foot bathing

[neilo]

Trying formalin this year as wasn't getting good results with golden hoof for what it costs! Using a 3% solution with varying success. Not sure how to improve it really. Do people tend to footbath and let them stand afterwards, before dosing/jabbing them etc. or the other way round? We only have hardcore pens, no concrete, which would be better I know, but soooo expensive to get done! Do people put them through once or twice?

I use 4-5% Formalin, as above. Run them through once or ideally twice if there's time, or they're bad. Got a lot of scald in young lambs this year, because of lots of long grass. If they're going through fixed pens, I would run them through first if it's possible, to reduce loading the pen floor up with scald bacteria ready for the next lot. at the home block, I work mine through the sheds, so have a footbath set up in the yard outside, so they can run through and stand on concrete for a bit. It will work running straight out onto a field, but not as well.
MUCH easier to get lambs used to it by running through with their mothers, even if they don't need it then. An absolute nightmare running/pushing lambs through any footbath for the first time if already weaned. I find a bit of loose hay/straw sprinkled on the top of the bath helps too, as it breaks the reflection of the water up.

 

[tinsheet]

I have a foot mat which I put in the foot bath best of both worlds, as for reluctant lambs, a yard brush up behind them seems to work, you can push them with out getting a splash of formulin in your face.

 

[Lovegoodstock]

As @neilo run through with mums make a big difference, also if not lame and ready for weaning just run them through water so not put off by bath/ smell/ pain. Many using lincospectin? Tried doing all ewe lambs, we are flying flock, all through linco last autumn, some twice some once followed by once formalin, think helped a hell of a lot. Though spent a fair bit liming last late summer/ early autumn, that helps a hell of a lot as well

 

[SheepTales]

As @neilo run through with mums make a big difference, also if not lame and ready for weaning just run them through water so not put off by bath/ smell/ pain. Many using lincospectin? Tried doing all ewe lambs, we are flying flock, all through linco last autumn, some twice some once followed by once formalin, think helped a hell of a lot. Though spent a fair bit liming last late summer/ early autumn, that helps a hell of a lot as well

Silly question. What do you mean by liming?

 

[llamedos]

Silly question. What do you mean by liming?

Spreading lime.

 

[Danllan]

Formalin 40 backed-up by zinc-rich licks in the fields.

 

[Dairynut]

How often is too often to footbath with formalin, in terms of over-hardening hooves? I have been running them through a 4% solution roughly every 6-8 weeks (on the advice of TFF) with excellent results - up until last weekend I hadn't had to look at a foot for months. However it is only 3 weeks since they were last footbathed but having a run of sore feet now that aren't clearing up by themselves as before. They aren't on overly long grass so i was thinking maybe just the warmer and damper weather is to blame. I was tempted to run them through again at the weekend but didn't in the end as I was scared of over-doing it, so I picked out any lame ones that i could see and sprayed all four feet with Alamycin spray. Is 3 weeks too soon or am I worrying about nothing? Any thoughts?

 

[polk_farmer]

How often is too often to footbath with formalin, in terms of over-hardening hooves? I have been running them through a 4% solution roughly every 6-8 weeks (on the advice of TFF) with excellent results - up until last weekend I hadn't had to look at a foot for months. However it is only 3 weeks since they were last footbathed but having a run of sore feet now that aren't clearing up by themselves as before. They aren't on overly long grass so i was thinking maybe just the warmer and damper weather is to blame. I was tempted to run them through again at the weekend but didn't in the end as I was scared of over-doing it, so I picked out any lame ones that i could see and sprayed all four feet with Alamycin spray. Is 3 weeks too soon or am I worrying about nothing? Any thoughts?

We ran our lambs through every week-2 weeks last year when they were being weighed (had to run through the race anyway) for a spell when they had a bit of niggly scald.

Some dairy farms round us run the cows through formalin twice a day everyday so I didn't think it was a problem

 

[pine_guy]

Sorry for the picture quality, my footbath with some foam in. Ran 200 bought in ewes with lambs down that race for the first time today with the footbath in first time. Went reasonably well. A poke with a stick was enough to get most hesitant ones through. Had to top the foot bath up half way, but it only holds about 40-50 litres.

 

[Lovegoodstock]

Silly question. What do you mean by liming?

Lime deficient fields worst things for lameness in my opinion. Friend unaware of that had his sheep and lambs sat on a lime heap on rented ground that had no feet problems where as rest of flock that year had severe problems, other than acidity levels I don't know why, but ph levels wrong causes severe lameness

 

[neilo]

Lime deficient fields worst things for lameness in my opinion. Friend unaware of that had his sheep and lambs sat on a lime heap on rented ground that had no feet problems where as rest of flock that year had severe problems, other than acidity levels I don't know why, but ph levels wrong causes severe lameness

+1
When I came here the soil was all very acidic, having never been limed. I had 2 year old Highlander ewes with scald that had never been through a footbath in their lives (which was fun). It was a wet summer (2012) but things certainly improved soon after we started chucking line about.