General sheep thread

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123094572#Comment_123094572

Try tetracycline if depocillin isn't working.

If you give them a painkiller with it they'll be in better form, our vet recommends finadine, It's also an antiinflammatory to help bring down the swelling

Mad about baa baas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123098407#Comment_123098407

Thanks.lamb is in good form but no real improvement in the leg. I have beebeen Giving oral metacam which should help with the pain..

I have a bottle of oxycomplex here which contains oxytetracycline and funixin which is the drug in finadyne..ill.try a shot of that i think..

EEdit To say i also have a bottle of hexasol which is the same as oxycomplex but long acting..might try that? Its licensed for cattle but my vet recommended it for sheep before

newholland mad

Getting odd cases of watery mouth here in a few pedigrees. We're mostly tillage here so have any amount of straw and they have been literally smothered in it both before and after lambing. I'd consider general hygiene good and individual pens are cleaned out between ewes and limed and each ewe is milked immediately after lambing and tubed about 200 ml give or take. We have recently started using an agri Lloyd product that's supposed to help, so far non of those treated ones are affected. This evening there was a 3 week old twin with it.So far the treatment is spectamicin injection and electrolyte with mixed results. Back years ago and when we ran a good few commercial ewes we got an outbreak and from then on vacationed with a product called coliovac which was brilliant but I think like everything that worked well it's gone off the market. Is anyone else getting bother and how are ye dealing with it.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123099621#Comment_123099621

A few things to try, If you're using iodine on the navels, try chlorahexdine for a change or vice versa. dipping the navel is better than spraying.

Get a refractometer to test the quality of the colostrum,

Increase the protein in the ration to improve the quality of the colostrum. It's recommended that ewes get 200gms good quality protein/day in their ration in the last 2 weeks pregnancy. A kilo/day of 20%P ewe and lamb ration will provide that.

We clean and brush out individual pens between lambings and spray walls and floor with Sorgene.

That's our procedure for the last 20 years and have had no ecoli scours in the last twenty years

newholland mad

We're using a 19% ration but also add in 150 grams of soya as it's being fed. Ewes are lambing down with lots of what seems thick rich beastings. Similar to yourself pens are brushed clean after each occupant and we try not to use the pen for a day or so until it's dried up and then white lime is used so I think from now I'll get sorgene and try that. The navels are sprayed with I'll have to check later but that's something else to change. Thankfully there's only about 10 left for this year. I was in a lambing shed a few days ago and hygiene was only very middling at best, pens dirty and reusing pens without cleaning etc and never had a case. That's what got me wondering about ourselves

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123101216#Comment_123101216

My post is not a criticism but a collection of things that seem to work here. We used to lamb 600 ewes here over 6 weeks in three 200 ewe batches so couldn't afford to let disease in to the lambing shed

Your sheeps colostrum should be alright on that level of protein if it's a good ration.

We had a bit of joint ill years ago and an adviser said that if iodine isn't working try Chlorahexadene and that was the end of the joint ill nearly completely. here An old spoton container is good for dipping navels in that you can pump up 10ml into the small resrvoir at the cap, dip the lamb and throw out the rest of the 10 ml thereby assuring that it's a clean dip every time.

It might be just this year and you'll never see much ecoli again, ''Every year is different''

newholland mad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102283#Comment_123102283

Don't worry your post wasn't taken up as criticism in the slightest, I'm very appreciative of your advice. I'm just back in and looked at the navel spray and it's 10% iodine dressed up in a fancy name. I'm going to look up getting chlorahexadene tomorrow for the last few which the pressure will be the highest. Yesterday's case has turned the corner but he had age on his side but young lambs are hard to cure. We've probably had 6 cases and lost 4. It's always the weaker of a set of twins never a single.

eire23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102283#Comment_123102283

Where do ye get the Chlorahexadene wrangler? Get a handful cases of it and joint ill every year and it would be good to try something else besides iodine to see if it helps.

orm0nd

Re joint ill.... Remember the navel is only one source of infection, clean teats on the ewe and clean/clipped flanks is important as well.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123102673#Comment_123102673

We get it from the vet, it's dear,but anything that helps the lambing to run smooth isn't expensive. It comes in two forms, the concentrated stuff we mix at 10 to 1 with water.

