Lamb wormer advise

primmiemoo

Member
Location
Devon
Would you consider having FEC tests done? See what's actually going on in the flock, and work from there?

I envy you your lack of nematodirus, that's for sure. How long ago did you stop the yellow or whites against them, if you don't mind me asking?
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Would you consider having FEC tests done? See what's actually going on in the flock, and work from there?

I envy you your lack of nematodirus, that's for sure. How long ago did you stop the yellow or whites against them, if you don't mind me asking?

Good advice, but clear drench will kill nemo too.

If the op has no resistance to the other wormer groups, then he would certainly be well advised to rotate groups, but that’s an unknown without a FECRT being done, as is the case on most farms.
 

primmiemoo

Member
Location
Devon
Just wondering if you've had previous resistance to the white and/or yellow drenches, @devonbrion1998 ? Was that something that informed your decision to go to clear only?

Having made the decision to reduce anthelmintic use further, there are ewes in the flock born here who have never been wormed. They've only ever had flukicides.
To our knowledge, all classes of wormer still work... so far :nailbiting:
 

spin cycle

Member
Location
north norfolk
i mooted rotating wormers to my former vets....they were against it arguing it was better to keep a class unused instead of developing resistence gradually in all groups :scratchhead: ...i'm not sure if i entirely hold with that reasoning:scratchhead:.....saw an advert for zolvix suggesting use annually as a break recently:scratchhead:
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
i mooted rotating wormers to my former vets....they were against it arguing it was better to keep a class unused instead of developing resistence gradually in all groups :scratchhead: ...i'm not sure if i entirely hold with that reasoning:scratchhead:.....saw an advert for zolvix suggesting use annually as a break recently:scratchhead:
My vets recommended using all in rotation but too use the orange and purple classes on a special “once a year too mop up” basis. They said it was pointless waiting until all other products have stopped having any efficacy before using the last bullet in the box.
 
I have not any fecs done this year, I have never had any resistance here in my mind,
the reason for my question is I have changed over to Charolais Tups from Suffolk and am just a bit out of sorts with the clean back ends and having some smart healthy lambs for once, nothing wrong with Suffolks they just don't suit my system, just thinking ahead as somethings got to go wrong, saying that there almost fit, but as you know with sheep you got to stay ahead of the game
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
I have not any fecs done this year, I have never had any resistance here in my mind,
the reason for my question is I have changed over to Charolais Tups from Suffolk and am just a bit out of sorts with the clean back ends and having some smart healthy lambs for once, nothing wrong with Suffolks they just don't suit my system, just thinking ahead as somethings got to go wrong, saying that there almost fit, but as you know with sheep you got to stay ahead of the game
Nothing wrong with the Suffolk except the sh!t for England even when there’s nothing wrong with them… it’s ok, we know what you mean!
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
Good advice, but clear drench will kill nemo too.

If the op has no resistance to the other wormer groups, then he would certainly be well advised to rotate groups, but that’s an unknown without a FECRT being done, as is the case on most farms.
if you havnt used white or yellow for as long as op has , would those groups become effective again ? , @devonbrion1998 what sort of grazing do you have ? old pp or newish leys ? I hate looking at srty asd lambs ,wonder how many times you wormed in the past when it was just the suff blood causing issues .
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Nothing wrong with the Suffolk except the sh!t for England even when there’s nothing wrong with them… it’s ok, we know what you mean!

A lot of the constantly sh*tty arses, for which they are (in)famous, is likely down to their poor ability to absorb copper. I have known several breeders that give regular copper to them (by drench, bolus or in dairy nuts), which seems to sort the problem.
The first thing many farmers notice when they try continental breeds (after the better lamb vigour🤐) is cleaner back ends, much of which is actually down to better copper absorption in those breeds.

That said, most people in this area are supplementing continental breeds with copper round here (high molybdenum soils), one way or another.
 

delilah

Member
In my youth every sheep as far as the eye could see was a Suffolk, all you saw in Ucheter market were Suffolk lambs. I don't recall sh!tty arses being a thing, not even sure we wormed them. You lot have really fecked the sheep job up haven't you.
 
On the suff thing They were wormed on vets advice due to high egg count,I did try copper bolus with the lambs as well which does help, the dagging was constant last year throughout the summer, there on a mixture of pp and new lay this year which to be fair will account for them doing better, and the grass just doesn't stop growing this year Nothing to complain about really,just thinking of getting some wormer, in case I should need it.
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
In my youth every sheep as far as the eye could see was a Suffolk, all you saw in Ucheter market were Suffolk lambs. I don't recall sh!tty arses being a thing, not even sure we wormed them. You lot have really fecked the sheep job up haven't you.
I would say the pedigree end in nearly every popular breed is the root of the problem , availability of add-lib ,hi-tec feed compounds indoors has meant the loss of many proper shepherding skills , the old boys folded rams over proper grazing outside you wouldt put up with dirty back ends and the other issues that come with grazing .
,Last 40 years size is the b all and end all , and good compound will put something resembling muscle on them, after fng up the rumen and other internal organs,
Was looking at a sale catalogue yesterday , one breeder had 10mm fat on a lot of his lambs at scanning ! thats a lot of fat for a continental at scanning weight , you could never get that off pasture and oats
 
Last edited:

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
I would say the pedigree end in nearly every popular breed is the root of the problem , availability of add-lib ,hi-tec feed compounds indoors has meant the loss of many proper shepherding skills , the old boys folded rams over proper grazing outside you wouldt put up with dirty back ends ad the other issues it brings
,Last 40 years size is the b all and end all , and good compound will put something resembling muscle on them, after fng up the rumen and other internal organs,
Was looking at a sale catalogue yesterday , one breeder had 10mm fat on a lot of his lambs at scanning ! thats a lot of fat for a continental at scanning weight , you could never get that off pasture and oats

At least he was recorded, so you could see the level of fat/feeding.;)
I haven’t seen them, but I’m guessing the ebvs didn’t show them as extremely fat either, showing how much was down to the shovel at the front end?

I agree on the feeding levels, but that’s been driven by purchasers’ chequebooks.

Anyway, that’s off on a tangent.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Another thing, I found some old paperwork at a mates farm and there was a diary for worming and foot trim, looks like everything was wormed and trimmed every 5/6 weeks
cant help things.

Standard ‘best’ practice used to be to worm everything, every 3 weeks. Those days weren’t that long ago either, and will still be carried out by some, hence the level of worm resistance nationally (or internationally, as NZ has gone through the same).
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Standard ‘best’ practice used to be to worm everything, every 3 weeks. Those days weren’t that long ago either, and will still be carried out by some, hence the level of worm resistance nationally (or internationally, as NZ has gone through the same).
Tis true. I know a couple of old boys who insist on worming every 3 weeks. They don’t half mutter when ours get a Nemo drench in May at some point and if no need arises won’t get another until weaning. Saves a bloody fortune!
 

Estate fencing.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Tis true. I know a couple of old boys who insist on worming every 3 weeks. They don’t half mutter when ours get a Nemo drench in May at some point and if no need arises won’t get another until weaning. Saves a bloody fortune!
I give mine 2 white wormers a fortnight apart because of difference ages of lambs, then either orange or purple at weaning 2 days before the leave to go onto clean grazing then don't worm again.
Got 1000 Suffolk lambs and think you just have to put up with trimming some of them out, but still can't beat a Suffolk for going onto mules.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.9%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 63 34.2%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.3%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

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

    Votes: 6 3.3%

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

  • 1,287
  • 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