- Location
- Aberdeenshire
For all it costs I'd prefer piece of mind. As I lamb early I just pass on my part bottle to someone about to start.
Watery mouth prevention
- Thread starter focussed
- Start date
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
Yes but other options are there? Apart from lambing outside.
Use plenty of dry straw in pens,bed between ewes.
No point being wet and mucky,just a breeding ground for bugs.
Another thing I believe is bedding the in lamb ewes well because what they lie on will be on their udder and wool and this is the first thing a lamb will suck.
No point being wet and mucky,just a breeding ground for bugs.
Another thing I believe is bedding the in lamb ewes well because what they lie on will be on their udder and wool and this is the first thing a lamb will suck.
- Location
- Ceredigion, wales
We are quite fussy with hygiene at lambing but having lambed in the same building since 1982 it's inevitable that bugs get a foothold and unless you have concrete floors and smooth walls it's virtually impossible to completely disinfect the building.
reverand
Member
- Location
- East lancs hills
First time lambing inside last year and went over the top bedding all the pens ,the ewes, in my opinion had plenty of colostrum and still in the end of the second week the odd lamb started. Spectam sorted it
- Location
- East Sussex
I have no doubt whatsoever that at some point a ban will come in stopping the use of all antibiotics as preventative treatment. It will be the end of Spectam and routine dry cow therapy.
Lots of farmers manage without the product - through cleanliness and colostrum. Pens cleared out and limed between sheep etc. It's doable - people out there are doing it.
I would encourage all of you to work with a plan so that you can manage without these products. Might happen in 3 months, might be 1 year, might be 5. If by 2020 we can still uses these products I will be amazed. They shouldn't be needed - they are covering up sub-optimal practices. It's not good enough.
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
If we all used more of the common ABs then the companies would have more cash to invest in discovering and licencing new ones. I think the anti-AB use guys are holding back progress.
Whooa there, only joking. There has to be a happy medium. I have to lamb early to enable me to work off farm during other folks lambing season. I lamb inside as there is no grass outside at 200 meters in Aberdeenshire in February. I have sheds used year on year for lambing and sheep handling. I have pedigree sheep that would be rendered valueless if they had locked joints and cost me a very significant amount of income if they died of watery mouth so I use Spectam. My vets don't even bother to give me the customary lecture on AB resistance when I ask for it. Unless someone has a startling new outlook on how to do it then that's just the way it will be done.
Whooa there, only joking. There has to be a happy medium. I have to lamb early to enable me to work off farm during other folks lambing season. I lamb inside as there is no grass outside at 200 meters in Aberdeenshire in February. I have sheds used year on year for lambing and sheep handling. I have pedigree sheep that would be rendered valueless if they had locked joints and cost me a very significant amount of income if they died of watery mouth so I use Spectam. My vets don't even bother to give me the customary lecture on AB resistance when I ask for it. Unless someone has a startling new outlook on how to do it then that's just the way it will be done.
@Longlowdog what will you do when Spectam no longer available?
Bury your head in the sand by all means - it will come in at some point? How close to retirement are you?
Bury your head in the sand by all means - it will come in at some point? How close to retirement are you?
NewlandFarm
Member
- Location
- Exmoor
Haves used Spectam, Terramycin tablets, Orojet and Apralan
sherg
Member
- Location
- shropshire
Just use it on triplets and maybe for lambs out of an old ewe, try not to use it at all but sometimes its a case of having to the ewes colostrum does seem to have more in it since we started using the red buckets as well
We used to use spectam but now focus on bedding, keeping lambs dry and draught free, and feeding ewes so colostrum is good. So far getting on better with better husbandry. Some of this is down to not using a damp old shed anymore.
Lot of good colostrum and a warm dry place to lie is about the best things you can do.
Lot of good colostrum and a warm dry place to lie is about the best things you can do.
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
I would add I also routine worm for Nema', the allow your flock to evolve argument almost f**king broke me (financially and mentally) when it wiped 30% of my lambs out in 48 hours some years back. Best practise is an aspiration but surviving is a necessity.
So you are saying it is not possible to farm sheep without routine use of antibiotics?
How do you think that sounds to consumers? Don't forget you need them to buy your product.
It will be banned. You intend to stop sheep farming at that point? Not prepared to increase your standards?
It's a disappointing view from the industry - if your views are in any way representative.
How do you think that sounds to consumers? Don't forget you need them to buy your product.
It will be banned. You intend to stop sheep farming at that point? Not prepared to increase your standards?
It's a disappointing view from the industry - if your views are in any way representative.
What do you think of the test biobest are offering to do a profile on few sheep for protein and energy levels pre lambing @bovine
http://www.biobest.co.uk/news/articles/ewe_lambing_profile.html
http://www.biobest.co.uk/news/articles/ewe_lambing_profile.html
sherg
Member
- Location
- shropshire
We had something similar with nemo a few years ago, never again do I want to feel like that so we do the same
A very good idea. I suspect the only thing that may put some vets off is they are now in the same group as Westpoint.
Edinburgh University have been offering a similar profile for a number of years. The uptake is disappointing when we are talking about ~£100 in lab fees.
We have a few guys checking energy levels only with the meters we have in vet's cars. Gets some basic energy information.
Think I'll try a few just for interest sake, not expensive. Will try to remember to post the results.
MissSteak
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
1ml of LA engamycin squirted over their throat. Cheap and effective!