[Blacksheep]

Thanks for pasting the link Raine!  Yes it is all a bit worrying, hoping most peoples lambings won't be affected.  Not sure if it was mainly the earlier lambing flocks last year.   Well we have just started lambing this morning a nice set of healthy twins, so a good start which is a bit of a relief, not due any more for a couple of weeks or so and should then start to get busy.

[Marches Farmer]

First information about SBV suggested first month of pregnancy was the key period.  Just read in our vet's monthly newsletter that they reckon it's the first 7 weeks.

[kanisha]

to be honest that would make more sense there appear to be far too many lambs affected for such a small window of oppertunity.

[Dogwalker]

Had a visit from a neighbouring farmer this evening.  He's got SBV in his pedigree suffolks lambing now and also said another neighbour lost a cow because they couldn't deliver a calf with it.
So it's got to the middle of Wales.

[Foobar]

Any schmallenberg reports from anyone this month?  Have the number of incidents dropped?

[feldar]

I think they have dropped as predicted. We are about to start lambing our commercial flock so fingers crossed all is alright. We have a couple of ewes off colour at the moment but that could be any number of things mostly from just being a sheep! they do love to keep you on your toes.
Looking forward to my interupted sleeping pattern and early morning lambings though to be fair these girls just tend to get on with it and all i have to do is checked lambies have sucked.

[Hazelwood Flock]

Had no sign of it in my lot, finished a week ago. 

[bazzais]

I'm a gluten for the scaremongeing - but its looking good here too

[Blacksheep]

I was really worrying about SBV as we had some ewes reabsorbing and a handful barren at scanning, not sure if these had it and dealt with it by losing the lambs, according to the scanner it was circulating in our area at the time. However so far have had 32 ewes lamb and have 70 lambs born on the ground, no lamb losses or still borns etc and no deformaties. We have one lamb that is a bit slow so maybe did suffer some brain damage, whether due to SBV who knows, he is having to be bottle fed as he didn't work out his mum could supply him with milk(!), but growing well. Hopefully all bodes well for the remaining ewes now.

[deepinthewoods]

my landlord has 300 head and has lots 18% so he says.

[Tilly]

 
All of us shepherds\shepherdess are very nervous when this tread appears again, and with such a awful disease about we are all a bit more anxious than normal at this time  .
 
-our local livestock market has had heavy in lamb ewes selling for just the cull value of the ewe!!
 
- SBV is still affecting local flocks ,but maybe with less impact than last year, with farming  friends saying that they have had  fewer deformed lambs  this  year - when some flocks were devastated by the virus last year.
 
I have great empathy with those dealing with the problem - a friend has just had a cow shot, as the calf could not be delivered in its twisted position 

 
My News on this farm is good , we have almost finished lambing now , in the region of 150 ewes producing a bumper crop of strong healthy lambs  ...........................................  ,and only one slightly deformed lamb, which was born with its tail stuck to its body And a lot of skin missing off its back ,but although it looks unpleasant has survived and grown well .

I can only surmise our flock has been subjected too a lot of midges ,being on low lying marshes,and gained immunity over the last couple of summers.
 
So I am wishing all of you, yet to lamb, good luck  ,- and healthy bouncing lambs 
 
Tilly