Lameness in Lambs

B

bobajob

Member

Location

Sw Scotland

• Sep 11, 2021

• #1

Our lambs seem quite bad with lameness this year, and I think it's got worse since they were weaned.
Any tips on dealing with it. Going to try and get all lame ones into one lot.

Guessing there is about 100 ish of them and I would think it's CODD that's the main problem. Have been footbathing when they are in with formalin.
Do I just bite the bullet and get the vet in with micotil?

 

ShooTa

Member

Location

Denbighshire - In the vale of Clwyd!

• Sep 11, 2021

• #2

ive heard good things about betamox la working well with codd.
what sort of managment are you doing with them when they are not in? (ie set stocked/root crop etc)
try and isolate the cause not the symptom.

 

B

bobajob

Member

Location

Sw Scotland

• Sep 11, 2021

• #3

Rotationally grazed on silage aftermaths just now.
Had been rotated on more permanent pasture type fields until weaning.

Some lameness in the ewes but they are not so bad- They get footvax once a year.

 

Gator

Never Forgotten

Honorary Member

Location

Lancashire

• Sep 11, 2021

• #4

Been having the same, jabbed with Betamox la and run through foot bath every other day. Just half a dozen wi a slight limp now out of about 50

 

idgni

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

Armagh

• Sep 11, 2021

• #5

Give them Zactran or Draxin, one injection will sort them in a few days. Might be expensive but only a small does needed and one treatment so saver in the long run.

 

B

Bald n Grumpy

Member

Livestock Farmer

• Sep 11, 2021

• #6

if it's codd 2 jabs of betamox or whatever brand you use and don't trim the foot, should do the trick

 

B

Bob the beef

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

Scot Borders

• Sep 11, 2021

• #7

Having a nightmare here with scald and then getting maggots in the foot. Been footbathing regularly in formalin all summer

 

J

JSmith

Member

Livestock Farmer

• Sep 11, 2021

• #8

You’ve gotta bite the bullet and tip every one, when you do you’ll realise running through a foot bath is a waste of time if the effected area is covered over with dirt/shît!! I speak from experience, had terrible job this year with lambs, hundreds bad on multiple feet, only thing that touched it was isolating and treating individually with Terramycin spray and jab of trymox!! Run through foot bath every other day but fresh bath every time, as they get better remove from lane flock! You must clean the foot out first or your wasting your time, we didn’t run through bath in the end once I realised the effected area was covered over with rubbish!! On top of it now hopefully but it’s been a long demoralising summer I can tell you!! Good luck

 

A

Agrivator

Member

• Sep 11, 2021

• #9

Any lameness in lambs is likely to be scad (scald) where abrasion by (mainly) grass leads to a bacterial infection. Even a small lesion is enough to cause lameness.

But formalin is an astringent (and carcinogenic?), and at normal concentrations can exacerbate the problem. The cheapest and safest way of treating it is to stand them in a Zinc Sulphate solution for a few minutes, and to let then stand on a dry surface for 30 minutes or so.

If that doesn't cure most of them within two or three days, it's time to get a veterinary opinion.

If a footbath containing formalin is allowed to stand for a long time, water evaporation reduces the volume, but increases the strength. So if you keep topping it up regardless, its strength will keep on increasing.

PS. In most cases, the bacteria involved in scad are not the same as the ones that cause footrot. You can free a farm of footrot, but you can't free it of scad.

 

Last edited: Sep 11, 2021

Northeastfarmer

Member

Location

Cleveland

• Sep 11, 2021

• #10

If it’s codd I’d be giving them draxxin
If it’s scald a footbath of formalin

 

B

Bob the beef

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

Scot Borders

• Sep 11, 2021

• #11

JSmith said:

You’ve gotta bite the bullet and tip every one, when you do you’ll realise running through a foot bath is a waste of time if the effected area is covered over with dirt/shît!! I speak from experience, had terrible job this year with lambs, hundreds bad on multiple feet, only thing that touched it was isolating and treating individually with Terramycin spray and jab of trymox!! Run through foot bath every other day but fresh bath every time, as they get better remove from lane flock! You must clean the foot out first or your wasting your time, we didn’t run through bath in the end once I realised the effected area was covered over with rubbish!! On top of it now hopefully but it’s been a long demoralising summer I can tell you!! Good luck

Click to expand...

I make a point of running them through twice each time. First time to wash the feet then put the formalin for 2nd run . Not sure if it helps or not.
Worst season ever here fir feet and flys. Coincides with hotest driest summer in 100 years

 

Al R

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

West Wales

• Sep 11, 2021

• #12

Run through formalin at double concentrate (2l per 20 litre water) for 4 consecutive days, give them a day or 2 off and then 4 days again. Cured mine very quickly, any off their feet had Betamox LA.

 

Jerry

Member

Mixed Farmer

Location

Devon

• Sep 11, 2021

• #13

I’ve given up with formalin and now use zinc sulphate./golden hoof.

Takes longer but it’s helped break the cycle here at last. Still a few needing a jab though.

Been worst year ever for limping sheep.

 

Al R

Member

Livestock Farmer

Location

West Wales

• Sep 11, 2021

• #14

Jerry said:

I’ve given up with formalin and now use zinc sulphate./golden hoof.

Takes longer but it’s helped break the cycle here at last. Still a few needing a jab though.

Been worst year ever for limping sheep.

Click to expand...

How much do you buy in though @Jerry ?
Everyone I know with bad lameness issues buy from marts or can trace it back to a ram that was bought…

 

Jerry

Member

Mixed Farmer

Location

Devon

• Sep 11, 2021

• #15

Al R said:

How much do you buy in though @Jerry ?
Everyone I know with bad lameness issues buy from marts or can trace it back to a ram that was bought…

Click to expand...

Very little bought in these days and only 30 shearlings thus year.

Though the problem started a year ago when I bought a box full of ewe lambs in. They turned out to have terrible feet. Easy to spot them as they have large flag ear tags.

nearly every one has been lame more than once since they’ve lambed and before.

All from a big performance recorded flock with good reputation.

 

Moors Lad

Member

Location

N Yorks

• Sep 11, 2021

• #16

Been a BAD summer here for footrot/scald too, a neighbour`s had a nightmare summer too.

 

Welshlamb

Member

Location

Cardigan

• Sep 11, 2021

• #17

Waste of time using formalin on codd, been there done that. 10 mins soak in zinc sulphate makes hell of a difference, then let them dry off, on a concrete pad.

 

W

will6910

Member

Location

N.i

• Sep 11, 2021

• #18

I’m having nightmare with feet in lambs and odd ewe and now rams. Not CODD or foot rot so assuming it’s all traces back to scald. Been using copper sulphate(blue stone) which works but doesn’t seem last long. Can’t use formalin as where my footbath is Is inside and no air flow and couldn’t cope with it and sheep weren’t to happy either. Not sure what’s left to use. Been worst year for feet here to that I can remember

 

S

Stockwell

Member

• Sep 11, 2021

• #19

How much zinc sulphate are people putting in a foot bath? 100 litre foot bath she is. Can’t seem to get a straight answer from anyone I ask. Thanks

 

Jerry

Member

Mixed Farmer

Location

Devon

• Sep 11, 2021

• #20

Stockwell said:

How much zinc sulphate are people putting in a foot bath? 100 litre foot bath she is. Can’t seem to get a straight answer from anyone I ask. Thanks

Click to expand...

https://www.farmandcountrydirect.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Golden-Hoof-Instructions.pdf