The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Valairiel on May 26, 2019, 06:19:39 pm

Title: Vaccination
Post by: Valairiel on May 26, 2019, 06:19:39 pm
Can anyone advise me if I can put my lambs out into the field (no other animals in there) after administering Heptavac P vaccination or is there is a period where they need to remain inside? 
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: bj_cardiff on May 26, 2019, 07:51:45 pm
I'm not quite sure why you would think they would need to be housed? Yes, fine to put them out!
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: Valairiel on May 26, 2019, 08:21:54 pm
Thank you.  I had read somewhere that the vaccine took 48 hours before it was effective so was being overly cautious.
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: twizzel on May 26, 2019, 08:44:28 pm
They aren’t fully covered until after the second injection 4-6 weeks after the first. They’ll be fine out in the field unless they’ve been housed up until the first jab. It can be quite hard on lambs so try not to stress them too much in the days after I.e don’t turn out for the first time or introduce new feed, wean etc  :)
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: Valairiel on May 27, 2019, 10:38:55 am
They have been housed until now so perhaps I'd better keep them in longer.  They only came off milk recently so they've already had enough to cope with.  Thank you.
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: Womble on May 27, 2019, 12:07:39 pm
It can be quite hard on lambs


Truthfully, I've never noticed any effect at all on lambs except small lumps at the injection site, which are considered normal.


As a non-scientific poll then, please will you "like" this post IF AND ONLY IF you have seen adverse effects on lambs behaviour, energy levels etc after vaccination. I'd be interested  to find out how widespread (or otherwise) that is.
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: twizzel on May 27, 2019, 12:16:31 pm
It affects my pet lambs more than normal suckled lambs. Noticed flu like symptoms and had the odd lamb scour temporarily. One of my ewes reacted quite badly to her pre lambing booster this year scouring bad and lethargy for a day after.


We did our lambs second jab on Saturday and noticed 1 had an abscess, first one since we started using the sterimatic injection gun.
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: Buttermilk on May 27, 2019, 04:18:09 pm
Mine have never seemed off colour or had a lump with heptavac p but alway have had a lump or abcess with footvax.
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: SallyintNorth on May 27, 2019, 04:27:09 pm
I have not pressed Like as I have seen reactions in ewes and hoggs but cannot recall anything notable in lambs. However I have not usually routinely vaccinated lambs, only the pets some years.

Our vet in Cumbria recommended using Ovivac-P for lambs generally (not pets) as it is less hard on them and covers most of the diseases likely to hit a lamb in its first summer and for which the passive immunity from the mother is short-lived.
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: pharnorth on May 28, 2019, 11:42:49 am
Not seen any reqction in lambs but I have occasionally in goat kids. And invariably when they are the youngest in the group and/ or compromised, for example were particularly weak at birth
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: bj_cardiff on May 29, 2019, 06:51:28 am
I stopped vaccinating years ago but when I did I used to see the occasional abscess at the injection site on both lambs and ewes.
Title: Re: Vaccination
Post by: moprabbit on May 29, 2019, 07:43:09 pm
Just thought I'd add this to this thread even though it's not about lambs. I Heptavac my ewes every year and have done for the last 8 years.I always use a clean needle and clean syringe for each sheep, I've only got 4. Every year some of them or all of them get abscesses. I make sure the injection site is clean and give the injection subcutaneously. Last year they were all very lethargic for a couple of days and all started coughing. which lasted about a day for 3 of them and 2 days for 1 of them. I reported all of this to the drug company, who said they'd never had a report like this. Just thought I'd share this and see if anyone else has had anything similar.