Agri Vehicles Insurance from Greenlands

Author Topic: Schmallenberg  (Read 6390 times)

SteveHants

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: Schmallenberg
« Reply #15 on: September 06, 2013, 01:09:52 pm »
An old shepherds trick is to stick a ewe who has aborted in with the ewe lambs (not yet tupped) so that they get exposed to, and immune to the disease before they get put to the tup the following year.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Schmallenberg
« Reply #16 on: September 06, 2013, 03:17:31 pm »
An old shepherds trick is to stick a ewe who has aborted in with the ewe lambs (not yet tupped) so that they get exposed to, and immune to the disease before they get put to the tup the following year.
My understanding is that all exposed females will abort once and thereafter be immune.  So the wily old shepherd forfeits the shearling's lamb(s) as being the smallest and least of all the crops she will hopefully bear.

I am happy to be corrected - but would like to read it in a journal, on the Eblex site, or similar, for confirmation, if you have a link?
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Brucklay

  • Joined Apr 2010
  • Perthshire
    • Brucklay Pygmy Goats
    • Facebook
Re: Schmallenberg
« Reply #17 on: September 06, 2013, 05:05:35 pm »
That system would only be any good if you knew the cause of the abortion in the first place - we had one this year, tested but no results - she was isolated with the rams (couldn't come straight into season - surely) and lambed 9th Aug.
Pygmy Goats, Shetland Sheep, Zip & Indie the Border Collies, BeeBee the cat and a wreak of a building to renovate!!

 

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