Orf

arctictree

Had a walk through the flock today and notice that a couple of the hoggets have some bad Orf around their mouths.

Its a big deal for me to catch them as I'd have to bring in the whole flock etc. If I just leave them, would they be OK? I heard that it goes away after a while?

stantheman1979

If its bad on them it wont go away!! It will spread like hell in this mild weather. A couple cc of cattle ivomec and iodine on it does the trick. You didnt hear about the ivomec from me tho

sea12

stantheman1979 wrote: »

If its bad on them it wont go away!! It will spread like hell in this mild weather. A couple cc of cattle ivomec and iodine on it does the trick. You didnt hear about the ivomec from me tho!! LOL

I had it I a handful of lambs in November. All cleared up themselves ok

farming93

Had Orf a month ago effected about 30 per cent of the ewe lambs, some were very bad it cleared up, itself I didnt go near it. They were on good long grass I would have been worried if they were on short grass as some of the Orf had got that inflamed.

greysides

I can't see what benefit Ivomec would have apart from ensuring the animal was as healthy as possible in dealing with the Orf. The iodine may well be of some benefit due to it's antiseptic and astringent properties.

Here's a link which you may find useful.

IH784man

Are salt licks are garlic licks a good cure for it or is that just salesman talk?

Username John

Lambs got a good dose of orf this year, late in the year though, which I was surprised at.

I just leave it now, leave it clear up itself. I dunno does treating it do a whole pile to be honest...

rangler1

Username John wrote: »

Lambs got a good dose of orf this year, late in the year though, which I was surprised at.

I just leave it now, leave it clear up itself. I dunno does treating it do a whole pile to be honest...

Same here, just treat the bad ones. always thought it was never a problem till this year, must've been a different strain or something, they seemed very slow and in badform, even the ones that didn't have a bad dose on their mouths.
very poor thrive for about six weeks so thinking of scabivax for next year, any thoughts or is anyone using it

Green farmer

IH784man wrote: »

Are salt licks are garlic licks a good cure for it or is that just salesman talk?

I found the salt licks cleared it up here. Around €10 for two big lick blocks, so didn't break the bank either .

razor8

rangler1 wrote: »

Same here, just treat the bad ones. always thought it was never a problem till this year, must've been a different strain or something, they seemed very slow and in badform, even the ones that didn't have a bad dose on their mouths.
very poor thrive for about six weeks so thinking of scabivax for next year, any thoughts or is anyone using it

Once you start using it there no going back

After years of torture treating lambs we started using scabivax and never a problem since, have seen late lambs that didn't get scratch break out with mild form so it still on land here

Definitely one of the necessities here, a bottle costs about €35 and will do 80/100 even though bottle says 50

IH784man

We always scabivax our own lambs at birt,it's the bought in ones that cause the trouble,once you out sheep in a field that have been scabivax'd they will smit the field and any bought in sheep that haven't received scabivax will pick it up.

Username John

rangler1 wrote: »

Same here, just treat the bad ones. always thought it was never a problem till this year, must've been a different strain or something, they seemed very slow and in badform, even the ones that didn't have a bad dose on their mouths.
very poor thrive for about six weeks so thinking of scabivax for next year, any thoughts or is anyone using it

We used to use it - but I stopped.
I found that sometimes the lambs still get it - but usually when they're small, only a few weeks old.

This summer, they got in in August, a lot later than any other year... They cleared away themselves, but it took a while and it did affect thrive...

I'm not planning on starting using scabivax again, not this year anyways. We'll see how we get on next summer...

tom_k

We've historically had orf outbreaks here, some years worse than others. This year I used Scabivax on all but a single lamb born late to a 2014 born ewe lamb.

Sure enough that lamb got a nasty dose of orf in August.

I'll be using it from now on, it worked out at 50c/lamb which is well worth it from a thrive perspective. Another danger is if it's contracted on the udder/teats of ewes. Avoiding that makes it a very cheap vaccine.

Bleating Lamb

Greysides might correct me but I heard before that once Orf is on the land it can stay for up to 100 years.We scabivax the lambs every year at around a month of age and never have it.Had it years ago before we started treatment programme.

Green farmer

Any connection to orf and thistle /briary land ?

greysides

The orf virus can survive for many years in a dry environment, such as in lambing sheds, which is why more serious outbreaks are generally associated with intensive sheep systems where there is a build up of infection in buildings.

The virus is less likely to survive outside on wet pasture.

