Thin and weak lambs coming after looking and weighing well at weaning.

[nt farm]

Trying to solve illness that is weakening lamb.

We have a large number of post weaned lambs die. Post vet visits and blood tests we are still a bit stumped.

Lambs start by loosing condition then go off their legs and in 90% of cases die despite all help given.

Blood samples show low Se and Co levels sheep how drenched with supplement but no noticeable effects. Bolused now to see if any better. Cu levels higher than normal and autopsy of level showed yellowing on liver but not to a toxic level the vet thought. Plus lambs not dropping dead without warning.

Only other thing noticed is was the liver didn't have the normal texture but was like a mush.

Worm dung samples done and levels very low to low.

no liver fluke either.

Any ideas please.

Ps strange question but when we weaned the lambs went on to 2 Yr old lay to try and keep them growing but after about 2 week levels of crown rust became very noticeable. Any problems know about if livestock grazing grass where crown rust is on the rise.


Cheers

 

[andybk]

are they double vaxed for clostridial ?

 

[Hill Ground]

no liver fluke either.

Is this based on worm samples or Inspection of bile duct on post mortem?

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

Where in the country are you?
Was the 2 year old ley clean grazing, not been grazed hard by sheep before?

Never knowingly had a problem with rust and this year we have had so much rain it has washed off.
What weights were the lambs when you weaned them?

 

[nt farm]

Ewes heptovac p and lambs had 2 doses.

Liver fluke done on dung samples borrowed by post mortem.

Wiltshire. Cut of silage is taken first then the lambs go on to it at weaning. Second year in row. Ewes may be on it during rotational grazing over early winter.

25-32kg with the odd poor one 20-25

 

[spin cycle]

pm found no haemonchus?

 

[nt farm]

Vet didn`t say he found any but then again i didn't ask.

question to ask vet in the morning.

 

[livestock 1]

Any scouring?

 

[nt farm]

Son runs a 600 ewe flock and he had a problem with barber worm 2 or 3 yrs ago, he said when i asked last week about it, he seemed to suggest it was more of a problem in ewes and in his case ewes tended to get a kind on pouch (like a hens croup) on the back of the jaw.

 

[nt farm]

No remarkable clean.

Sorry not sure how to use the quote system to respond to each question.

 

[Sharpy]

No remarkable clean.

Sorry not sure how to use the quote system to respond to each question.

Click the reply button on the bottom right hand of the post you are replying to. Type answer, press post reply.

 

[Sharpy]

Ewes heptovac p and lambs had 2 doses.

Liver fluke done on dung samples borrowed by post mortem.

Wiltshire. Cut of silage is taken first then the lambs go on to it at weaning. Second year in row. Ewes may be on it during rotational grazing over early winter.

25-32kg with the odd poor one 20-25

Re liver fluke checked by FEC of dung. Its possible with any parasite to have high numbers of juveniles which don't lay eggs so don't show on an FEC but are kicking the sh!t out of the animal.

 

[nt farm]

Click the reply button on the bottom right hand of the post you are replying to. Type answer, press post reply.

Thanks

 

[ford4000]

Re liver fluke checked by FEC of dung. Its possible with any parasite to have high numbers of juveniles which don't lay eggs so don't show on an FEC but are kicking the sh!t out of the animal.

This is right,at this time of the year you could get a large number of juvenile fluke going through the liver as sharpy says don't lay eggs. This is called acute fluke earlier on when you just find them dead, sub-acute fluke is when they lose condition due to immature fluke before some will die!
Problems caused by adult egg laying fluke is called chronic fluke

 

[nt farm]

Re liver fluke checked by FEC of dung. Its possible with any parasite to have high numbers of juveniles which don't lay eggs so don't show on an FEC but are kicking the sh!t out of the animal.

Wouldn't the lamb (or ewes) have needed to be close to a river for the snails to be present?

 

[Hill Ground]

Wouldn't the lamb (or ewes) have needed to be close to a river for the snails to be present?

Any wet patch will do, pond, ditchs anywhere they've been?

 

[Spartacus]

Sounds like colbolt to me, got something from my vet that they imported from NZ (smartshot i think), lost a lot after weaning last year, but none with the same symptoms this year, costs penny's a lamb as well so job well done for me.

 

[nt farm]

Sounds like colbolt to me, got something from my vet that they imported from NZ (smartshot i think), lost a lot after weaning last year, but none with the same symptoms this year, costs penny's a lamb as well so job well done for me.

The bolus we have just done them with is a cobolt, Se and I. Will hope for improvement in the nest few weeks.

 

[Spartacus]

The bolus we have just done them with is a cobolt, Se and I. Will hope for improvement in the nest few weeks.

I think the injection will be at faster acting than bolus if you are still losing them.

 

[Bald n Grumpy]

Son runs a 600 ewe flock and he had a problem with barber worm 2 or 3 yrs ago, he said when i asked last week about it, he seemed to suggest it was more of a problem in ewes and in his case ewes tended to get a kind on pouch (like a hens croup) on the back of the jaw.

Been a lot around this year, catch a couple of lambs and lift the eyelid and see how pale the eye is. If its very pale and not showing blood vessels very strong it's probably barbers pole as they are blood suckers and the easiest place to look for anaemia is the eye. Not all show bottle jaw as your son suggests