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A wormy wasted animal is not a pretty site from any perspective.  The solution to keeping sheep healthy and to compromise the soil too is in the genes.  Now there is a big difference between selecting for genetics and genetically modified.  To make it as simple as possible to explain, we track data points on each animal of how they perform, kind of like tracking a kids run times on cross country team and then choosing the one with the fastest times for the championship.  We keep specific data markers that help us determine how that animal is doing.  We  keep those that thrive best and get rid of those that don't. 

One of the most intense data points we track and select for is parasite resistance.  The Katahdin sheep naturally carries a gene that is parasite resistant.  Like all genes it is stronger is some and missing in others.  This is such an important element for the health of the individual sheep and the soil that we go to the time and expense to do fecal samples and parasite egg counts.  Its intense, but we pretty amazing.  In our 2024 ram lambs we had one ram with 7000+ parasite eggs and another with 0 to possibly 50. (margin of error) and of course a lot in between.  We actually selected a ram to keep and use who had was in the 60th percentile for parasite resistance, but whose mothering genetics was off the charts and whose growth was impressive.  We used him on ewes who had great parasite resistance, but needed help in better growth.  The goal is to breed a healthy and impressive animal that is not bothered by parasites and is balanced.  

Culling is a word we use in the livestock world to describe getting rid of less desirable animals.  

To the point of culling.  Many people will take an animal that has birthing problems and congratulate themselves on getting her through year after year, prolapse after prolapse.  Two things, one if she has a hard time lambing, don't put her through that, and two it is a genetic trait, why continue to raise bodies for these lambs that are compromised?  Many sheep today have been genetically selected to thrive and get fat on the easy calories of grain.  We want Healthy animals that thrive on grass.  Its a ruminants super power to take grasses and turn them into muscle and fat.  To wrap my point, we want to raise animals that don't suffer in defective bodies, that thrive without the need of parasitoids, and that get live abundantly on grass.