Abortions in sheep

[Mc115reed]

@Mc115reed you did buy a boat load of ewes out of the culls and a load of random older ewes out of ewe sales if my memory serves me correctly. You then put tups out very soon after getting these ewes home with some in less than ideal condition if I also remember correctly, for a short 3 week period. This was all for an early lambing date too. That would explain the low scanning imo.

The lamb slips will be the bugs of multiple farms going through them.

All of the older mules I bought out of culls have triplets or twins in them I can’t mind any of them that have singles or were empty tbh... But yeah the trying to get a tight 3 week period was what I put my low scanning down too... wouldn’t mind as much if it was the mules slipping there lambs but so far it’s been all shearling tex X ewes

 

[MDL POWERUP]

Last proper Campy storm we had 15% aborted (@Mc115reed is still below 2%?), mostly 3 weeks out so no milk to foster anything on. Blanket Alamycin stopped it dead.
Campyvax has worked fantastically well the last few years, but obviously another cost.

Needs a result from PM first though, as Alamycin won’t touch Toxo, and shouldn’t be thrown about Willy nilly, obviously.

My vet told me to jab with alamycin for toxo and Enzo it stopped it immediately and it turned out to be toxo?

 

[livestock 1]

My vet told me to jab with alamycin for toxo and Enzo it stopped it immediately and it turned out to be toxo?

Yes same here. Campo is the one that isn’t covered by alamycin.
Do we send @neilo back to school or not?

 

[Pistonbroke]

Not sure. The cat carries the toxoplasmosis

A friend lost dozens out of a bunch strip grazing swedes and the thought it was cats or foxes after mice

 

[BELOWAVERAGE]

Yes same here. Campo is the one that isn’t covered by alamycin.
Do we send @neilo back to school or not?

It might be worth a try, whilst there doesn't appear to be much hope, you should never give up.

 

[livestock 1]

A friend lost dozens out of a bunch strip grazing swedes and the thought it was cats or foxes after mice

Always been cats to blame here. So many about and all live in barns full of hay.
Last bale of hay here taken out for sheep years ago was stinking of cat pee never given a bale to sheep since

 

[livestock 1]

It might be worth a try, whilst there doesn't appear to be much hope, you should never give up.

He would probably end up trying to teach them !

 

[andybk]

Cats can be injected against it if they are farm cats. Biggest trouble here is people taking in stray or rescue cats which can often have it. Can’t feed hay now not to sheep anyway. You can smell the cat pee on the hay which likely means it’s fouled on too

feed after lambing ! then will get immunity for next year

 

[Hilly]

I don’t give hay to sheep

Silage ?

 

[livestock 1]

feed after lambing ! then will get immunity for next year

Not getting excited about that idea

 

[livestock 1]

Silage ?

Yes

 

[yellowbelly]

Bit late to the party on this abortion debate, but I'll put in my sixpenneth.

Stopped using Toxovax, maybe 10 years ago , when it was unavailable for a couple of years for some reason. We usually have one or two slip in the last 10-14 days before we start (147 days from tups going out was yesterday). This year we've had 6 (5 sets of twins and 1 single.

After the 5th one sent 2 foetuses and cleansings for analysis. Vet rang last night - all tests results so far are negative - still waiting on results for toxo and border disease.

Five out of the six that have aborted are homebred gimmers in their first year lambing. All are in cracking condition and have never been sick nor sorry - just lost their lambs. Haven't been near any bought in sheep but equally haven't been near our lambing shed since they were born.
Depending on the results of the two remaining tests, I've half a mind to shut this year's replacements in the lambing sheds for a month in May before we muck them out and let them pick up what bugs they can.

 

[Hilly]

Yes

Bales of pit.

 

[Hilly]

Or pit ?

 

[Mc115reed]

Always been cats to blame here. So many about and all live in barns full of hay.
Last bale of hay here taken out for sheep years ago was stinking of cat pee never given a bale to sheep since

There’s only 1 cat here never seen any strays around either but has been a lot of mice about this year for some reason... but singles that have also aborted are outside and 10 miles away and haven’t even been in the same county as the twins since scanning

 

[neilo]

Yes same here. Campo is the one that isn’t covered by alamycin.
Do we send @neilo back to school or not?

I never left, I’m always learning.

There are strains of campy that are resistant to oxytet apparently but, in the face of a storm, it’s still worth trying. It stopped a Campy stormdead in it’s tracks for us in 2010, after 15% already aborted.

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

If they are due on Monday and they are due to lamb tight I would probably just ride it out another week will see it mostly past if they are quite a spread lambing I would consider blanket jagging good luck either way
Am I not correct in thinking any ewe that had picked up enzo at lambing last year your vaccination would do her no good already infected but they will be ok next year on ?

They only abort once with Enzo but carry and spread it in feotal fluids at every subsequent lambing.

 

[neilo]

So what's the story with a NEUTERED cat being less of a potential risk ? Never heard of that before

Not sure. The cat carries the toxoplasmosis

Cats quickly get immune to it, then they don’t pose any risk of passing it on, hence only young cats are a potential issue.
Having neutered cats about means you stop getting young cats partly because they stop breeding, and partly because they keep other cats away.

Adult cats are not a Toxo risk.

 

[neilo]

They only abort once with Enzo but carry and spread it in feotal fluids at every subsequent lambing.

Some become carriers for life apparently, but most don’t present an issue.

 

[neilo]

A friend lost dozens out of a bunch strip grazing swedes and the thought it was cats or foxes after mice

I have always grazed fields next to housing estates, so I consider Toxovax the most important vaccine I use. Always plenty of young cats about, whatever I do.