The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: sophie_aj on May 05, 2014, 12:52:30 pm
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I would prefer to rear my lambs organically without routine worming. Is there anyone who currently practices in this way who can offer any thoughts and guidance?
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I don't do it but have worked on places that did.
You need to be able to rotate grazing, have low stocking densities, and really you need cattle too so you can graze cattle then sheep then cattle, so each species eats each other's worms.
I think you would also need to be turning lambs out onto pasture which hasn't seen lambs for at least 12 months.
If you are in a fluke area you will struggle to keep them fluke-free, unless your ground is especially dry for the area.
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Get familiar with FECs
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About to spend three weeks with FECs on a project in India so hopefully I'll be able to develop my FEC skills for veterinary care :) :thumbsup:
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I rear 1000+ lambs to organic standards every year
Key is clean grazing (lamb onto pasture that has had no sheep on for a year or more)
protein rich leys help---clovers
Sensible stocking densities
Low stress system
I have also been breeding for worm resistance for 20 years (FEC EBVs & dagg scoring)
I sometimes end up having to treat a batch of lambs with anthelmintics once in a year
There is more to producing lamb organically than not using wormers though
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Thanks that is really helpful. I only have three so stocking density not exactly huge right now. I don't expect I will ever be farming quite to your scale but I am keen to gain knowledge of the holistic system. Just starting out right now. Thanks for your input
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Can you tell us more about the project in India?
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Yes, I am a second degree grad student approaching my 4th year (Veterinary Medicine) and am working as part of an initiative aimed to improve veterinary education, health and welfare in farm animals in India. This is a collaboration between Edinburgh university and Kerala University. I personally will be looking and the health issue in the keralan goat herd, gathering information and looking for efficacy of anthelmintic treatments that are routinely used out there. That's the basis, the final details are coming together at the moment.
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Do I detect the hand of Messers Scott and Sargison?
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Yes. The latter is supervising the project.
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Look into grazing chicory too as part of your pasture rotation. There are a few articles on the web if you google.
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The man loves his worms fair play