The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Emmett on June 20, 2015, 01:44:09 am
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I was told by my neighbour that it will soon be time to dose the sheep but what do i dose them with and what is it preventing. Earlier this year after a trip to the vet for a sick lamb the vet gave us dectomax which we injected into them. What else do i need to dose them for?
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Wormer? Fly strike preventative? Flukicide? Best to ask the farmer, he will know what's needed and won't think you a fool for asking :)
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Ewes should only need to be wormed at lambing beacuse adult sheep have some resistance to worms, but at lambing when the ewe is under stress, she excretes lots of worm eggs which in turn infact the new lambs that have no immunity.
Lambs will probably need wormed over the summer but it depends on your stocking rate, what's been on the land before. You could do a faecal worm egg count FEC and worm if you need to - your vet will provide a kit for small cost and will give you advice based on the outcome of the test.
Your vet will also advise of flukicide. We do the ewes at lambing, tupping and scanning. We only do this seasons lambs if the weather warrants it - like it's been bone dry here so far, so we probably won't have to fluke the lambs this year.
You would be advised to use some sort of fly strike preventative - there are ots on the market - Crovect, Clik. NOAH - National Office of Annimal Health has a good compendium where you can look up vet meds.
The website SCOPS has good advice on use of wormers.
I assume you're done the lambs with Heptavac or similar?
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Scops brilliant, a great amount of info here. All excellent reading explaining groups. The dectomax is an ML group 3. Look at groups one and two really, at the mo. Speak to vet, he ll get you to do FECs, then discuss the next step.