[CarolineJ]

Planning on doing the following next weekend:
Combined fluke and worm drench
Tick protection
Foot check (won't trim unless the shelly hoof has reappeared)
Dagging

Shopping list is as follows:
Drench
Drench gun
Syringe for checking accuracy of drench gun
Anything needed for applying pour-on for ticks (will check with vet)
Small shears
Got foot stuff already

Anything I'm missing?  They're not in lamb, so don't know if there's any point in giving a Heptovac injection?

[kelly58]

You give a Hep jag every year

[fsmnutter]

Doesn't matter if not in lamb, the diseases heptavac covers can strike any time. Definitely do heptavac p injection.

If not in lamb, they may not need worming as adults have good worm resistance when not under the demands of lambing.
Also depending where you are, local conditions and previous treatments, you may not need to treat for fluke either.
I would strongly suggest you talk to your vet about worm/fluke risk and/or get a faecal sample into them to find out if/what you need to treat.

[CarolineJ]

Thanks, will add Heptavac to the list then.  Everyone around here doses for fluke, it's very, very wet land and the snails are fairly rife.  Went to a farm open day recently where one of the local vets dissected a fluke-ridden liver - very informative, but possibly not something I want to see done again!

[crobertson]

We're doing our MOT for our 6 ewes next week which involves worm and drench, hoof checking, dagging, a fly repel spray (to last until shearing) and heptivac booster. Last week we ordered our stuff from Hyderdrug, never used them before but found their service and the products delivered brilliant if thats any help !

[Marches Farmer]

Also check teeth.  If any of the front ones are broken they could struggle to keep in good enough condition to go to the tup, let alone raise lambs next Spring.  If a Down breed check if they're not wool blind (wool has grown around the eye, obscuring vision).

[CarolineJ]

Thanks - having looked at the Heptavac info and rung round a few neighbours, I've missed the chance to piggyback onto an open bottle by about 10 days.  Since I only have the three at the moment, I'm going to leave it a few months, as I'll be buying in 10-15 lambs in the summer and it's entirely possible they won't have been done, so if they haven't, I can do them all together and if they have, I'll suck it up and get a 50ml bottle just for the three. 

Good point on the teeth, though none of them will be going to the tup until autumn 2017 (and the 12-y-o won't be going at all).  North Country Cheviots, so no problem with shaggy eyes   

[fsmnutter]

You may have trouble getting them to hold to the tup if they've had 2 years off lambing, as they are likely to lay down fat around the ovaries. Even if they were 1 year old lambs, I'd suggest you get them to the tup this autumn if you ever want lambs from them.

[CarolineJ]

The people who had them before me hadn't put them to a tup for about 3 years, so to be honest, I think my chances are probably minimal anyway.  They're three pet sheep I said I'd look after due to a relationship break-up and I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to have three older, tame ladies about to nanny the new ones coming this summer.  The two younger (who are about 7) did engage in bouts of face licking through the fence with next door's tup this year, so you never know though.   

A lovely, lovely neighbour has messaged to tell me not to go shopping, as she's still got all her guns set up and will bring them over.  I'm helping her set up a website for her farm, this is her way of saying thank you.  So just the dagging shears to get for now then 

[Talana]

You get 25ml heptivac bottle now, best do for fluke been really bad this year our neighbour lost a few ewes coming to  the lambing and he's on a hill not typical fluke habitat never had it before but it's just been so wet and saturated ground.