[maddy]

My ewes are due to lamb in 6 weeks time so will be vaccinating with Heptavac P at the weekend.  Should I worm and/or drench for fluke as a precaution or wait till after lambing?

[Hillview Farm]

Personally I would just hep them, fluke if ive read correctly can put the body under stress and my ewes normally go off colour after heptavac so I would avoid the fluke. Have you thought about getting a FEC done ? Cheaper than worming, less stressful on the animals and there's no point in worming unless you know it needs it. Scats sell then for 6 quid

[Rosemary]

I'd fluke and worm at lambing, after the birth but before you turn out into your lambing field. This is the only time I routinely worm adult ewes - the stress of lambing gives the worms a trigger to produce lots of eggs so worming at lambing helps to control the worm burden on your grass rather than in the ewe herself.

[Marches Farmer]

I do the same as Rosemary.  I tail and mark the lambs, worm and mark the ewes and then leave them in their mothering up pen for 24 hours before transferring them to the nursery shed, where they have a day to get used to finding Mum in a bigger area, before being turned out onto the field.  I then do a complete muck out of the pen and burn the straw to destroy any resistant eggs passed through.

[Foobar]

I worm with Cydectin LA 2-4 weeks pre-lambing, which gives a persistent wormer effect over the following weeks whilst they lamb. (it also acts as their annual scab treatment too)  Again, like others have said, this is the only time I worm my ewes.  Mine lamb outdoors.


I wouldn't do fluke at the same time - I try to time my fluke treatment to be a few weeks prior to that or a few weeks after lambing.  I wouldn't Hep and worm them at the same time either, to avoid too much stress on the body.

[Graemscifi]

i know its too late now for your original inquery but i thought i would chip in anyway. i understand worms to be a problem for newly deliverd ewes because of the hormonal changes at lambing, it not so much stress that causes this its the natural rythem of pregancy and tenacios parasite that uses this cycle. the effect is tht there is a rise in the worm burden internaly and they start to drop lots of eggs which can contaminate your lambing park if you put them back in.
 i have been told by vets and during SAC courses that worming at heptivac times is always reasonable, my vet recomends a change in wormer at this time, you are handling them anyway so to worm is not significant additional stress, i add to this a vitamin and mineral drench. i also do this at scanning time as well cos we have copper deficiency in caithness and it stops the lambs developing swayback. i also drench and worm the ewes when they have the lambs and are turned out into new clean pasture. if at all possable.

i know you will have wormed or not by now but thought i would mention what i practise.

[Marches Farmer]

As I understand it a copper bolus a month before tupping is the route to take if swayback is a problem.  The lack of copper affects the formation of neural pathways, which happens early on in the pregnancy.

[Me]

If you are in a fluke area and have not done so already fluke now!! Don't wait, or risk small lambs, no milk and dead ewes, if you don't have a big fluke problem (wet reedy fields etc) then don't!