Lame lambs and ewes!

[Farmworker82]

I’m having terrible trouble this year with lame lambs and ewes. Putting it down to too much grass! It’s not enough to top but certainly more than they are used to. I run them through the foot bath when they come into the yard and mark and treat individuals but they are getting no better and more getting lame. All bunches of ewes and lambs run between fields. Question is has anyone used a foot bath mat so they are always crossing it. Is it successful and what products do you use
thank you

 

[unlacedgecko]

I’m having terrible trouble this year with lame lambs and ewes. Putting it down to too much grass! It’s not enough to top but certainly more than they are used to. I run them through the foot bath when they come into the yard and mark and treat individuals but they are getting no better and more getting lame. All bunches of ewes and lambs run between fields. Question is has anyone used a foot bath mat so they are always crossing it. Is it successful and what products do you use
thank you

I used a mat with Green Guardian when in the throes of my dorper disaster. Worked well.

If you retain your own replacements, don't keep anything lame.

 

[farmerm]

I used a mat with Green Guardian when in the throes of my dorper disaster. Worked well.

If you retain your own replacements, don't keep anything lame.

I think every animal without exception has had scold this year and many more than once....

wifes bringing them in again as I type....

 

[unlacedgecko]

I think every animal without exception has had scold this year and many more than once....

Low input never been lame maternal ewes, ewe lambs and rams avail later this autumn.

 

[farmerm]

Low input never been lame maternal ewes, ewe lambs and rams avail later this autumn.

A few days here would soon change that never been lame status....

 

[unlacedgecko]

A few days here would soon change that never been lame status....

Not for all of them

 

[Kentishfarmer]

I used a mat with Green Guardian when in the throes of my dorper disaster. Worked well.

If you retain your own replacements, don't keep anything lame.

You always seem a technical chap, did you rate green guardian? I had a read of the ingredients once and couldn't see anything in it that had much evidence of actually working
Thankfully tougher culling policies mean the days of considering such a product are hopefully behind us

 

[farmerm]

Not for all of them

Its a long drive to fife to prove you wrong.

 

[unlacedgecko]

You always seem a technical chap, did you rate green guardian? I had a read of the ingredients once and couldn't see anything in it that had much evidence of actually working

I don't have any figures for you. But YM thought it helped.

Thankfully tougher culling policies mean the days of considering such a product are hopefully behind us

Same.

 

[farmerm]

Not for all of them

In all seriousness though, what is physically different with a sheep that is resistant to scald. Is there a physiological different to the make up of the foot that makes it harder for the disease to get in or is the immune system better at responding or a bit of both?

 

[JHC]

qqqqqq

 

[JHC]

Apologies for above qqqs. Buy a load of lump chalk and level a ton in each gateway and areas where they congregate. Something to do with alkaline properties in chalk.

 

[unlacedgecko]

In all seriousness though, what is physically different with a sheep that is resistant to scald. Is there a physiological different to the make up of the foot that makes it harder for the disease to get in or is the immune system better at responding or a bit of both?

Both.

 

[BAF]

In all seriousness though, what is physically different with a sheep that is resistant to scald. Is there a physiological different to the make up of the foot that makes it harder for the disease to get in or is the immune system better at responding or a bit of both?

It's probably not necessarily a resistance to scald rather than a resistance to the bacteria that cause scald. There is also probably a physiological difference as well, I'd imagine sheep resistant to scald might have slightly thicker skin between their toes or something like that. Purely an immunological resistance would leave them potentially naive to an off farm bacteria.

 

[Macsky]

I think there’s also thinking to suggest that sheep with more ‘open’ toes, ie a bit of space between them, are less likely to suffer as the more airy environment doesn’t suit the bacteria and are perhaps more self cleaning. Not something I actively look for tho, and not sure I even agree on

 

[Jerry]

I used a mat with Green Guardian when in the throes of my dorper disaster. Worked well.

If you retain your own replacements, don't keep anything lame.

I tried that green guardian and it never worked here, I still have some left and chuck a bit in the foot bath along with formalin. One advantage with it is it nicely marks the feet so you can see that the bath contents are getting above the hoof.

 

[farmerm]

It's probably not necessarily a resistance to scald rather than a resistance to the bacteria that cause scald. There is also probably a physiological difference as well, I'd imagine sheep resistant to scald might have slightly thicker skin between their toes or something like that. Purely an immunological resistance would leave them potentially naive to an off farm bacteria.

What about it being the other way around.. could supposedly resistant sheep just have had the good fortune of never being exposed to the bacteria and may immediately break down as soon as they go to another farm....

 

[Jonp]

If you've a ring fenced farm, split up into small fields that you can rotate your sheep through you have a good chance to eliminate foot problems.
A closed flock with strict quarantine for any bought in sheep is important.
It takes a bit of work but if you keep all your sheep in one mob, in one field, and catch and treat all lame (with footrot) sheep then move them all to a new field and keep repeating and moving, eventually you will get to a point where you have no footrot.
The footrot bacteria survives off a sheep, in the pasture, for about 3 weeks, so if you only move to a field that hasn't had sheep in for over three weeks there shouldn't be bacteria in that field.
When I first started with sheep I tacked all year round in one huge field and footrot was a major problem with scald and codd too.
When I moved to my present farm, over 5 years ago, I spent the first year doing the above. Had no footrot, scald or codd since...
Didn't cull valuable ewes, don't trim feet, used golden hoof and a cut off Welly to put infected feet into. Alamycin for really bad cases.
Foot needs to be in golden hoof for 5-10 minutes to allow it to penetrate so a run through footbath is ineffective.
Still got some of the ewes that I brought with me to the new farm and they had horrendous footrot but have been very productive since treatment.
This works for me as I'm a closed breeding flock, more difficult if you are buying and selling stores or buying in replacements or an extensive hill farmer.

 

[beardface]

I’m having terrible trouble this year with lame lambs and ewes. Putting it down to too much grass! It’s not enough to top but certainly more than they are used to. I run them through the foot bath when they come into the yard and mark and treat individuals but they are getting no better and more getting lame. All bunches of ewes and lambs run between fields. Question is has anyone used a foot bath mat so they are always crossing it. Is it successful and what products do you use
thank you

You say they run between fields. So they graze the lot all at once? Best way to sort feet issues is to rotate paddocks or have a month or so rest in-between a couple paddocks at a time.

 

[Kentishfarmer]

I think there’s also thinking to suggest that sheep with more ‘open’ toes, ie a bit of space between them, are less likely to suffer as the more airy environment doesn’t suit the bacteria and are perhaps more self cleaning. Not something I actively look for tho, and not sure I even agree on

I've actually heard people say the opposite. That very open toed sheep or ones with over growing feet causing more splayed toee will get more material & abrasions between the toes and so more openings for bacteria and infections than close toed sheep
Anecdotally I'd say there's some truth in it for general foot problems