[SallyintNorth]

Clean everything - including your hands - with a strong solution of Daz.  Can't hurt and IMO it does help.

We had a lamb here with terrible orf, she had to be kept in solitary to stop her infecting everyone else; we kept a bottle and teat just for her and all tried very hard to keep from passing infection on.  But eventually the bottles got mixed up and some of the other pet lambs got it - but very few had it and of them, only two so that it bothered them really - and of them, one had been in pretty poor shape to begin with, so would have been more susceptible to anything going.

[Brucklay]

Thanks Sally - as always the font of all sheepishly knowledge - the way I handle the lambs I'm lucky to get away with it for this long but basically noticed his wart the same day mine came up so just have to work with it.

[zarzar]

  Hi i was just wondering if anyone has tried the orf jab if so did they have any success as heard alot of farmers  been using it, we seem to just get over one lot then someone else gets it although does seem to be more common in orphans.

[VSS]

We've been using the orf vaccine for a couple of years now - it's bloody marvellous!

BUT, don't use it unless orf is causing you alot of problems every year. It is a live vaccine (administered by scratching the bare patch of skin under the lambs armpit with a special vaccinator which infects the scratch with the vaccine) so you need to be careful how you use it to avoid catching it yourself, and it needs to be used within 8 hours of opening the bottle. Comes in 50 dose bottles.

[zarzar]

Glad it works as we have 20 ewes and lambs we are slowly expanding them but we seem to get orf 2/3 times a year at min and all local farmers say they use the vaccine.

[SallyintNorth]

Like Dot, we've been using it again the last few years, as orf cases had increased over the preceeding few years.

It works, but you do need to do it right and you do need to scratch all the lambs which will come into contact with the lambs that have been scratched and the places they have been.  It's a live virus, so vaccinated lambs shed live virus which will infect unvaccinated sheep who come across it.

We do a double scratch to make sure it enters the lambs' systems - first scratch with the dose of vaccine; we do it in the 'lisk' but under the armpit works too, then, while the blue fluid is still visible, the second scratch, without pumping another dose onto the progs, but scratching across the first scratch, which makes absolutely sure that the vaccine enters broken skin.

[Fronhaul]

Someone, I think it was Sally mentioned the 3 in 1 buckets available from Brinicombes and elsewhere and they are wonderful.  Orf hates it dry so hopefully those of us who do suffer should see it clearing up and an end to fresh outbreaks if this weather keeps up.  Now shoot me if it is still wet where you are

[Foobar]

I dunno how much the buckets are but I'd vote for lump rock salt instead, it's bound to work out cheaper.  About 8-10 quid for a 25kg sack.  I'd be interested to hear if anyone else uses this as an orf preventative, it's certainly been recommended several times on the farming forums.


Don't buy the horse lumps on a rope, they cost a fortune.  Get a 25kg sack (or bigger, the bigger the load the bigger the lumps), most agri places sell 'em.  These folks import
http://www.ballofmadley-hereford.co.uk/index.htm so can tell you where your nearest supplier is.  There is another importer too ... I got some from countrywide once, I can't remember who the producer was though.

[The Irish Shepherd]

theres only one cure for orf in lambs, thats 'orfoids' about £18 for a 100, give 2 to each lamb, works a treat, next best is Iodine

[landroverroy]

I dunno how much the buckets are but I'd vote for lump rock salt instead, it's bound to work out cheaper.  About 8-10 quid for a 25kg sack.  I'd be interested to hear if anyone else uses this as an orf preventative, it's certainly been recommended several times on the farming forums. END QUOTE.


I have had orf three times in my sheep in 30 years. After the first time I vaccinated and it came back. The second time, after consulting an old farmer, I used ordinary salt mixed with  sulphur and it disappeared in both ewes and lambs after about 2 weeks. It didn't reappear till 20 years later, and again was cured by putting out the sulphur/salt mixture. You mix equal quantities (roughly) of each and put it out where the animals can help themselves. I believe that sulphur is a major ingredient of orphoid tablets also.

[devonlad]

as usual huge relief to find something on our latest drama. its spread around a bit unfortunately amongst the ewes and lambs till we worked it out. been using battle cream but sudocrem sounds like an idea. both wife and i now inspecting all the usual scratches and hoping we've not scratched anywhere we shouldnt- buying rubber gloves in the morning

[Marches Farmer]

Once you've got it on a holding it helps to eliminate things like thistles and hawthorn and blackthorn low enough for the sheep to graze.  Anything that might scratch the skin may give the virus a foothold.

[SteveHants]

Once you've got it on a holding it helps to eliminate things like thistles and hawthorn and blackthorn low enough for the sheep to graze.  Anything that might scratch the skin may give the virus a foothold.

My grazing is full of hawthorn/blackthorn/gorse copses, so that aint ever gonna happen.


I hardly ever see orf hough. Apparently 'orfoids' contain a lot of sulphur sals and a cheaper alternative is to put sulphur slats out for the sheep to lick.


I am thinking of experimenting with that hymalayan rock salt to clear up whatever orf I do have...