[feldar]

Hi Hazelwood
It is worrying i know, i'm sorry to hear you have problems too. Trouble is the lambs are not that noticeable until you lay hands on them. we would have suspected our ram but we've used him before with no problems for several years, but then we know we tested positive in the affected fields. so i can only assume this is the virus that causes this deformity in the lambs born alive, who appear normal at first.
We will creep ours too and hope they don't get worse as they grow. only time will tell.

[Bramblecot]

I have one really bad parrot-mouthed ram lamb - the first born - but will watch the others much more closely now.  Luckily  5 out of 8 were rams  anyway and destined for the freezer.  But I am concerned whether to keep this year's ewe lambs.

[woollyval]

Our sheep started lambing yesterday....a nice healthy ewe lamb from one and a prem dead lamb with twisted jaw and odd ears from another.....think we have it here....

[SteveHants]

I'm due to start lambing on the 4th......I'm crossing my fingers. 102 ewes to lamb outdoors, will be an absolute nightmare if I have to deliver fused lambs.

Sorry to hear about your further troubles, Feldar. 

[SallyintNorth]

Our sheep started lambing yesterday....a nice healthy ewe lamb from one and a prem dead lamb with twisted jaw and odd ears from another.....think we have it here....

  I do hope you don't, woollyval {{{hug}}}

[kanisha]

Our sheep started lambing yesterday....a nice healthy ewe lamb from one and a prem dead lamb with twisted jaw and odd ears from another.....think we have it here....

I hope not but even if you don't have another deformed lamb it doesn't take away the worry 

[feldar]

Good luck everyone , don't forget we are here for you if you need support

[Hazelwood Flock]

Well, one of the overshot lambs died of what I suspect to be pneumonia so I thought i'd get the vet to check it out. Our vets couldn't be more disinterested if they tried! apparently there's no chance of it being schmallenberg causing the bad mouths - 14 ot of 29 - it's the fault of the 2 rams! I'm sorry, but that incidence is just too high, one of the rams sired a crop of faultless lambs last year....not happy!

[BadgerFace]

Look like we have Schallenburg here now. My first ewe to lamb delivered a large single all fine yesterday. Second ewe lambed twins here this morning, ram lamb 100% fine, second ewe lamb born with twisted pasterns, over shot jaw and unable to straighten legs fully. Perky little thing otherwise. Vet PTS and now gone to VLA. 

[jaykay]

Oh no, I'm sorry 

[ellisr]

So Sorry to everyone with this disease.

We have had a positive test as well, my vet told me it wasn't in our area and that it was most probably copper deficiency or borders disease but eventually let me send it to the VLA.

I haven't noticed any issues with the other lambs that are growing nicely and only problem is that every year we have 1 that has eyelashes that turn in but that is very easily retified and he is fine now.

[Haylo-peapod]

Really sorry to hear of the continuing problems people are experiencing.

Hazelwood - do you know if any other farmers/smallholders in your area are seeing similar things with their lambs? Incredible that the vet is so disinterested bearing in mind the percentages affected and the fact that last year you had no problems with identical breeding. You would have thought that with a new disease causing deformities in lambs that they would want to explore anomalies like this. How can they possibly say categorically it isn't caused caused by SBV  I hope the other lambs fare better than the one you have just lost 

[feldar]

I am sorry for those affected too and i fully agree Hazelwood the incidence of twisted jaws is too high if not Schmallenberg then what? I have never had such a high number in one field. They say it doesn't affect lambs born to an early service but i think it does, we lamb in December and a lot of our lambs just wont "do" this year they are not deformed but they don't hit our target weights this year.
I could say this could be caused by a lot of factors but we are not wet behind the ears in sheep farming and have enough experience to know this has been one hell of a funny year for us.
We've lost ewes for no reason to pin point and we've lost lambs too. The most important factor is we tested positive so for now we will just have to wait and see what this year brings.
The rams will go in around mid July and if we have this virus in our midge population everything may well be naturally vaccinated by then, i feel for those north of us who may well be affected next year if we have carriers infecting others.
Just for the record my twisted jaw lambs are growing slowly but humpy lamb seems to be fixed at one weight for the moment he also has a large lump on his face he was born with but that hasn't gone either so we will have to keep an eye on him. How on earth can i send that to market they would throw the book at me!

[Hazelwood Flock]

The vet has indicated that overshot jaws are not a recognised symptom of SBV, hence the reluctance to test. I have taken the lamb up to the knacker's now so that is that. I think if any more snuff it I will approach a different surgery to at least explore the possibilities.

[Penninehillbilly]

The vet has indicated that overshot jaws are not a recognised symptom of SBV, hence the reluctance to test. I have taken the lamb up to the knacker's now so that is that. I think if any more snuff it I will approach a different surgery to at least explore the possibilities.

Didn't it show one on countryfile that was either over/undershot as a result of the disease?