Small Ruminant Research 113 (2013) 454–460 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Small Ruminant Research journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/smallrumres Effect of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) and faba bean (Vicia faba) on the periparturient rise in ewes infected with gastrointestinal nematodes S. Werne a,e,∗ , E. Perler a , V. Maurer a , J.K. Probst a , H. Hoste b,c , A. Drewek d , F. Heckendorn a a Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 21, 5070 Frick, Switzerland b INRA UMR 1225, Interactions Hôte Agents Pathogènes, 23 Chemin des Capelles, 31076 Toulouse Cedex, France c Université de Toulouse, ENVT, UMR 1225, 31076 Toulouse, France d Seminar für Statistik, ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland e Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, Physiology and Behaviour Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Schorenstrasse 16, 8603 Schwerzenbach, Switzerland article info Article history: Received 7 January 2013 Received in revised form 28 March 2013 Accepted 30 March 2013 Available online 28 April 2013 Keywords: Tannins Sainfoin Faba bean Periparturient rise (PPR) Gastrointestinal nematodes Sheep abstract Previous research has demonstrated the potential of tanniniferous feed sources to reduce the faecal egg count (FEC) of sheep and lambs infected with gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN). The present study investigates the use of sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia, cv. Perly) and faba bean seeds (Vicia faba, cv. Scirocco), either as single condensed tannin sources or in combination, to reduce the periparturient rise in the faecal egg count of GIN-infected ewes. Seventy-eight periparturient Red Engadine ewes (PP ewes) and fifteen ewes of the same breed in early gestation (EG ewes) were used for the study. All animals experienced an artificial infection with 1500 infectious larvae of Haemonchus contortus 33 days prior to lambing. For a feeding period of 25 days, PP ewes were allocated to four groups that were balanced with regard to FEC, number of foetuses and age. PP ewes were fed with either (i) a ryegrass-clover forage, C (n = 21); (ii) a sainfoin forage, S (n = 19); (iii) a combined con- densed tannin feed consisting of sainfoin forage and faba bean pellets, SB (n = 19); or (iv) faba bean pellets and ryegrass-clover forage, B (n = 19). The diets of PP ewes were supple- mented with commercial concentrates to balance the protein and energy intake between groups. EG ewes were used to determine the dimension of the periparturient rise in groups i–iv. During the 25 day feeding period, faecal sampling took place every third or fourth day. Individual FECs were expressed per gramme faecal dry matter (FECDM). Compared to the control group (C), the differences in FECDM over the entire feeding period were -54.7% (S), -40.0% (SB), +7.8% (B) and -41% (EG). A mixed model analysis revealed significant differ- ences between the C and S groups (p < 0.001) and between the C and SB groups (p < 0.001) but revealed no difference between the C and B groups (p = 0.766). The mean daily ingestion of condensed tannins in groups S, SB, and B per kg metabolic live weight was 3.50 ± 0.91 g, 3.61 ± 0.89 g and 0.43 ± 0.06 g, respectively. We conclude that condensed tannins originat- ing from sainfoin prevented periparturient egg rise, whereas those from faba beans did not produce such an effect. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. ∗ Corresponding author at: Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, Ackerstrasse 21, 5070 Frick, Switzerland. Tel.: +41 62 8650 440; fax: +41 62 8657 273. E-mail address: steffen.werne@fibl.org (S. Werne). 0921-4488/$ – see front matter © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.smallrumres.2013.03.022