[egglady]

this is our first time with lambs and i just want to check a few things please folks.

4 ewes were all heptavac'd before lambs were born.  lambs born beginning of april - 6 ram lambs and 2 girls.  so far they have had nothing done with them at all, though they are pretty tame.

so i need to:
worm them
ear tag them
heptavac them

is that right?

and do i do them all?  and who gets what? and should i buy from vet or somehwere else?

think ram lambs will be going to abbatoir, though will try and sell a couple as they are crackers.  so do they need single or double ear tags?

thanks folks

[Fleecewife]

Please don't forget Blue Tongue vaccination.  The big fuss about Blue Tongue Disease has died down but the threat most definitely has not, with imports of livestock to all parts of Britain from infected areas of the Continent.

[kanisha]

BTV 1 & 8 just across the channel in France did all my flock earlier this year.

[Anke]

HEPTAVAC - the lambs 2 ml each twice for weeks apart. You will need to get two bottles at 50ml each, as they don't last for four weeks, and this is the smallest size. Injection under the skin, best done in the bit of bare skin just under their "armpit" (as described by one of my vets!) Fold skin up to a "tent" then needle in , careful it doesn't come out other side and quick injection. Helps if someone is holding lamb for you. Ewes will need another booster 4 - 6 weeks before next lambing.

You only need to worm them if they are on "dirty" ground (land that had sheep on in the last 12 months) and even then only if they show signs of worm infestation (dirty backends). You could get a stool sample examined for wormcount, and then take advice from vet. If the ground is wet and/or near water take advice on fluke, local vet will know.

I have got EID tags for all my lambs, this gives me freedom to decide later in the year if they go to abattoir or I keep or sell for breeding (females only). All my boys were ringed, except my pure Shetland from registered ewe (tup is registered), but as he managed to knock one of his horns off badly and vet had to "disbud" his future as a breeding tup is over too... I also like to see how the males are growing and keep a few back for hogget and mutton, as well as companions to my tup(s).

I have not vaccinated against bluetongue, I had some bad reactions when I did last year and have decided to wait and see this summer. I am fairly far up north, so if it comes across will do it then.

[Fleecewife]

<<I have not vaccinated against bluetongue, I had some bad reactions when I did last year and have decided to wait and see this summer. I am fairly far up north, so if it comes across will do it then.>>

Anke, you are on the same latitude as me.  Last year BT came across the channel in the deep south.  This year, right now, animals are being imported into Scotland - especially to this area, including you - direct from infected areas of the Continent.  This is from the vets in Biggar who advised us to vaccinate because of these imports.  All imports are tested but by the time the results are out, so are the midges which are the vector, and the disease will already have spread.  It takes three weeks after vaccination for the animals to be protected.
We have had no adverse reactions to the vaccine in the two years we have used it, on lambs and adults.  What reactions did you notice?

[Jackie]

Thank you for mentioning BT, I didnt know that Lincolnshire was at risk so I shall get on it with my 12. 

[Padge]

We are Lincolnshire and vaccinate for Blue Tongue

[kanisha]

I would be interested to know what reactions if any people have seen... I have deliberately made the choice not to vaccinate my pregnant ewes with this vaccine waiting until after they have lambed  and having used serotype 8 vaccine for the last three years and both serotype one and eight for the last two years have not seen any reactions.

I hear rumours of infertility in rams and things but no one has given me any concrete information.

[Fleecewife]

Hi Kanisha.  Last year in Scotland it was compulsory to vaccinate all stock within the time frame of beginning Nov to end April - just exactly when the ewes would all be in lamb.  I was very nervous about vaccinating them then but discussed it with the vet, decided to do it in the middle third of their pregnancies (I called it the middle trimester which caused hoots of derision as that applies to women with a gestation of nine months, but you know what I mean).  We vaccinated in January with absolutely no noticeable effect on the ewes whatsoever (except hopefully that they are now resistant to BT), so did the same this year.  Last year we vaccinated the lambs at 3 months as that was the instruction on that particular make of vaccine.  This year we did them at one month with a different make, again with no adverse reactions at all.  Only BTV8 seems to be available here.
A few people have reported vague symptoms such as raised temp in their sheep but I haven't heard of any major probs so I too would be interested to hear about any reactions anyone did get.
It worries me that here so many people are saying they won't vaccinate as 'it didn't get here last year'.  But last year every sheep and cow in Scotland was, supposedly, vaccinated, so of course we didn't have any cases here.  BT is a horrible disease casuing long term problems for the animals, not immediate death  but long term disability (if sheep can be disabled) and can have a major impact on fertility of both ewes and rams. And there is no government compensation for losses.

[kanisha]

Here it is compulsory to vaccinate and the government offered to foot the cost of vaccination if done prior to the end of April but If the vaccine is an annual shot I see no reason to do it during pregnancy so have stretched mine every year to now get done after lambing. It also is an issue as i vacciante my ewes one month prior to lambing for clostridial diseases and the two vaccines / three shouldn't be given at the same time I want to minimise stress to my pregnant ewes not over load them. That said each time I stretch the vaccine I sweat re BTV taking hold. hopefully I can get them done as an annual vaccine now I have yet to use the combined vaccine but I think thats available for next year.

On another note a friend here who is further south and does vaccinate for BTV has had significant losses  in the year when his dairy neighbour lost his whole herd to BTV ( didn't vaccinate) it seems the prescence of BTV still lead to some losses this is guy whos been in ouessants and livestock all his life and his animal husbandry is impeccable

[Anke]

I vaccinated towards the end of pregnancy as it was compulsory last year, and one of my old ewes was really weak, wouldn't move about and my initial thoughts were pregnancy toxemia at that time. However she did not get worse (as she would have been with PT, and I only gave her some licks. I think it was an overload of vaccines, although I did it in the right timescales and she just didn't cope very well at all.  Someome nearby had one of his rams just keel over after BT vaccination!

Actually my vet did NOT urge me to vaccinate (as I asked re the goats), and so I am sticking to the wait and see.

[Rosemary]

My vet said not to bother vaccinating for BT. I will check with the new lot in Angus.

[humphreymctush]

If you have not castrated the ram lambs and are going to eat them get them slaughtered before five months or they will start to taste nasty.

[piggy]

Our vet phoned me on friday to remind me the lambs were due for the second jab,he then advised to do the BT as well and said they are advising everyone to BT this year and will review again next year.So off to collect tomorrow.

[egglady]

thank you all for this, however i am still none the wiser on ear tagging - anyone tell me what my boy going to the abbatoir tomorrow needs?