The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Kimbo on April 11, 2015, 05:28:12 pm
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hope you can advise a complete amateur.
We have 2 horses. Our land has not had sheep on it in recent memory. In a few weeks we take delivery of 3 Ryeland lambs to fatten for the freezer and to tidy up the land after our horses. They are currently about 5/6 weeks old. Because of some horse-rivalry problems its possible that the lambs may be in with the small docile pony.
I know that horses can catch liver fluke from sheep so what do you advise? Shall I get the seller to de-fluke them before we take delivery? Will she have done that as a matter of course? Will I need to do it again between now and November when they go to the abattoir?
Sorry to be asking such a basic question but Ive just lost one horse and I don't want to lose another
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We have grazed ponies with sheep for years and never had an issue with fluke and they both have much lower worm burdens. Liver fluke in horses is a very rare event and it will come from the land pretty much regardless of if there are sheep on it. Whether you need to fluke the sheep between now and November or how often depends entirely on your land and how flukey it is. We never had to fluke lambs where we were before yet here where its much wetter and marshy they are done virtually monthly. If you are worried speak to your vet and they will advise you of the liklehood in your area. You can also get your horse poo tested for fluke.
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Your lambs should be wormed as well before they leave their farm of birth. Don't assume this has been done. Ask for product, dose and date of administration, in writing. Also any treatments and vaccinations given. This way you have clean animals coming onto your land. Having land which has been sheep free for years is worth protecting.
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We worm our tame lambs with Combinex normally middle-end of May, the wormer has a long withdrawal (56 days) so we worm then in time for the first lambs to go off in September. We are in quite a flukey area but none of our lambs' livers have been condemned at slaughter due to fluke.
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A carrier of liver fluke which is often forgotten are hares. As horses are not the natural host of fluke they do not complete their life cycle in them so fluke rarely show up in poo samples. This is why it is often under diagnosed in horses. As your land is free from sheep parasites it is a good idea to have the sheep as clean as possible on arrival.
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I agree with Mooney, ask your vet. I was going to treat my sheep for fluke earlier in the year (they didn't have it it was just preventative) but vet advised not to as risk was very low at the time.
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thank you all. :)