Cocci in grown lambs

[crazy_bull]

So having graded off a bunch of smaller and leaner lambs and sent them away to a farm that has clover/cover crop grazing to tidy up and get out the way for a while. 3 weeks after being on there about 10-15% have gone squitty, all of a sudden. This ground hasn’t had sheep on for 6 years at least and they were mine last time, it’s been cultivated since then. Sent off a sample and got the below results. We do have cocci in the flock and dose all lambs at about 6-7weeks old and that’s generally the lot of it. These are march born lambs. I initially thought since they had eaten the best of what was for grazing they had decided to eat something less desirable that had upset them, but not spotted anything in the sward.

Thoughts?

C B

 

[neilo]

The high cocci count is not necessarily pathogenic species, or so the vets say anyway. They can send away to test for the type of cocci, but that can take time and, if they are showing bad for it (not necessarily just the scours), then they could go backwards in that time.
They can certainly get badly effected by cocci, if they have never seen it before. That seems unlikely if you haven't grazed that land for 6 years, and they all encounter it as lambs though. My first experience of cocci was when we moved a big mob of March born lambs from lean grazing to a dirty patch at weaning in June. Lost about 200 of them, which is not something I ever want to go through again.

Copper deficiency/lock up and Iodine deficiency will also make them scour themselves to nothing, so it might not be pathogenic cocci causing your problem.

 

[Man_in_black]

is not necessarily pathogenic species, or so the vets say anyway. They can send away to test for the type of cocci, but that can take time

We had this couple weeks back. FEC showing high cocci but lambs looking well. Vet ran extra species test after saying something like 10 different types of cocci but only two affects sheeps ... ? Took 8 days for results . Turns out we didn't have either of those two.

 

[ladycrofter]

Regarding sheep-free ground, it means nothing. Birds feet carry worm and cocci everywhere.

 

[crazy_bull]

Will monitor and see if it spreads or they dry up over the next few days.

Thanks

C B

 

[Nithsdale]

If you have a Cocci challenge at home, and these lambs have been exposed to it and treated - they should now be immune.

What's the weather been like with you?

Been bloody wet here the last 2-3 weeks, some lambs are looking quite dirty as the grass is making them pretty loose

 

[beardface]

Have they seen a lot of clover before? Find a change onto high protein forage can make them fairly loose for a little while.

 

[crazy_bull]

If you have a Cocci challenge at home, and these lambs have been exposed to it and treated - they should now be immune.

What's the weather been like with you?

Been bloody wet here the last 2-3 weeks, some lambs are looking quite dirty as the grass is making them pretty loose

Dry as a dry thing

 

[crazy_bull]

Have they seen a lot of clover before? Find a change onto high protein forage can make them fairly loose for a little while.

If it had occurred straight away i would have been of that opinion, but been on it for 3 weeks now and only just now seem to have got loose

 

[Skintagain]

If it had occurred straight away i would have been of that opinion, but been on it for 3 weeks now and only just now seem to have got loose

Could the burden have gone with them multiplied under the forage cover then got them hard especially with them being small lambs?

 

[crazy_bull]

Could the burden have gone with them multiplied under the forage cover then got them hard especially with them being small lambs?

Maybe, they are all 35kg+ just, been so dry I the runny poos dry up in a few hours on the floor so not sure it’s that.

 

[Skintagain]

Maybe, they are all 35kg+ just, been so dry I the runny poos dry up in a few hours on the floor so not sure it’s that.

Ah my small is 15kg pillocks. 35kg are my best