The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: squeasy on March 06, 2012, 08:15:50 pm
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Hello I wonder if for people like me who are new to looking after sheep and lambing please could somebody say what you would do to a sheep once it has lambed.
E.g. worm / trim feet etc.
I try not to stress my sheep too much (as they are soays) and do not want to do too much to them after the stress of lambing. However if I knew what other people do as standard that would be really useful.
Any advice really appreciated.
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I do nothing unless feet are overgrown or lame, all worming /mins,vits/ clostridial inj all done pre lambing.
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One thing you need to do treatment-wise for the ewe once she has lambed is give her an injection of long acting antibiotic. I also give a mutivitamin injection.
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Interesting Pewardine.
I'm new to this as well, but thought routine antibiotics would be a no-no (in any sphere of life) and would only give to the ewe if you had intervened in the birth or there were obvious complications of birth?
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One thing you need to do treatment-wise for the ewe once she has lambed is give her an injection of long acting antibiotic. I also give a mutivitamin injection.
Soays usually lamb naturally, usually outside and I can think of no reason to give them an antibiotic injection. The unneccessary routine use of antibiotics is the main cause of the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms. The only reason to give an antibiotic would be if you have had to intervene in the delivery - something I have only had to do once with Soays in the ten or so years I have kept them.
Soay feet are usually pretty good so may only need trimming once or twice a year. Many people like to worm their ewes immediately after lambing and this can be a good idea if you have them in at the time, but I wouldn't go chasing them around the field to do it - you will have another chance at the next gather and if you wormed pre-tupping there shouldn't be a huge burden.
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Sorry meant to add:
I would also be interested in what people do. I am planning on vaccinating lamb (and ewes), check feet (trim/spray), worm and spray for fly. Might also dag if needed. Does anyone do routine footbaths and if so when. All my sheep brought in in last 3 months. Did worm but nothing else.
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We always give an antibiotic. Mutivitamins aren't vital but we sometimes do if ewe is particularly exhausted by lambing.
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I worm(if neccesary) the ewe when I get her in to castrate/check over the lamb. A worm count will tell you if the wormer is needed and your vet will do this for you.
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Hi Squeasy :wave:
..lots of very knowledgeable shepherds on here with text book advise and I am sure they will be on soon with excellent guidelines.
I would suggest you just stand back and let the new mum and lambs relax and bond for a while,mum needs a few days just to gain herself and let her body rest.
Tilly
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I would only ever give antibiotic when there is a real reason to so do. If there's been a lot of internal intervention, or if the ewe has mucky stuff / is not cleansing, or is pressing when there's no more afterbirth to come, for instance.
We do give lambs born indoors a squirt of Orojet or Spectam antibiotic as a preventative, but if I had just a few sheep I would expect to not need to do this. With a flock in the several hundreds, and highly unpredictable weather, events can overtake you, so we find the Oroject to be a worthwhile precaution.
Our ewes get a chelated mineral drench about 4-6 weeks before lambing. I would give a vitamin jab for a ewe who's had a rough lambing, yes.
Clostridial vaccinations must be given 2-6 weeks before lambing in order to pass passive immunity to the lamb.
Anyone with dodgy feet gets them seen to after they've lambed and before they are turned out.
Our ewes get a fluke drench before lambing; we lamb earlier than we would expect worms to be active in these parts so do not worm the ewes until later on.
We lamb long before the flies are active.
As to routine footbaths, they may be necessary later in the year but at lambing time we have not usually got more than a few girls with sore feet. It is noticeable that a lot of the girls who were footsore before they lambed are fine afterwards - a friend of mine who has had a child tells me that's how she felt, too! :D
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Thank you to everyone I now have a much clearer idea of what to do. I just need to put it all in a calendar and check it off. Our ewes were not vaccinated when we got them and I would like to start them on the heptovac cycle but will speak to the Vet about when best to start now.