The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Rosemary on September 05, 2014, 02:16:44 pm
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If you are plannng to vaccinate against Toxo and EAE, don't forget you need to do it at least four weeks (EAE) / three weeks (Toxo) before tupping. The vaccines are made to order so you will need to order them from your vet in plenty time - they have a very short use by date as well. Mine is at the surgery and has to be used by 13th September.
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If new to sheep keeping remeber that if you buy from high health flocks and don't keep cats you probably won't need to vaccinate.
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If new to sheep keeping remeber that if you buy from high health flocks and don't keep cats you probably won't need to vaccinate.
and none of your neighbours have or get kittens between now and lambing...
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If new to sheep keeping remeber that if you buy from high health flocks and don't keep cats you probably won't need to vaccinate.
and none of your neighbours have or get kittens between now and lambing...
Yes, I had this discussion with my vet, who's a farmer's son from Cumbria and some relation to your BH, Sally, I seen to recall. I said we had old cats and didn't seem to have either. My ewes are all home bred.
He said his Dad definitely had no bother with these things either but once he vaccinated, his lambing % went way up ;D
It's not expensive, it's a once in a lifetime vaccination - seems daft not to. Abortions would give me the heeby jeebies. I was freaking about Schmallenberg :o
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I didn't realise it's a once-off. :thinking: Shall talk to vet, thanks Rosemary :thumbsup:
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thanks for the reminder Rosemary - we are doing ours this time - had suspected enzo for past couple of years - its seen a lot around our area.
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we've just done our new ewes and retained ewe lambs from last year. My vets were great last year and spoke to the vaccine rep and somehow managed to get them to pay for my flock to be tested for enzootic abortion and toxo :thumbsup: We hadn't had an abortion problem in the past but we did have one ewe the previous year abort late on (probably just one of those things!) so we thought it wise to check. A number of our ewes tested positive for antibodies to toxo and chlamydial abortion; in our case I felt it wise then to vaccinate all ewes in our breeding flock. We don't have cats on our yard but I guess our house cats could wonder down the road and several other farms do have cats in the neighbourhood. My vet said the vaccination immunity would last out 3 years
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It's not expensive,
At £90 for a twenty dose vial.... I thought it was a bit on the expensive side!!
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I thought Toxovax only lasted 2 years and Enzo 3? Suppose for some sheep, if they are that way out that is a lifetime though!!
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Yes one dose wouldn't last ours a lifetime but giving it every few years make sense for us & fits in to our programme. I don't think they're a cheap vaccine but I weighed it against the loss of lambs & stress on the ewe (and me ::)) and decided it was worth it for our girls. You could always have a sample of your sheep blood tested to see if it's endemic to your flock? The only thing which is a bit annoying is that we buy new stock in during Late August, then vaccinate for abortion and have to wait two weeks before giving schmallenberg vaccine and then wait three weeks for the rams to go in. I would prefer to put the rams in sooner really. Hopefully in the next few years we'll not need to buy ewes as we'll have some good quality home bred ewe lambs as replacements and they can all be vaccinated earlier in the summer
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Is schmallenberg vac available this year?? I had heard not but may have that completely wrong though!
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Yes it's definitely available but my vets are finding it tricky to source the 25 dose bottle. I think 2 companies are doing it this year whereas last year it was just the one
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Yes it's definitely available but my vets are finding it tricky to source the 25 dose bottle. I think 2 companies are doing it this year whereas last year it was just the one
Ah ok. Perhaps I heard the bit about the 25 dose bottle ????. Really should listen more carefully!!