Foot rot - footvax

[hoyboy]

We're getting more and more foot rot here. Pretty strict at culling any bad feet before tupping but it just keeps on appearing in others. Tups are the worst. I buy hill Cheviots at Dingwall and try to stay clear of anything that looks like it has feet problems but a year later and their feet just melt. Probably need to cull half of my tups this year.

Would footvax cure my problems? I was thinking of just doing the tups and see if there is an improvement in them or is that a waste of time unless doing the whole flock?

 

[JockCroft]

Get a Footbath and formalin. Turnover crate if you want to ease the back pain.
Individual animals vaccinated will have protection, but all vacccines probably have a 90>95% response.
There are a number of causes of lamness.

Anyone who says don't trim either lacks practicle experience or continually culling and buying in more problems.

Overgrown hoof wall holds earth and muck. Footrot causing bacteria are anaerobic so perfect conditions to establish rot. It takes time and attention to detail to alleviate problems and they will always recur,(if you have sheep).

There was only one place I used to know where little lameness and no foot trimming was needed. They moved their flock over a mile on tar road every weekend of the year.

A separate foot issue that concerns me is where there is a wide space between hoof claw (I call it splay toes).
Too many tups on the market are inclined too be open toed. Why. Must be in the breeding.

By the way are you on Hoy?

 

[hoyboy]

I'll trim a ewe's foot once, and allamycin if necessary but she will be marked for culling. I have plenty ewe hogg replacement so not afraid to cull out problems. At the same time trying to up numbers too so don't want to go too extreme, I have 390 ewe hoggs to play with this year. I culled 250 ewes last year not all with bad feet right enough but there would been a few. Tups are the biggest issue as replacing them soon gets expensive. Does footvax do nothing for foot rot? How often would you recommend foot bathing? We've never had a foot bath on the place. And yes on Hoy

 

[farmerm]

Oddly I have seen very little footrot in past couple of years, lameness here is all down to scald, CODD and the occasional thorn.

 

[JockCroft]

To explain. Back in to ewes of our own 5 years ago, bought from several lots, all ages, many had long term foot issues not apparent at purchase. Built up numbers, foot bath two or three times over summer. I think it important to go through twice and then stand on concrete for an hour.
I dont bath for 4 or 5 days after any trimming.

Last autumn got a turnover crate, made it much easier for an old codger to trim feet, especially hind feet, trim excess growth, some with pockets of rot trim out side wall or toe. As I said leave a few days if possable before bathing, I use Formalin as I think it is the most effective.
Some older sheep will have feet distortion from long term infection. They can be helped.

I have resisted using antibiotics. It is a very short term alleviation of systems. Not a long term cure.
The vaccine properly administered will give substantial protection but will not prevent all lamness.

With Cheviots, my parents instructions were - don't keep anything with white on the hoof. Well nowadays wouldn't have many ewe lambs to keep.

We look over the Firth. Have you a fresh cut silage field? Or is it Barley starting to turn?

 

[Kentishfarmer]

We're getting more and more foot rot here. Pretty strict at culling any bad feet before tupping but it just keeps on appearing in others. Tups are the worst. I buy hill Cheviots at Dingwall and try to stay clear of anything that looks like it has feet problems but a year later and their feet just melt. Probably need to cull half of my tups this year.

Would footvax cure my problems? I was thinking of just doing the tups and see if there is an improvement in them or is that a waste of time unless doing the whole flock?

We're getting more and more foot rot here. Pretty strict at culling any bad feet before tupping but it just keeps on appearing in others. Tups are the worst. I buy hill Cheviots at Dingwall and try to stay clear of anything that looks like it has feet problems but a year later and their feet just melt. Probably need to cull half of my tups this year.

Would footvax cure my problems? I was thinking of just doing the tups and see if there is an improvement in them or is that a waste of time unless doing the whole flock?

I 've had a lot of rams (that I haven selected for good feet over the last 7 years) go lame in the last year or 2 with absesses rather than footrot. Not sure how effective culling or footvax are against feet issues that aren't footrot or poor structure. So you'd want to be sure it is foxtrot you've got
Always resisted using footvax as I think your taking away a selection pressure and could end up breeding in susceptible sheep. But if your not breeding Replacements it wouldn't matter.
Also find age seems to be big driver in foot problems a lot more in older sheep than younger

 

[ritchiekirkland]

Thumbs up for Footvax here . First year we used it be jagged all ewes and tups twice . Pre tupping then at lamb marking .
The next two years we have just did them pre tupping . Since we started using it we have only had the odd bad foot , mainly scald , which I treat and cull .
Going to jag them this year again then stop and see what happens .
Not a fan of the old footbath , I recon unless you have the nice clean concrete pen to put them on after you run them through then all it does is spread foot issues .