General sheep thread

Dickie10

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

Dinzee Conlee

Dickie10 wrote: »

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

That’s sickening Dickie, sorry to hear...

I didn’t think twould happen, where a good few would go at once to be honest...

Lost 4 this year so far now as well, just through various things...

Be interesting to see what the post Mortem throws up...

manno

Dickie10 wrote: »

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

Unusual to lose 4 at once. If it was me I'd be doing them for fluke again but maybe your land is drier. Anyway if it was acute fluke you would probably know from how they are thriving.

Green farmer

With the clostridial stuff, you can loose numbers very fast. It seems to act up in changeable weather, ie mild to frosty like we have now. If you could, give them a jab of heptovac. It stops the looses within a day or two.

charolais0153

Dickie10 wrote: »

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

100%clostridial, local man lost 4 aswell one day , expensive lesson

roosky

Dickie10 wrote: »

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

Sorry to head dickie, it’s a balls when it happens but it happens.

One thing I would advise is to get all four to the lab if possible....it’s cheaper than bringing to the knackery and you may get an answer.....no point wondering was it stomach fluke or rumen fluke or clostridial if you can get a cause of death you have some hope of preventing more this year and next

weatherbyfoxer

Dickie10 wrote: »

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

the quick change from frost to milder weather seem to cause clostridal i have found in the past here...the minute stores arrive here they get heptavac p makes a huge difference

wrangler

Dickie10 wrote: »

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

You should go with heptavac P any way.
Cheap insurance, you could have ten deaths as easy as four
Our motto here is 'never waste a dead sheep', always PM .
Especially when it's cheap such as at the moment

Sami23

Dickie10 wrote: »

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

How much is a PM in Athlone and does it have to be organized through your vet or can you do it directly ?

Green farmer

Sami23 wrote: »

How much is a PM in Athlone and does it have to be organized through your vet or can you do it directly ?

The most expensive part is the vet booking it in for you. Mine charges €20, after that last time I went, think the lab is around €6 that you pay directly when dropping off.

joe35

Dickie10 wrote: »

Had an awful day of it the last 24 hrs lost 4 store lambs to sudden death, i didnt vaccinate with heptavac so vet thinks its probabaly braxy or pulpy kidney, same meal which there used to, dosed for fluke in late october, small chance stomach fluke maybe. absolutley pissed off. vet advised i get them post mortem in athlone in morning, so losing a bit of a day dropping two down.

Sorry to hear Dickie.

As the grandmother always said "once it's in the field".

Was watching nationwide last night, that poor family from mayo where the father committed suicide. They where a lovely family.

Just to say if anyone wants to talk about anything, don't be afraid to ask. Send a PM and I, like many others here I'm sure, would be more than willing to help in any way we can.

wrangler

Green farmer wrote: »

The most expensive part is the vet booking it in for you. Mine charges €20, after that last time I went, think the lab is around €6 that you pay directly when dropping off.

No, the Vet has to pay the lab for the PM so that's where the €20 comes from, Your €6 is for the disposal of the carcase. It sounds stupid but that's the way it is

Dickie10

just back from athlone hours drive brought two with me. going to bring a load to icm navan now

Tileman

Dickie10 wrote: »

just back from athlone hours drive brought two with me. going to bring a load to icm navan now

Sorry to hear that Dickie. It is sickening when that happens.
Something similar happened to me a few years ago I always use heptavac now.

Ask I might to report on liver fluke on sheep . It will also give u a good indication. It’s a very wet year with us and everything is getting dosed for fluke at the end of This months again.

Green farmer

wrangler wrote: »

No, the Vet has to pay the lab for the PM so that's where the €20 comes from, Your €6 is for the disposal of the carcase. It sounds stupid but that's the way it is

Ya, your right. I just meant the €20 is by way of a vets invoice whereas the rest was direct payment to the lab. Either way, great value for a service that was subject to a review a few years back, where they were considering closing some of the regional labs. Think they've shelved that idea since.

