Combi clamp

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
We pretty much do everything through ours except maybe batch treating smaller lambs. Really comes into its own if you’re doing multiple treatments, you clear as you go.

Don't do multiple doses/vaccines. My ewes get dosed once end of September, once end of December. Then injected early Feb then mid/late Feb (all are time specific - 2 doses and 1 injection is for fluke, the other injection is clostridial pre lambing). I don't bolus or dagg ewes...
Only other jobs I do with ewes is shearing and spraying pour on.

Most lamb dosing here is under 10wks - which some say is better done in a race anyway?
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Don't do multiple doses/vaccines. My ewes get dosed once end of September, once end of December. Then injected early Feb then mid/late Feb (all are time specific - 2 doses and 1 injection is for fluke, the other injection is clostridial pre lambing). I don't bolus or dagg ewes...
Only other jobs I do with ewes is shearing and spraying pour on.

Most lamb dosing here is under 10wks - which some say is better done in a race anyway?
How do you manage to dose lambs 3 or 4 times before 10 weeks?
Do you not sort your non hill ewes post weaning?
Have you tried 1?
I do everything through mine bar possibly first dose/ pour on for lambs.
Only hesitation is weighing as discussed elsewhere. But I want to get that right cos it works so well (if accurate!)

If you dont want one, no problem, but I'll talk to you again when you get 45+
 

romneymarsh

Member
Location
Romney Marsh
Has anyone put a magic eye on a combi clamp to make it automatic? I like the build quality and simplicity of the combi clamp and if you could automate it simply it'd be fantastic
It already has the most sophisticated 'magic eye' yet to be developed that can permit the moving of captured sheep for readjustment for different treatments and also provides the motive power . It's the operator !!!
 

romneymarsh

Member
Location
Romney Marsh
I really struggle to get my head round the Combi Clamp. I dose my ewes twice a year, and inject twice... I can't see the clamp being better/quicker than injecting in a long 3ft race? Good for dosing, yes, but I don't feel I could warrant it for that? I dose my lambs 3 maybe 4 times through the year - it'd be handy dagging dirty lambs though, but a gripper would be a lot cheaper for that job.
550 ewes and 150 ewe lambs currently, upping ewes to 600 next year and not sure after that...

It could come into it's own sorting the hill ewes at weaning, though - checking teeth/bags on ewes, then checking/drafting off ewe lambs and wedders accordingly. But again - that's 1 job, once a year (n)

I love making things easier... but I'm just not convinced it would make that big a difference (n):unsure:
Fortunately it's a free country and you can do as you see fit . Get a few more Ewes and a few more years of wear and tare and then review.
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Fortunately it's a free country and you can do as you see fit . Get a few more Ewes and a few more years of wear and tare and then review.

Aye - I wasn't knocking the clamp itself. It seems well built, and if your doing multiple jobs like bolusing, vaccinating and dagging ewes all in one go - it will be very hard to beat! I just don't see, at current, it would offer me enough of a benefit to make it worth the cost.

But as you say, in a few more years...
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
How do you manage to dose lambs 3 or 4 times before 10 weeks?
Do you not sort your non hill ewes post weaning?
Have you tried 1?
I do everything through mine bar possibly first dose/ pour on for lambs.
Only hesitation is weighing as discussed elsewhere. But I want to get that right cos it works so well (if accurate!)

If you dont want one, no problem, but I'll talk to you again when you get 45+


Lambs are not dosed 3-4 times before 10 weeks. I said they are dosed 3-4 times in their life... one batch will be dosed 2 times before 10 weeks (Nemo and cocci), the rest once. Thereafter lambs are being sold and numbers reducing making subsequent dosing jobs smaller.

My inbye ewes are sorted out post weaning, in a long race I just walk up them, then draw off the casts. No fighting, very easy and stress free - certainly no physical exertion (other than climbing a railed fence repeatedly - all I need is an access gate put in). Hill ewes are gathered to an away set of pens. To save extra gathers, I do all the job on 1 day...

You say you do everything, what's everything? I mean, how many times are you talking you work with your ewes? If your in an area with serious fluke or worm issues and your dosing everything every month then yeah fine crack on it'll be worth it... but not for me to dose ewes twice a year, and lambs twice, maybe 3 times (some of which again is conceded can't really be done through a clamp anyway due to too young/small).


As my previous post - I'm not saying they are rubbish or won't work or whatever. I'm not knocking the Combi Clamp at all. I just struggle in my own head to justify one...
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Lambs are not dosed 3-4 times before 10 weeks. I said they are dosed 3-4 times in their life... one batch will be dosed 2 times before 10 weeks (Nemo and cocci), the rest once. Thereafter lambs are being sold and numbers reducing making subsequent dosing jobs smaller.

My inbye ewes are sorted out post weaning, in a long race I just walk up them, then draw off the casts. No fighting, very easy and stress free - certainly no physical exertion (other than climbing a railed fence repeatedly - all I need is an access gate put in). Hill ewes are gathered to an away set of pens. To save extra gathers, I do all the job on 1 day...

You say you do everything, what's everything? I mean, how many times are you talking you work with your ewes? If your in an area with serious fluke or worm issues and your dosing everything every month then yeah fine crack on it'll be worth it... but not for me to dose ewes twice a year, and lambs twice, maybe 3 times (some of which again is conceded can't really be done through a clamp anyway due to too young/small).


As my previous post - I'm not saying they are rubbish or won't work or whatever. I'm not knocking the Combi Clamp at all. I just struggle in my own head to justify one...
'Everything' would be a couple of fluke drenches, 1 or 2 vaccinations, a pour on, and twice through for drafting ewes (post weaning and pre tupping) when they'll also get a bolus.
Lambs would go through about 2 or 3 times for drenching, once for weaning, and multiple times when drawing. They'd get a bolus when going through at some point too.
But you don't have to have 1:)
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 80 42.1%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 67 35.3%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 15.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 7 3.7%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,294
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top