Spectam

Finding it hard to source , in fact impossible is it now banned ? What are you using as a substitute ? Thanks
The company isn't making it any more and no other company is putting forward an alternative, mostly due to regulations to reduce routine antibiotic use.

We used use in on triplets and smaller twin lambs but we've had to change over to milking the ewe and bottle feeding or tubing the lamb.

We're also planning on using a prebiotic supplement to lambs straight after being born, it's supposed to have very good results in reducing E.Coli infections in lambs. We used some here this year on a few lambs that weren't thriving and had poor appetites. They took a huge turn for the better but it can get time consuming if you have a lot of lambs to do. We also bought a ewe milker to use to reduce the management time for milking and feeding but we're mostly finished for the year so we won't know how successful these will be until next year.
 

hill shepherd

Member
Livestock Farmer
I get the feeling you are making me out to be a twit, it’s was happy supplied by my vet for all that time, what did they think I was doing with it ? Washing my windows ?
I don't think you're a twit, we used to do the same, every lamb born indoors got spectam, now we just do triplets or anything a bit weakly, never had any trouble since we stopped using it
 

JSmith

Member
Livestock Farmer
Have the ewes got milk, are the lambs getting their first feed, are the pens cleaned and disinfected between sheep, and the hurdles sprayed, if you bottle feed are the teats clean between lamb?? I’m sure you know all this is basic, but that’s the best place to start an work from there up!!
 
Hygiene is perfect , no expense spared deep litter clean straw all lambs monitored for getting colostrum early, pens all spotless, the only thing that has changed is the lack of spectam. Not usually negative on here but it’s disappointing to have had 3 so far. Ok so I appreciate some say I’m dumb but my initial post was to what I can do to help this situation. As stated my vet was perfectly happy to sell me the stuff. Will
Monitor the situation over the lambing and report back if only to help others possible facing s similar situation.
 

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

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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/
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