The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: TracyC on October 18, 2016, 03:27:24 pm
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Afternoon all
As some of you may remember, we recently bought 3 lambs (6 months old) which are now happily living on our smallholding. You may also remember that we're very new and keen to learn. The 3 girls are all happy and letting us nearer each day, they allow us to scratch them when they have a head in a bucket of course.
So now they have got over the stress of moving to their new home just after being weaned, I'd appreciate your advice on what next. The have been wormed which was a combined treatment for fluke prevention too however have had no injections. Do I need to give them Heptavac P (did I spell that right?) and if so, now? They won't be put with a tup this year, but in a years time they will for 2018 lambs.
All other advice gratefully received. They will be spending the winter outside but maybe I should bring them inside to a stable to check them over once a week or so? Do I need to trim their bums up and check for problems weekly? Ie down on my knees looking at their feet kind of checks.
Thanks all.
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Vaccination can be quite a heated topic on this forum. Many will say definitely get on and do it now (one injection now, then a second 4-6 weeks later), and it will give you some insurance against pasturella and other nasties.... but with three sheep it will set you back a bit... (then boosters every year afterwards - one year you are likely to give booster a little early or late since if you breed you will want to hep v a few weeks before your girls lamb, so that they pass on immunity for a while to their lambs)....
Equally, there are those who've not vaccinated their sheep for many years and have encountered no issues with their decision - probably a more likely approach in a small flock.
We have a small flock, and do vaccinate, but equally we did lose a strapping three year old wether last year to (probable) pneumonia, so there are no guarantees I guess...
Sounds like it's going well for you - hope you keep enjoying it all :thumbsup:
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Get a copy of Tim Tyne's book. Do you have any smallholder's groups in your area? Only person I know around here that didn't vaccinate new stock lost the majority of the following year's lambs to pulpy kidney.
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I am of the "costs of vaccination per sheep is sooo much less than a)getting the vet out and b) in most cases even just getting the knackerman to take the deadstock away" school. Yes the initial cost may be high, but if you get one of these
http://www.farmacy.co.uk/products/536-vaccination-gun-2ml-v-grip-bottle-mounted-pack-each (http://www.farmacy.co.uk/products/536-vaccination-gun-2ml-v-grip-bottle-mounted-pack-each)
and are able to store them in the fridge (with the bottle left on) you can (IMO - I am sure I will be shredded for this advice...) use the Heptavac bottle for at least the second injection too, reducing your costs.
If you have never injected sheep it may be best to get either a farmer or the vet to show you how. At the beginning it is also easier to do this job in pairs - one person holding the sheep steady the other injecting.
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Thanks for the book link. I'll have a look online to see what the options are for buying heptavac. There's no smallholding groups locally that I have come across yet. We're still new though so hopefully there will be eventually.
I'll ask someone who has done it before to help with the injections. They have sheep but they go to market prior to any injections taking place. :-\
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It might be worth asking you local vet to introduce you to other smallholders - they can hold a wealth of information, not just about animal health!
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Thank you, I text the farmer to ask about the vet he uses and he's passed the name on so I'll try and get in touch with them to do that.
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As Anke expected, I wouldn't agree with keeping the vaccine for the second dose. The instructions say use within 8 hours as it's a live vaccine. At £20 abottle, why bother taking the risk and possibly injecting yoru sheep with something that doesn't work?
Once you've done the double dose, it's an annual booster after that, 4-6 weeks before lambing (most folk give lambs the initial double dose at about 4 and 8 weeks of age).
With small numbers, yes, there is an added cost but the vaccine is against clostridial diseases, which are soil borne so being a great stockman won't stop your sheep getting them.
I'd be looking to dose them for fluke at this time of year with triclabendazole (your vet might be able to give you a small amount) and I'd also be worm testing to see if they need wormed, being this year's lambs.
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If you are investing in a breeding flock for the future then you want to make sure you protect your interest. Vaccinating doesn't mean you wont lose a sheep but decreases the chances. Pneumonia has been a real problem with this years weather.
The smallest dose you can buy does 25 sheep and costs around £25 and they need doing twice.
As mentioned ask at the vets to see who else may have a small number of sheep close to you. The other place to ask is the feed merchant.
As Rosemary says once opened the vaccine has to be used. There are people who store it for the second dose but at the end of the day the pharmacy company will be able to explain why there is a shelf life and be able prove the point. Those who decide to ignore the advice can not.
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Thank you, I text the farmer to ask about the vet he uses and he's passed the name on so I'll try and get in touch with them to do that.
It's worth registering with a large animal vet asap... sheep become ill at the most inopportune times :rant: our farm vets are fantastic and always on the end of the phone if we need some help or advice, even if they don't need to come out and see us they are always available. Also if you do decide to heptavac it may be worth buying the Sterimatic injector- I think Heptavac is one of the hardest injections to do with a normal needle and syringe but the sterimatic makes life so so much easier. We bought one this year and it meant I could heptavac all of our sheep on my own if needed be.