing/kidding
coincides with arrested parasites
resuming development, and they should
be checked more often.

If >10% of flock/herd scores in categories 4 or 5:
• Recheck weekly
• Treat all 3’s
• Change pastures (if possible)
Anemic animals recover most quickly if they are removed from heavily infected pasture. If animals
are dewormed and turned back out on the same pasture that first led to disease, they may take an
extended period to return to a score of 1 or 2 since they will continue to be re-infected by the larva on
pasture. It is okay to re-treat those animals based on FAMACHA© score.
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Improving Small Ruminant Parasite Control in New England
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (LNE10-300)
Maintaining the FAMACHA© card
• Store in dark place when not in use because the card will fade with time.
• Replace card after 12 to 24 months of use (varies depending upon use and storage
conditions).
• Keep a spare card in a location protected from light (compare with the card in use).
• Training is required to gain the initial card. Contact your veterinarian, your local
Cooperative Extension small ruminant specialist or the American Consortium for Small
Ruminant Parasite Control (www.acsrpc.org) for more information including available
workshops. As part of a Northeast SARE grant, the University of Rhode Island is offering an
online training program for FAMACHA© certification. Visit our website for more
information and detailed instructions, http://web.uri.edu/sheepngoat/famacha/.
Replacement cards can be obtained through the University of Georgia ([email protected]),
your veterinarian or your FAMACHA© trainer.
Recordkeeping
Keep records of FAMACHA© scores and other parasite monitoring performed on your animals
each year. FAMACHA© cards come with a recordkeeping template, or view our project
recordkeeping sheets available on our website.
For more information, including our demonstration video on FAMACHA© scoring and our
online training program for FAMACHA© certification, visit our website:
http://web.uri.edu/sheepngoat. The video can also be viewed directly from the URI YouTube
channel page (UniversityOfRI): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5rcuvVG56Q.

Program contact: Katherine Petersson, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Dept. Fisheries, Animal & Veterinary Sciences, University of Rhode Island
Phone: 401-874-2951; Email: [email protected]

This information sheet was developed by Anne Zajac, DVM, Ph.D. Parasitologist, Virginia-Maryland Regional College
of Veterinary Medicine / Virginia Tech; Katherine Petersson, Ph.D, Animal Scientist, Dept. Fisheries, Animal and
Veterinary Sciences, and Holly Burdett, Cooperative Extension, College of the Environment and Life Sciences,
University of Rhode Island.

This material is based on funding from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program Project
LNE10-300, which is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. This
work is also based on funding from the Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station (RI00H-900-INT). This is contribution
number 5413 of the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, University of Rhode Island. October 2014, updated April
2016. URI provides equal program opportunity.

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