- Location
- East Sussex
I am truly surprised at the amount many of you are spending on these store lambs and some of the practices would I suggest should not be put on a public forum.
It also makes me realise how much extra our lambs should be that have already received most of these treatments before they are sold. It is also no surprise that more lambs will be sold direct from farm to farm.
Jabbing anything with an antibiotic routinely is these days a definite no, although I can see the logic for doing it and as long as your Vet is happy to prescribe to do it then I am sure it reduces losses from pneumonia. Lameness in sheep that have been trucked is more often due to standing on hard surfaces and their feet getting hot and dry and the start of Scald which would be better treated through a footbath.
A single dose of Bravoxin 10 will do very little. It is a vaccine that specifically needs two doses at 4 to 6 weeks apart for it to be truly effective. Heptavac P is also a "sledgehammer to crack a nut" and needs the two jabs to be truly effective and Ovivac used to be cheaper.
Footvax unless it has been improved significantly is an expensive vaccine to use and again needs two jabs 6 weeks apart to be properly effective and a full course will cost around £2.50. There is also the high risk of abscesses at the vaccination site. Possibly sensible for ewe lambs to be put into a flock but not for store lambs.
There is no way that there will be a general return to the use of OP, and yes it is a risk, especially with sheep bought through markets in certain areas. While not perfect, if it is possible to keep these sheep isolated for a short period then the blood test for detecting scab is now well proven. It has been suggested that it could be used as a pen side test in markets but of course by then the damage can already have been done.
Zolvix and some isolation in a pen will be the best preventative and money well spent before these new sheep come on to your farm.
The general use of Flukicides in lambs at this time of the year would also be a waste of time and money and increase the risk of resistance. From September onwards is the time to treat.
Boluses may be a cost worth incurring but should one not need to know what trace element that your land is specifically lacking or the type of feed provided is short of before giving a general bolus which may or may not supply the necessary requirements and is another expensive input. Very often salt or iodine and possibly a selenium and cobalt drench may be all that is required.
No one has mentioned fly cover. All sheep we sell have been treated with Clik extra which would certainly remove the need for any treatment with only the longer term lambs treated in May that might require a second cheap cover to get through the risk period.
Lambs that come from a reputable and reliable source that have been well farmed must be worth significantly more than these potential Scab carriers of dubious origins that require all these expensive inputs to give you peace of mind but may actually do very little!
It also makes me realise how much extra our lambs should be that have already received most of these treatments before they are sold. It is also no surprise that more lambs will be sold direct from farm to farm.
Jabbing anything with an antibiotic routinely is these days a definite no, although I can see the logic for doing it and as long as your Vet is happy to prescribe to do it then I am sure it reduces losses from pneumonia. Lameness in sheep that have been trucked is more often due to standing on hard surfaces and their feet getting hot and dry and the start of Scald which would be better treated through a footbath.
A single dose of Bravoxin 10 will do very little. It is a vaccine that specifically needs two doses at 4 to 6 weeks apart for it to be truly effective. Heptavac P is also a "sledgehammer to crack a nut" and needs the two jabs to be truly effective and Ovivac used to be cheaper.
Footvax unless it has been improved significantly is an expensive vaccine to use and again needs two jabs 6 weeks apart to be properly effective and a full course will cost around £2.50. There is also the high risk of abscesses at the vaccination site. Possibly sensible for ewe lambs to be put into a flock but not for store lambs.
There is no way that there will be a general return to the use of OP, and yes it is a risk, especially with sheep bought through markets in certain areas. While not perfect, if it is possible to keep these sheep isolated for a short period then the blood test for detecting scab is now well proven. It has been suggested that it could be used as a pen side test in markets but of course by then the damage can already have been done.
Zolvix and some isolation in a pen will be the best preventative and money well spent before these new sheep come on to your farm.
The general use of Flukicides in lambs at this time of the year would also be a waste of time and money and increase the risk of resistance. From September onwards is the time to treat.
Boluses may be a cost worth incurring but should one not need to know what trace element that your land is specifically lacking or the type of feed provided is short of before giving a general bolus which may or may not supply the necessary requirements and is another expensive input. Very often salt or iodine and possibly a selenium and cobalt drench may be all that is required.
No one has mentioned fly cover. All sheep we sell have been treated with Clik extra which would certainly remove the need for any treatment with only the longer term lambs treated in May that might require a second cheap cover to get through the risk period.
Lambs that come from a reputable and reliable source that have been well farmed must be worth significantly more than these potential Scab carriers of dubious origins that require all these expensive inputs to give you peace of mind but may actually do very little!
Last time I take a sellers word for anything…
