Scabivax for lambs.

[Estate fencing.]

I have decided to scabivax the lambs this year after having really bad orf in a big bunch of ewe lambs last autumn. I have bitten the bullet and bought the vaccine and was going to do them when I turn the lambs out. The problem I have is it says in the information not to mix unvaccinated sheep with vaccinated sheep and I haven’t do the ewes. What is everyones option on this, do them as planed, buy more and do ewes or leave until later when the risk of giving the ewes orf has passed.

 

[andybk]

keep vax till you do the clostridial one , if you havnt done ewes it will be a real mess on udders / mastitis , i would do ewes 8 weeks pre lambing next time , keep salt blocks out with lambs

 

[Top Tip.]

We never do the ewes just do the lambs at marking time,never had a problem.

 

[gatepost]

We do all lambs at turnout, but not the ewes no problems as such.

 

[Estate fencing.]

So you don’t get orf on the ewes teats.

 

[Top Tip.]

So you don’t get orf on the ewes teats.

No,but all our ewes are homebred and done as lambs,I don’t know if this makes a difference.

 

[gatepost]

No,but all our ewes are homebred and done as lambs,I don’t know if this makes a difference.

Same here, so I think a degree of lifetime immunity,

 

[GTB]

We never do the ewes just do the lambs at marking time,never had a problem.

No,but all our ewes are homebred and done as lambs,I don’t know if this makes a difference.

Same here.

 

[neilo]

Same here, so I think a degree of lifetime immunity,

Vaccinal immunity is even shorter lived than that inferred by natural infection, about 6 months IIRC. The only long lasting immunity that might come in is via introducing the (milder) orf strain into the Farm/flock through vaccination, which will then keep circulating in the population.

 

[cotswoldcs]

We do all lambs at turnout, but not the ewes no problems as such.

We used to be the same but now do ewes when we Heptavac pre lambing. I'm sure we now get less mastitis in the ewes as a result. I agree that you need to vaccinate every year.

 

[Top Tip.]

Vaccinal immunity is even shorter lived than that inferred by natural infection, about 6 months IIRC. The only long lasting immunity that might come in is via introducing the (milder) orf strain into the Farm/flock through vaccination, which will then keep circulating in the population.

I thought one of the sales points of the new scabivax vaccine when they brought it out was that it gave 12 months cover,could be wrong though.

 

[gatepost]

Vaccinal immunity is even shorter lived than that inferred by natural infection, about 6 months IIRC. The only long lasting immunity that might come in is via introducing the (milder) orf strain into the Farm/flock through vaccination, which will then keep circulating in the population.

I have tried a yr without vaccinating the lambs on the basis that everybody else told me i was wasting my time, not doing that again, but still no problem on the ewes, however a couple of points purely subjective observations , dark coloured skin/ teats tend to be harder less prone to sores, first timers suffer more, and ewe nutrition milking ability comes into it, it's all connected. and on the mastitis front udder shape and teat placement appears to have an influence.

 

[Ysgythan]

We just do the lambs. Again we keep our own replacements.