[Oopsiboughtasheep]

I have noticed some white worm like things on one of my Ryeland x's sheeps poo this morning. They are about 1 cm long. The lady I got her from said that she had wormed her (and the other one that I bought at the same time) with Oramec on 13th Sept. I haven't noticed it on any of the other sheep poos (I only have 4 so easy to check). It seems to be on the outside, not on the inside of the faeces if I break it up.
Is this normal so soon after them being wormed? Do I need to worm her again now and maybe the other three as well. 2 of the sheep are late Zwartble lambs (born beg July) and they were also wormed a week or so before I got them (on 15th Sept).  I am a bit worried about over worming or worming too close together.
Also, the 2 Ryeland x's  weren't Heptavac P covered when I got them whereas the Zwartbles were. I was told this wasn't necessary if I wasn't going to breed from them.  They are only here as pets/mowers so I don't need to consider lambing or anything but am wondering now if I should get the vet in and get them all medicated to within an inch of their lovely little lives. I think I am 'allowed'  to get a kind local sheep person to help me with cheaper worming if I can find one but assume Vaccinations have to be done by a Vet? I don't want to do the wrong thing by them.....or make a fuss about nothing. I would appreciate your experienced advice please.

[Foobar]

The white things are most likely tapeworm, not really a very big deal in sheep.  Only one class of wormers will kill tapeworms - the group one - BZ or "white" class.  Oramec is in the group 3 "clear" class and therefore doesn't cover tapeworm.


This document lists the majority of wormers available and what class they are in:
http://www.eblex.org.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/BRP-Parasite-control-guide270114.pdf


You would be wise to get yourself some group 1 wormer and give them that - Panacur is cheap and you can get it in small quantities.  I dose all mine for tapeworm once a year as I seem to have a lot of it on my land.


Also, if you have dogs, make sure they are wormed regularly and make sure the wormer you use covers tapeworm (as not all dog wormers do).

[Yeoman]

I agree with Foobar.

Just wanted to add...

You are allowed to vaccinate and worm yourself but obviously you need to be confident that you're doing things correctly.  Watch and learn is the best way.  Your friendly shepherd will show you.

And finally...don't forget your paperwork.  Both vaccinations and worming need to be included in your statutory veterinary records which can be inspected...

[Whittsend]

 Concerning your  question about vaccinating or not, I have three Coloured Ryeland  ewes which I keep for their wool, and don't breed from, but I still vaccinate with Heptavac P plus every year. The vaccination provides active immunisation against a whole pile of nasty diseases in the adult sheep, with the added benefit that, if the annual booster is given to a pregnant ewe 4-6 weeks before lambing, the lamb recieves passive immunisation to protect it for the first few weeks of it's life.  If you decide to vaccinate your Ryelands the initial course consists of two injections, separated by 4-6 weeks and  then a single annual booser.  Unfortunatly the minimum quantity of vaccine you can buy  is 50 ml  ( sufficient for 25 sheep!). If you get the vet to come out  you will probably still have to  be charged  for the whole bottle because it is a live vaccine and has to be used within ten hours of being opened.  If you do vaccinate now then it would be more economic next year to do all your sheep when the zwartbles are due, even though it would actually be earlier than the Ryelands  actually needed theirs. I have had to do just that to fit in with vaccinating my Welsh Mountain lamb that I hand reared.  As Yeoman said, watching someone experienced do it first is the best way to know if you would be confident enough to do it yourself in the future.   When I first got my sheep I  found "The Sheep Book for smallholders" by Tim Tyne really useful  but I am sure other people have other books they would recommend. People on this forum are very generous with their experience and knowledge and never make you feel you are making " a fuss about nothing" so enjoy your sheep  and keep asking about anything you are not sure of.

[Oopsiboughtasheep]

Foobar, Yoeman and Whittsend Thank you very much for your replies.
Yes, I do have dogs so will ensure their wormers cover tapeworms in future. Will get some panacur and do sheep for this annually as recommended. I was a nurse in a former life so very happy to vaccinate as long as someone shows me how and where to do it to a sheep first. Will arrange vaccs for my Ryeland x's and also get the book recommended. And I wouldn't have remembered about recording the paperwork either so I am really grateful to you all. Feeling happier and with a plan now.