FARMnewsTHE NEWSLETTER OF WILLOWS FARM ANIMAL VETERINARY PRACTICE

MARCH 2016

Hartford Office267 Chester Road, Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 1LP

Telephone: 01606 723200Alsager Office

(Now open 9am-12 noon on Saturdays)The Point, Crewe Road, Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 2GP

Telephone: 01606 723200Mold Office

Unit 16, Mold Business Park, Wrexham Road, Mold, Flintshire CH7 1XPTelephone: 01352 748525

Hampton VetsPost Office Lane, Hampton Heath, Malpas SY14 8JQ

Telephone: 01948 820345Manor Court Vets

Church St, Tarvin, Chester, Cheshire CH3 8EBTelephone: 01829 740216

Charter Farm Vets16 West Road, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 4ER

Telephone: 01260 273449

www.hamptonvetcentre.co.uk

HAMPTONFARM ANIMALVETERINARY CENTRE

www.manorcourtvets.co.uk

MANOR COURTVETERINARYCENTRE

The last six weeks of pregnancy is when 75% of a lamb’s growth occurs in the womb, therefore appropriate nutrition during this period is essential, to ensure an appropriate lamb birth weight and good quality colostrum.Ultrasound scanning to determine how many lambs your sheep carry around 12-14 weeks after the rams are introduced will aid in deciding how much to feed your ewes and will also be an early indication of how successful your breeding season has been. Perhaps this is somthing to consider for next year if the opportunity has passed for this year’s crop.

The nutrient demand depends on the length of the feeding period, the size of the ewe, the expected number of lambs and the current body condition score. Depending on the size of the ewe, nutrient demand can more than double as lambing approaches. A useful tool to perform is body condition scoring (BCS) to assess the amount of muscle and fat the ewes are carrying pre-lambing. Aim for a BCS of 3-3.5 at lambing with 90% of your flock between 2 and 3.5. This should be done as soon as possible after scanning, to allow changes to be made and to have separate groups.

BCS at four to six weeks pre lambing to identify lean or over fat ewes and feed accordingly, although care is needed not to underfeed ewes. Some people like to house ewes at this point as it allows total control over their feed intake, and ewes are not affected by adverse weather. In addition, why not get your vet involved and discuss pre-lambing issues. We could also blood sample some ewes. Blood tests are a useful tool to help identify if your ewes are likely to be deficient in energy, protein, or are suffering from conditions such as fluke (by testing for ketones (BHB’s), Urea and Albumin). At the same time why not test the

mineral status of your ewes, which can have a major impact on lamb survival (copper, selenium/Vitamin E, Iodine and cobalt).

Before lambing starts ensure your drug

cupboard is fully stocked with all your requirements. The equipment needed includes:

• Arm length disposable plastic gloves

• Clean bucket, warm water, soap, approved surgical scrub solution, towel

• A lambing snare (various designs are available)

• Lambing ropes

• Obstetrical lubricant

• Disposable syringes, needles, antibiotics, analgesics

• Calcium/Magnesium/Glucose bottle

• Ketosis (twin lamb) drench

• Harnesses/retainers/suture material for vaginal prolapses

Preparation for lambing

• Respiratory stimulants/ revivers e.g. Dopram V

Monitor ewes for signs of prolapses, twin lamb disease and hypocalcaemia (low calcium). Treat accordingly with ketosis/propylene glycol drench (50-100ml/day) and “calcium” injection (50-80ml CMD20 under the skin). If you require further advice just speak to one of the vets.

Clinical signs of pregnancy toxaemia (listed as the disease progresses)

• Does not come to feed trough

• Isolated from others

• Dull and depressed

• Blindness

• Head pressing

• Fine muscle tremors of the head

• Weakness and recumbency

• Death

If, despite your best efforts you have an abortion rate above 2%, or a lower lambing percentage/high number of empty ewes, then this may indicate an infectious cause (toxoplasmosis, Enzootic Abortion, Campylobacter) or other disease e.g. Liver Fluke. We would advise that you have these investigated. A fresh aborted lamb and clean afterbirth (with cotyledons) are ideal for abortions or blood test for empty ewes.

A successful lambing is the cornerstone of a profitable sheep flock, with more lambs reared per ewe. Please contact us if you would like any further advice.

