[SteveHants]

But will vaccinating prevent vaccinated animals from developing the lifelong immunity conferred by a bite from a live carrier midge?  So that we'd have to keep on vaccinating every year?   

I don' think they know for sure, Sally, both whether a midge bite does give lifelong immunity or whether the vaccine will - you can bet your arse that they will reccommend an annual booster whatever the real story is.


I haven't seen any Schmal - the Jan flocks got it round here and at £3/ewe, I wont be doing it.

[shygirl]

you can bet your arse that they will reccommend an annual booster whatever the real story is.

i dont know - mine were all vaccinated for blue tongue a while back but you dont hear anything anymore about that.

[SheepCrazy!]

Spoke to my vet today the charge is £3 a jag at that practice I asked about side effects ect and they said it should be safe as they have used well proven methods to make the vaccine  but its a new virus and a new vaccine and they don't know how it will affect ewes jagged whilst carrying lambs ect. It will be next year before they know the success rate, I'm still none the wiser as towards a decision. Forgot to ask if annual boosters are required but at least i'm a few months away from needing to deciding.
 Really good subject for discussion I'm be watching this one closely.

[Rosemary]

I'm picking up my vaccine on Monday, doing the three cows that will be going to the bull at the end of August and 7 of my 13 ewes. In four weeks, I'll be doing the three cows again and the remaining six ewes (so only one dose wasted  ).

I hope to have three calves next year and I'd like them healthy, so I'm going to do all I can to minimise the risk to them. Most cattle breeders here already have the bulls out so the vaccine has come too late for them this year;  that they are OK.

[Rosemary]

Three cows and six ewes done today; the remaining seven ewes and the cos again in four weeks. I think malformed lambs and calves would finish me off so I'd rather not take the risk 

[shygirl]

so everyone is vaccinating cattle? i was going to ask the vet yesterday but wasnt sure on the pronounciation 

[Rosemary]

so everyone is vaccinating cattle? i was going to ask the vet yesterday but wasnt sure on the pronounciation 

Mine have just calved and the bull goes out mid August, slap bang in the middle of midge season, so it was a no-brainer to do the cattle. Since I have three cows to do twice and it's a 10 dose bottle, it seemed like a good idea to do the ewes as well and use up the vaccine.

I don't tup until early November, probably past midge season and I would have tupped later but since I had the vaccine anyway, the ewes are done too.

I think I'd cope badly with deformed calves and lambs.

[Ina]

so everyone is vaccinating cattle? i was going to ask the vet yesterday but wasnt sure on the pronounciation 

Don't worry - the vet probably doesn't now how to pronounce it, either! 

[mantha9]

We have Zwartbles and will be tupping end of July so our breeding girls have all been vaccinated this weekend with 2ml.
Been warned of swelling at site and possible slight raise in temp. But this can happen with most vaccinations.
Havent heard of anyone in our area having birth defects at lambing but tests have been carried out locally with cows  been found to have been exposed to schmallenberg and got antibodies in their systems.
Basically it means infected midges are about and biting.

[allyb]

We done our Zwartbles yesterday as well. Also not cheap our vets were £4 a dose  but rather pay in cash than emotional heartbreak of lambing something deformed.And the midges at the minute are horrendous about here