It now seems likely that the virus can survive on the skin of some sheep for many years without causing disease. It is only when an abrasion to the skin occurs
that the orf virus can enter the body and cause disease.

http://www.msd-animal-health.co.uk/binaries/Scabivax_ORF_A5_farmer_guide_tcm80-70148.pdf

arctictree

Brought them all in today for drafting and all the Orf had cleared up.

farawaygrass

Have it now in one batch, but only some of the ewes and lambs. The lambs are 3-4 weeks old and some of the ewes have if on their teats, but now stopping the lambs sucking so far. A right pain so it is

roosky

Anyone i talked to does lambs with scabivax at turn out (1-2 days) my lambs are born since the 15th of march with a handfull left.......am i too late to scabivax or when is the best time

rangler1

roosky wrote: »

Anyone i talked to does lambs with scabivax at turn out (1-2 days) my lambs are born since the 15th of march with a handfull left.......am i too late to scabivax or when is the best time

Any time, but easier as young lambs, Scabivax is supposed to be a help to use in the face of an outbreak too, never used it that way though

Username John

roosky wrote: »

Anyone i talked to does lambs with scabivax at turn out (1-2 days) my lambs are born since the 15th of march with a handfull left.......am i too late to scabivax or when is the best time

I thought the vaccine had to be used within a few hours of being opened?

We don't give Scabivax anymore, from what I remember when we used to - it was generally done the weekend after the last lamb was a few days old. So all lambs were rounded up and done together... So they were from ~2days to
3 weeks kinda age...

But like I say - been a good few years since we done it now, and don't plan on giving it to them this year either...

arctictree

Lads - a good few of my lambs seem to have it now and some real bad. The land they are on has got new shoots of heather coming up as it was all cleaned up a few years ago.

Is there anything I can do in the short term. Course of penicillin maybe?

waalaa

arctictree wrote: »

Lads - a good few of my lambs seem to have it now and some real bad. The land they are on has got new shoots of heather coming up as it was all cleaned up a few years ago.

Is there anything I can do in the short term. Course of penicillin maybe?

Penicillin is not going to do anything for them, outside of an alamycin spray to prevent secondary infection, orf is a virus, just got to let it run its course, all you can do is treat the symptoms.

Some people swear by salt licks, but I don't know of any quick fix for it unfortunately.

MayoAreMagic

Alamycin seems to work well with it. It is true it is a virus but it definitely helps clear it up.

weatherbyfoxer

The lambs got it really bad here one year..the heads swelled up like football's..was told by the vet to leave them alone for 2 weeks and it cleared up

I now get a touch of it in the lambs in April every year but it seems to clear up untreated..end of the day it's a virus and antibiotics will not treat it..have been told by some sheep men to use diesel,burnt oil,iodine,alymicin spray..loads of different things but personally I never bothered and it always seems to clear up

Username John

Sone my lambs have a touch of it now... Scabs running along the side of their lips... Nasty ould thing... But twill clear up itself... I don't plan on doing anything for it...

arctictree

Went through all of the lambs today. Most of them have it and some real bad. I got an anti septic spray from the Vet which I treated them with. Some had it on their feet too. Anyway, hopefully it will clear over the coming weeks.

Dickie10

just seen a batch of lambs have orf this year there around 6 weeks old. i was told by brother in law to rub <Modsnip> into there affected area vigourously until blood is drawn this makes it clear up a lot quicker. i did this with a lamb a few years ago and couldnt belive within days it was clearing . seems very sore on lambs though

wrangler

Dickie10 wrote: »

just seen a batch of lambs have orf this year there around 6 weeks old. i was told by brother in law to rub <Modsnip> into there affected area vigourously until blood is drawn this makes it clear up a lot quicker. i did this with a lamb a few years ago and couldnt belive within days it was clearing . seems very sore on lambs though

It's very cruel. we used to just treat if they got infected, spray them with antibiotic spray if the skin was broke, I never went in for tearing them with a nail brush like some, It always just took its course here, It'd be gone in a week or ten days. There'd be no briars or thistles here though to tear them.
Always use scabivax now

Dickie10

yeah you think I should leave be? maybe give alamycin spray when I get5 them in?

wrangler

Dickie10 wrote: »

yeah you think I should leave be? maybe give alamycin spray when I get5 them in?

Yea, you'd have to monitor them, we'd get them in about twice a week and spray anything that that had the skin broke, we'd have 350 lambs in a batch and maybe only spray the mouths of about ten each time,
I never saw it in the feet so maybe you have a more severe form, we'd always be footbathing so maybe that save us from getting the feet affected......maybe it's only scald that's in the feet of your lambs either.

tom_k

Any scabivax shortages this year, been waiting 10+ days now for vet to get it in?

Bleating Lamb

tom_k wrote: »

Any scabivax shortages this year, been waiting 10+ days now for vet to get it in?

Seems it can’t be got at all at moment.