Orf outbreak

[deniscooper]

Evening,

After a bit of advice if I may.

I bought some more lambs from the farmer that I've bought all my lambs from back in September, and after a couple of weeks of isolation moved them in with my own lambs that I weaned off the ewes. Its since become apparent that one of the lambs I bought in must have had the orf virus (there has been no orf on my small holding since I've had sheep - about 3 years), I've lost one of the new lambs from it already, I separated from the flock as soon as I realised, but now it appears that a number of the other lambs are showing scabs around the mouth. They are all outdoors on grass, 13 lambs on 6 acres . My ewes and tups are on a different field and non of them have shown any signs.

So my questions are....

1. what can I do now to control the outbreak - is it worth vaccinating all the lambs - should the ewes and tups be done too?
2. what can I do to prevent this in the future? - im
not planning on buying any more in now anyway
3. should I cull the lambs? The iniitial plan was to sell my reared lambs as shearlings next year and tup the lambs I brought in next year

thanks in advance

 

[Estate fencing.]

I had very bad orf in 200 bought in mule ewe lambs 3 weeks ago. One was so bad I shot it because it was in pain. I ran them in Alymicin LA all the really bad ones and blue sprayed any that weren't to bad. Then put 4 tubby orf buckets out with them (which the hammered really fast) and it had cleared up really well when I went back through them yesterday.
Im a real fan of the tubby buckets and put them out every year with my ewes and lambs and only ever see very small infections on the lambs mouths and never see any orf on the ewes teats, so this might be an option for your ewes next year. I think the orf can live a long time off the sheep so can be picked up next season.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

https://www.shearwell.co.uk/ovaloids-natural-condition-capsules

these work well

 

[Ffermer Bach]

https://www.hyperdrug.co.uk/Battles...Trace-Element-tablets/productinfo/OVALOIDGUN/

need one of these to give them to the lambs

 

[deniscooper]

I saw those capsules in mole the weekend and wasn’t sure if they were any good so I’ll go pick some up.
What are the tubby buckets?

 

[yellowbelly]

What are the tubby buckets?

Denis Brinicombe FRO buckets (orf spelt backwards because some daft rule says they're not allowed to sell them as an orf treatment, but they do work)

https://www.brinicombe.co.uk/agri/products/sheep-tubbys

 

[spin cycle]

another vote for brinicombe....alamycin jab....blue spray

 

[milkloss]

It sounds like you have it quite bad so I agree with the advice above and throw what you can at them.

if you catch it earlier then we found rockies salt licks kept on top of the virus and prevented the secondary infections you are struggling with. Litter plenty of them about.

 

[deniscooper]

Thanks all.
Will try and find some of those buckets. Just looked on TFM and mole and can’t see them on there, not sure if wynstay have them.
Blue spray same as purple spray?

 

[SteveHants]

It sounds like you have it quite bad so I agree with the advice above and throw what you can at them.

if you catch it earlier then we found rockies salt licks kept on top of the virus and prevented the secondary infections you are struggling with. Litter plenty of them about.

I Imagine they work in a similar way to the buckets - the buckets have big salt crystals in them that help to clear up the affected areas (salt is quite anti-viral).
In a pinch, any mineral bucket that was salt based would probably do.

Antibotics won't help unless the animal has a secondary (bacterial) infection.

 

[primmiemoo]

Thanks all.
Will try and find some of those buckets. Just looked on TFM and mole and can’t see them on there, not sure if wynstay have them.
Blue spray same as purple spray?

Sympathies to you, @deniscooper .Coping with an outbreak of bad orf across a flock is difficult - particularly when very young lambs involved.

Every simple remedy has already been mentioned (I think). I would use an oxytet. (blue) spray from the Vet rather than non-prescription purple spray because of the secondary infection (if the orf is red and showing pus, there is a bacterial infection as well), and fierceness of the orf outbreak.

It would certainly be worth discussing scratch vaccination against orf with your Vet. Once a sheep has immunity, it rarely has more than a spot. No need to cull out anything.

Best of luck with the nursing, and hope for speedy recoveries.

 

[neilo]

Thanks all.
Will try and find some of those buckets. Just looked on TFM and mole and can’t see them on there, not sure if wynstay have them.
Blue spray same as purple spray?

They don't have many stockists (I've only ever seen them at Charlie's in Welshpool), so you will be better to ring them direct. Their own haulage guys are all over the place pretty regularly, or they send by courier.

 

[Lili]

Please be careful yourself @deniscooper and anybody else handling the lambs. Orf is transmissible to humans and its very unpleasant and painful.

 

[deniscooper]

Please be careful yourself @deniscooper and anybody else handling the lambs. Orf is transmissible to humans and its very unpleasant and painful.

Yep. I’ve made sure I’ve handled all of them carefuly and wearing gloves.
Will get very to prescribe some spray. Thanks.

 

[deniscooper]

Please be careful yourself @deniscooper and anybody else handling the lambs. Orf is transmissible to humans and its very unpleasant and painful.

Yep. I’ve made sure I’ve handled all of them carefuly and wearing gloves.
Will get very to prescribe some spray. Thanks.

 

[Estate fencing.]

It hurts like hell, I had it on my stomach once from belling lambs covered in it. (I’m glad I didn’t go for a pee, now that would take some explaining!)

 

[deniscooper]

Just got some blue spray from vets.
Also phoned up about buckets and going to get some delivered.
Vets said no to vaccinate this year but do it next year.

 

[ShooTa]

those tubbys look good - been having a shuftie on Charlies website but cant find them.

 

[An ancient git]

Had Orf myself years ago ..... Nightmare , skin took years to correct .
Have used Scabivax in past , but stopped ; very imprecise to apply and totally unimpressed with methodology ......
Had about 6 or 8 lambs this year , fortunately ewes' udders ok . None last 2 years . 5 in previous year ...
Use Betamox LA , not Alamycin , in case of any 'secondaries' and blasted nose/mouths with Cyclox spray Lambs suitably unimpressed , but it worked well . A hell of of lot cheaper than Scabivax'ing all the lambs .
Vets reckon that I bought orf in via registered stock that had been vax'd back in 12/13 ..... And the bloody numpties never said so , when asked what Vax's they had had previously .
I 'shut the gate' 5 years ago , apart from EasyRams (I remember Robyn said that he does it ) , but , at least I have a structured basis to work to , and can run a risk-assessment ongoing .........

 

[Dkb]

Mortakill from Connacht Agri has worked exceptionally well here this autumn.

I would take it out of the bottle it comes in and put it in a rose sprayer for easier application and to waste less