The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Charlotte Wheatley on April 16, 2019, 03:48:02 pm
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Hi there. We may be moving house soon :excited: and the land we're moving to has sheep on it. How long do you think we need to leave it to make sure it's clear of most diseases and parasites, for our sheep? Thanks for your help!
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Our vets were warning last summer that nematodirus could be dormant on the ground for up to two years if there were no extremes of temperature to kill them off. Roundworms need cold to prevent them from developing from eggs to larvae and then heat to kill off the larvae, we've not really had a huge amount of either.
Do you know anyone with cows or horses who could stick them onto the land between the current sheep moving off and yours moving on? The sheep worm larvae can't survive passing through a cow or horse digestive system and horse/cow worm larvae can't survive sheep digestive systems, so grazing it with something other than sheep for two or three weeks would probably help.
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I agree with the above post, there is no point waiting a few weeks for the pasture to 'cleanse' and then put your sheep on. Best thing is to cross graze with horses/cattle but even then there is no guarantee something won't be left behind :/
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I would cut for hay rather than graze with cattle simply due to TB risk.
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I would cut for hay rather than graze with cattle simply due to TB risk.
No TB in Scotland, and almost none in the far north of England, so good advice for those of us in the south or Wales, but may not be necessary for anyone a lot further north.
Ponies graze closer than sheep, so if poss, get some native ponies on and keep them on until it’s good and short. If it’s a small area, you may need to pick up their poo and rot it down for the garden, or spread it back on the land once they’re gone. (I pick any field up to 5-6 acres with two Fell ponies on it. They make approx 33 heaps a day between them :). If I didn’t pick up, there’d soon be no clear grass for them to eat!)
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I would cut for hay rather than graze with cattle simply due to TB risk.
or Johne's....
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Thank you all for your replies, that's great. If it all goes ahead I shall make enquiries around the village, and I'll check the local worm forecast! I think cutting for hay would be logistically easier - we probably won't need much but someone is bound to be glad of it. Cheers