The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Croftgary on October 09, 2012, 12:28:49 pm

Title: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Croftgary on October 09, 2012, 12:28:49 pm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-19883897 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-19883897)
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: tizaala on October 09, 2012, 02:18:18 pm
Not just Scotland , our vets has a warning notice up  in Knighton
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: jaykay on October 09, 2012, 02:21:07 pm
Have you still got midges flying and biting though? They've stopped here, so I'm assuming that therefore the sheep are unlikely to get infected in the first part of their pregnancy. Well, especially since the tups don't go in til Nov in general round here.

Fingers crossed that's the case for everyone up north and that those folk who had to deal with it last year now have immune flocks.
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Berkshire Boy on October 09, 2012, 02:28:02 pm
Is that right Tizaala, a bit too close to home for my liking. :(
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Haylo-peapod on October 09, 2012, 02:39:37 pm
I must admit I have been contemplating putting the ram in a few weeks later this year to ensure the midge activity has died down.
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Backinwellies on October 09, 2012, 02:49:14 pm
I've never seen so many mozzies in my house as this last 2 weeks .... special trip out to buy some mozzie spray.   :fc: for all those cattle and sheep.
Linda
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Lesley Silvester on October 09, 2012, 08:51:49 pm
I don't know.  You get over one virus and another one rears it's head.  They  don't mention goats but is that because sheep and cows are more common?
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: kja on October 10, 2012, 07:07:16 am
I don't know.  You get over one virus and another one rears it's head.  They  don't mention goats but is that because sheep and cows are more common?

yes but goats are susceptible to it too
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Ina on October 10, 2012, 08:37:01 am
I've never seen so many mozzies in my house as this last 2 weeks ....

Glad it's not just me, then. I always hear one buzzing (and occasionally see it) although my house rarely gets above 15 degree - the last few days even rarely above 13... They seem to get used to the lower temperatures, I think!
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: SallyintNorth on October 10, 2012, 09:17:14 am
Have you still got midges flying and biting though? They've stopped here, so I'm assuming that therefore the sheep are unlikely to get infected in the first part of their pregnancy. Well, especially since the tups don't go in til Nov in general round here.

We've had midges out in force the last couple of days with this lovely Indian Summer we're having.  I don't know that they're biting though - I haven't been bitten, anyway.

We've got one tup just gone out, wiht the earlies, 22 ewes...
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Berkshire Boy on October 10, 2012, 12:07:41 pm
Indian summer Sally, any midges in mid wales are likely to drown. :roflanim:
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: tizaala on October 10, 2012, 01:46:28 pm
Will putting the tups in later make any difference? surely the will carry the virus if they are already bitten. :thinking:
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Old Shep on October 10, 2012, 02:17:27 pm
We are going to have to loose three tups this coming weekend (due to getting time off work etc next spring).  Are there any spray on midge repellants we can spray the ewes with?  (Avon's Skin so soft may be a tad expensive for the whole flock!!)
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: SallyintNorth on October 10, 2012, 03:06:17 pm
Will putting the tups in later make any difference? surely the will carry the virus if they are already bitten. :thinking:

I don't think anyone knows if the infection affects the sperm.  The epidemiology seems to tell us that the major problem arises when pregnant ruminants are infected in the first third of the pregnancy. 

As I understand it, the tups won't be able to infect the ewes direclty, they need a biting midge as a vector.  So as long as the midges aren't about by the time the girls get tupped, you should be okay.
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: SallyintNorth on October 10, 2012, 03:07:40 pm
We are going to have to loose three tups this coming weekend (due to getting time off work etc next spring).  Are there any spray on midge repellants we can spray the ewes with?  (Avon's Skin so soft may be a tad expensive for the whole flock!!)
There was talk of using Butox Swich on cattle - you could ask your vet if it's okay to use and likely to be effective on sheep.
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: SteveHants on October 10, 2012, 10:49:09 pm
Will putting the tups in later make any difference? surely the will carry the virus if they are already bitten. :thinking:


The idea is, leaving tupping until later makes it more likely that the ewes will have already been bitten, got the virus and become immune as opposed to being bitten in the first trimester of pregnancy. Also, the later in the year you leave it, the less likely it is that they then will be bitten as it is colder and more midges will be dead.


My tups will go in around bonfire night as ever.
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Old Shep on October 11, 2012, 08:20:16 am
We are going to have to loose three tups this coming weekend (due to getting time off work etc next spring).  Are there any spray on midge repellants we can spray the ewes with?  (Avon's Skin so soft may be a tad expensive for the whole flock!!)
There was talk of using Butox Swich on cattle - you could ask your vet if it's okay to use and likely to be effective on sheep.


As the midges here were awful last night and still biting we are delaying tupping  :thumbsup: , its not worth the risk.  It just means we will lamb in one batch rather than two which we were planning.
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: SteveHants on October 11, 2012, 02:03:27 pm
Surely that is a good thing - then they will have got bitten and immune etc by the time the rams go in.


It is no good crovecting/midge repelling as the midges bite on the nose, apparently, and you are unlikley to be squirting it up there.


Best thing to do is to tup late and hope the ewes have been bitten.
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Old Shep on October 11, 2012, 02:36:39 pm
Surely that is a good thing - then they will have got bitten and immune etc by the time the rams go in.


It is no good crovecting/midge repelling as the midges bite on the nose, apparently, and you are unlikley to be squirting it up there.


Best thing to do is to tup late and hope the ewes have been bitten.


So what we really need at the mo is something to ATTRACT the midges  ;D .  Hmm - I could always just sit in the middle of all the sheep - midges always find me wherever I am. ::)
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: jaykay on October 11, 2012, 03:54:01 pm
Ah, but then you'll get Schmallenberg's instead of the sheep  :D
Title: Re: Not great news... Schmallenberg virus: Scottish farmers put on high alert
Post by: Brucklay on October 11, 2012, 08:28:11 pm
I'm just hoping we get too much windy weather here for the little micro f*****s to land !! Maybe not the best plan in the world but I haven't seen any about for a while.


I really don't think I could cope with that that virus does. Keeping my  :fc: :fc:  for all you other animal breeders out there.