[Sunnybank]

hi everyone,
looking for a bit more advice please,
about to buy equipment for trimming our sheeps feet
what would you recommend??
what is the blue spray everyone mentions - are there different types or are they all the same??

any advice would be great so i look as if i know a little bit when i go shopping lol

[supplies for smallholders]

Hi,

On foot shears I would suggest a good make like Burgon & Ball - they stay sharp and last a long time in service.

There are all kinds of sprays - from Foot Rot Spray, antibacterial aerosol, Purple spray, iodine spray etc etc - each with a slightly different use.

If you want to have a look at some products and their descriptions / uses use the link at the bottom of any TAS page to visit our site and then go to the relevant section.

Thanks

[lachlanandmarcus]

There are lots of sprays sold in shops, some of which are OK, but the best is only from the vet - Alamycin  - which is blue and is an antibiotic spray.

[SallyintNorth]

Generally when we say 'blue spray' we mean tetracycline (antibiotic) spray.  Our vet stocks two variants, one called Terramycin and one called Cyclo Spray.  The former is quite a bit more expensive and the only difference is the propellant and the size of the hole the spray comes out of!

Having conducted experiments, we still pay extra for the Terramycin.  Our opinion is that the narrower 'beam' results in more effective delivery and less waste.  It's quite subjective though, so we may just be suckers!

When I say 'purple spray', I mean Septiclense.  It's an antiseptic, not an antibiotic, and I prefer to use it if there is no active infection which needs antibiotics.  It is cheaper but also we prefer not to overuse antibiotics.

There is also a variant of purple spray called Footclense.  It has a couple of added ingredients specifically for footrot and scald, and I think probably is slightly more effective on sheep feet than straight Septiclense.  However, we tend to use either Septiclense or blue spray.

Hope that helps rather than thickens the fog!

[Hopewell]

Purple spray is probably gentian violet. It used to be included in the antibiotic aerosol sprays - remember the days wher terramycin spray was purple and not that revolting blue colour? Anyway I believe it was taken out of the sprays because it's thought to be carcinogenic, but it does seem to work very well and for the mild to moderate sheep feet issues I prefer it (or iodine).

[Cinderhills]

With regards to foot shears, if you have smallish hands (or lady hands) go for the lamb shears.  I originally bought the general ones and they were too big for me to use properly.  The lambs ones are perfect and I can get a really good grip on them.

[Sunnybank]

thanks everyone, this is a really great site xx

[Anke]

I use the Myti-lite ones, good for smaller hands, fit in your pocket, nice and sharp.

[Fleecewife]

Something else to consider with foot shears is whether to get the serrated or straight-edged kind.  The serrated (it's only very fine serrations) type is less likely to slip on dry feet and cut your hand.
Although the lamb shears are lightweight and fit a woman's hand better than the big ones, I don't like the other ie cutting end which is too lightweight for big feet.  They are not expensive though, so you can have both and choose which is most appropriate for the particular foot you are trimming.

[SteveHants]

I reckon its worth paying a bit more for a decent pair of serrated ones...just remember, if they appear to be blunt, its baecause theres muck clogging the serrations!

I use the purple 'foot-master' spray, which I had thought contained terramycin, but after reading this, I'm not so sure. I'll have a look next time I'm near the can.

You can't beat having a breed of sheep with good feet to avoid you having to turn em over too often anyway. I look at my ewes feet about once a year pre-tup, same for the ram, unless one is limping (only happened once and it turned out to be a thorn)

Don't fall into the trap of trimming too often. I've heard his can make the hoof brittle...leading to more footrot and more trimming.