And it comes readymixed as well.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123103398#Comment_123103398

Another advantage of later shearing and feeding straw. No scoury ewes and clean wool. If ewes have infections in their feet too, the lambs nearly can't avoid picking up infection in their mouth and navel

Mad about baa baas

In the stud farm where i work we have started using this for foals instead of iodine..the navel seems to dry up quicker..it contains chlorahexadine..I must.bring some.home to try on a few lambs..i think my recent joint ill was caused by the ewe being too vigorous licking the lamb off and biting nearly fully through the tail..maybe im raving

Mad about baa baas

20250128_073859.jpg

TThis

eire23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123104007#Comment_123104007

Thanks wrangler, I must give that ago. The joint ill always shows up about 4 weeks ish and I think it's does happen after the tail drops off. I could be wrong on that that though.

DJ98

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123108163#Comment_123108163

That product is sold in tirlan, seems to be quite expensive

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123110382#Comment_123110382

If it's 4-5% chlorahexdine we dilute it 10 parts water with 1 part chlorehexdine

Something like this, it's about €60 for 5 litres , it makes 50 litres

https://www.orchardequestrian.com/de/healthcare/First-Aid/VetSet-Chlorvet-Scrub

Mad about baa baas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123110382#Comment_123110382

TThat Does look expensive. We are getting direct from a supplier at a fraction of that price as far as i know..if.it saved a couple of lambs from getting joint ill.and all.the hardship that goes with it though I think it would be worth the extra.few quid..

As.others here have said though the navel is only 1 way it gets in..

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123111804#Comment_123111804

UCD had to euthanaise something like 50 lambs one year due to incurable Joint ill as well as treating a lot more.

They suspected it was due to all the students handling the lambs to religiously stomach tube every lamb with colostrum after birth……I dont think they do it anymore

joe35

I lamb outdoors and can't remember the last case of joint ill I had. It's probably the only advantage of outdoor lambing is disease control

manno

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123110446#Comment_123110446

Is that not cheaper than iodine? Last time I bought Iodine I was shocked at the price of it

wrangler

I haven't bought Iodine in years so don't know.

We're using chlorahexidine here for years

wrangler

That product (No bacz )is new to the market I think, Fiona lovett has something to do with it, she's on top of her game in sheep management.

I can't see anywhere to say what ingredients are in it

DJ98

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123115566#Comment_123115566

What are the active ingredients?

NoBACZ Navel contains a high % of ethanol to cleanse the navel on contact, then a unique blend of natural polymer and metal salts that form a protective seal at the site to keep environmental pathogens out

orm0nd

€50 for a 500ml spray bottle. Supposed to do 50 calves.

Dickie10

has anyone any experience of feeding fodder beet or sugar beet to ewes before lambing? is it a good feed?

joe35

We feed beet here on the farm. Don't see any benefit to it myself. It's mainly the father likes sheep to always have fodder for them.

To me it's just expensive water, (beet is 70% water). Better off on sillage/hay and getting correct amount of nuts according to scanning rates.

Beet has a low nutrient value, and if fed to ewes prior to lambing, you end up with poor quality colostrum. ( Ewes have plenty of milk but it's when lambs get 3/4 days old they start to have problems)

As it has a high water content, i actually think it's a better feed for after sheep lamb, leaves sheep with plenty of milk.

Just through beet out whole in the field, sheep will scope the beet up no problem.

Less chance of mis-mothering as beet can be left adlib with stock.

Jonnyc135

having serious issues trying to get Heptavac P for this year. I will probably end up missing the 4-6 week window prior to lambing in early march.

Sami23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123122861#Comment_123122861

Just use Covexin

razor8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123122861#Comment_123122861

how much are you looking, have a 500ml (250 dose) bottle here i dont need

Jonnyc135

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123125405#Comment_123125405

only need enough for 45, ah covexin8 will do them, tick the box for this scheme