Dickie10

would you recommend heptavac p or heptavac only for clostridial

Tileman

Dickie10 wrote: »

would you recommend heptavac p or heptavac only for clostridial

I use heptavac p for all my stores

wrangler

Tileman wrote: »

I use heptavac p for all my stores

We seem to be prone to Pnuemonia , It's common enough in the PMs here in un vaccinated stock, We vaccinate everything now with heptavac P, Winter would be a high risk time for that too as well as the other clostridials

Lambman

Seen a few posts online a lambs not being able till stand after being born and people saying ewes lacking in minerals mostly vitamin E didn bolus the ewes the year but done them with turbo 5 weeks pre tupping and again when rams came off this my 2nd year not using licks as can't justify the price but thinking on using molasses. Did any1 ever mix minerals thru the molasses? The old man buys powder vitamins in 25kg bags till put over silage for cows and I was wondering could u mix a similar product thru the molasses so ewes are getting much the same as they would with licks without the €€€

wrangler

Lambman wrote: »

Seen a few posts online a lambs not being able till stand after being born and people saying ewes lacking in minerals mostly vitamin E didn bolus the ewes the year but done them with turbo 5 weeks pre tupping and again when rams came off this my 2nd year not using licks as can't justify the price but thinking on using molasses. Did any1 ever mix minerals thru the molasses? The old man buys powder vitamins in 25kg bags till put over silage for cows and I was wondering could u mix a similar product thru the molasses so ewes are getting much the same as they would with licks without the €€€

Are you running the sheep at one to the acre over your fathers farm or something, I don't know how you're getting by without feeding them coming up to lambing

Green farmer

Lambman wrote: »

using licks as can't justify the price ?

the molasses so ewes are getting much the same as they would with licks without the €€€

I spend the money on ewe nuts instead of mineral licks. Instead of 1 bucket, I get 3 bags of 18% nuts for same money

roosky

Have a friend buying 10 inlamb hoggets all scanned with twins.....the hoggets would have been €175 last September so nice sheep but no show stoppers.....what are they worth now inlamb I was thinking €210 or €215 would be the max or what are peoples opinion

Lambman

No wrangler 2 separate farms I was just saying he uses powdered minerals thru silage for cows is the a powdered míneral for sheep and could u mix it thru molasses?

wrangler

Lambman wrote: »

No wrangler 2 separate farms I was just saying he uses powdered minerals thru silage for cows is the a powdered míneral for sheep and could u mix it thru molasses?

Are you not using ration, If they got a proper ration for the last 6 weeks of pregnancy you'd have all angles covered, energy, protein, minerals and vitamins.
All these queries about poor lambs is down to poor feeding pre lambing. Some farmers make their own misfortune

Sami23

wrangler wrote: »

Are you not using ration, If they got a proper ration for the last 6 weeks of pregnancy you'd have all angles covered, energy, protein, minerals and vitamins.
All these queries about poor lambs is down to poor feeding pre lambing. Some farmers make their own misfortune

Just curious do you prefer ration over nuts wrangler

wrangler

Sami23 wrote: »

Just curious do you prefer ration over nuts wrangler

I use ration mostly with the ewes inside, I just like the look of it, no other reason.
We have to use cobs through the snacker and small nuts to the lambs

farawaygrass

Wrangler, when feeding straw to your sheep, did you put any valve on it as a feed or use it just as a fibre source?

wrangler

farawaygrass wrote: »

Wrangler, when feeding straw to your sheep, did you put any valve on it as a feed or use it just as a fibre source?

No value, I feed .5kg to replace the silage and then build on that when they're six weeks out, they're actually supposed to be getting enough fibre if the meal is 7% fibre so I just bed them same as normal, I'm actually using less straw now than when I was feeding silage a week ago, but I give them some fresh straw every day 80 ewes are using a round bale every three days

Green farmer

Alot to be said meal at times. 2 bags of meal will feed 100 ewes a day, cost about €15. Not much between that and the cost of bought in silage.

OneMan37

Agree Teagasc have done a study on this. I’m feeding only meal until ewes are housed this year.