Continued on back page

Preparation for lambing

Continued from front page

“nutrient demand can more than double as lambing approaches”

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Coccidiosis in sheep is caused by an intracellular protozoa parasite which affects the digestive system. Eimeria crandallis and Eimeria ovinoidalis the most commonly diagnosed pathogenic strains of Eimeria in the UK sheep flocks. The parasite primarily targets the cells of the ileum, caecum and proximal colon, impairing absorption of nutrients and water. Clinical symptoms include diarrheoa (often blood tinged), dehydration, weight loss and anorexia. Disease is most commonly seen in 3-8 week old lambs but can also occur in lambs up to 6 months of age.

Ewes can act as a primary source of the infection but most infection is due to contamination of the ground from older lambs. Lambs are usually protected in the first few weeks of life by colostral antibodies and they then develop a solid immunity. However, in situations of high stocking densities, stressed lambs are exposed to a high environment level and succumb to the disease.

The period between an animal becoming infected until they are shedding oocyts themselves is 2-3 weeks; the oocyts are very resilient and survive well in the environment. Early born lambs often contribute significantly to environmental contamination and are an important source of infective oocyts to those lambs born later. Clinical disease is often preceded by a stressful event such as adverse weather, weaning or sudden dietary change. Coccidiosis a disease of intensive husbandry and there is a direct correlation between environmental build up and severity of the disease, both in clinical signs and prevalence.

Diagnosis of coccidiosis is most commonly based upon history (age of lambs and intensive rearing system) and clinical sings. Misdiagnosis through identification of high faecal Eimeria oocyst counts alone can occur so we recommend identification of pathogenic species to confirm a diagnosis.

Treatment should be administered as soon as several lambs are displaying clinical signs, if treatment is withheld

until a large percentage of lambs are ill thrifty, production parameters can be affected for months. Treatment of acute outbreaks is usually through whole group treatment with drugs such as diclazuril (1mg/kg) and toltrazuril (20mg/kg) given orally to all the lambs. A coccidiostat called decoquinate can be included into creep feed to help prevent the disease

Prevention should primarily be aimed at reducing environmental build up. This can be achieved by improving husbandry standards via hygiene protocols and appropriate stocking densities. Additionally good nutritional management makes animals less susceptible to disease. Faecal contamination should be limited on bedding and pasture and prevented around troughs and areas of feeding. It can be a good idea to keep early and late born lambs in two separate groups, to stop infection spreading from the early group. Alternatively, for lambs at pasture, frequent rotation will limit the burden of parasites.

It is advisable to establish prevention measures and treatment plan in the veterinary flock health plan to limit the economic effects of coccidiosis. For

more information on how to reduce the risk of coccidiosis in your flock speak to your vet or call Mark Pass at Beeston Animal Health.

Coccidiosisin lambs

Genomic Testing YourDairyHerdGenomic testing is changing the way dairy producers make management, selection and breeding decisions on the farm. Using genomics, a heifer’s genetic potential is revealed early in life, genetic progress can be accelerated with confidence and herd profitability is enhanced by capitalizing on improved performance across a number of traits.Genomic testing reveals more about the actual genetic potential of the animal than simply measuring an average of the parents’ estimated genetic makeup. For a number of traits, testing delivers 60% to 70% reliability as opposed to 20% to 30% for parent average. For example, for the trait Fertility, testing can provide the same or higher level of reliability as data from 115 milking daughters, more than a lifetime of information with one test.

Mindful that an element of health,

welfare and productivity is directly related to the breeding decisions made on farm we are delighted that over the coming months we will be able to offer clients access to a Veterinary Genomics package that aligns breeding decisions with Herd Health goals. We look forward to bringing you more news about this exciting offering and details of the training modules over the coming months. In the meantime, speak to Darrell or Owen for more information.

ContactSteve Austin on:

01606723200

WILLOWSHOOF CARESERVICES

Calf trackerupdateWe still have a few places available on the calf tracker program if you would like to sign up. In brief the project involves a comprehensive assessment of current performance and management practices. This includes sampling to check colostrum quality, the success of transferred immunity and growth rates in the first 100 days. We will also sample any scouring calves and review treatment protocols for poorly calves.Following this initial visit we will generate a couple of practical action points with the aim of improving performance. A second visit a couple of month later will measure the impact of the changes in management and where appropriate move on to others areas which need addressing. Contact Laurence for more details.