Sheep Services

Workshops

Held on farm, these discussions centre on health and welfare of both ewe and lamb together with drug treatments. Topics covered include injection techniques, stomach tubing, castration and docking, treatment of common lambing problems and nutrition of the new born lambs.

Parasite control programmes – including our own fast in house service verified by specialist parasitologists

We can perform worm egg counts and use the SAC for fluke monitoring. Drug company subsidised coccidiosis monitoring is also available.

For external parasites (lice or scab) we offer rapid in house testing. In many cases of scab we would recommend OP plunge dipping and are happy to organise a ‘dipping group’ to allow smaller flocks to be included.

Reproductive loss investigations

Subsidised barren ewe blood testing is available. For aborted lambs we examine foetal material in house which is collected the same evening and sent to an external lab. A rapid diagnosis to rule out enzootic abortion is usually available within 48hours allowing rapid decision making during the lambing period. Vaccination programmes for enzootic abortion, toxoplasmosis and by special licence, campylobacter are all available.

Blood profiles for minerals at weaning and pre tupping

Deciding whether your flock needs a drench bolus or injection can be a minefield! Blood tests used at appropriate times can help correct deficiencies before they affect performance. Soil testing in conjunction with blood tests can be very useful. Around Droitwich we see a variety of deficiencies -the main one would be cobalt but we also see selenium copper and iodine problems. Some boluses may not correct severe deficiencies so close weight gain monitoring can provide important information.

Blood sampling for energy and protein levels in late pregnancy

Formulating a diet for the most important time in the lambing calendar needs careful consideration and should be based on available forage analysis. We work closely with feed suppliers and can do blood profiling to check adequacy of the diet in the later stages of pregnancy. This allows time for correction of any problems to ensure good quality colostrum and reduction in diseases such as twin lamb or hypocalcaemia.

Caesarean Sections

A successful outcome relies on prompt decision! We are happy to perform caesareans both at the surgery and on farm. Our only plea is to make a quick decision when there is a problem rather than trying to lamb ewes for too long.

Vasectomies
‘Teaser’ rams are best chosen from the previous years lamb crop. Remember to leave lambs uncastrated at lambing and chose a well grown one that has good confirmation – especially feet. Vasectomies are performed under sedation and local anaesthetic. Following recovery from the surgery ‘teasers’ can be used after approximately six weeks. Further details on their use is available at the surgery or on one of our workshops.

Ram Examinations & Semen Testing

Inspections of breeding rams take place around 4-6 weeks before tupping to ensure they are ready for work. If there are doubts concerning the performance of a ram, a detailed examination may be performed. This includes ultrasound scanning of the testicles and examination of semen. It may also be prudent to quarantine and blood sample rams after purchase.

Correct use and storage of medicines

Red Tractor farms need health declarations regarding use of antibiotics especially those described as critical. Whether you are in such a scheme or not it is still essential that medicines including vaccines and wormers are used and stored correctly and economically. Bacterial cultures to check drug sensitivities are important to preserve the antibiotics we have left. Although prevention is always better than cure if you are faced with an outbreak of joint ill for example early sampling will allow the most effective antibiotic to be used.

There are many other areas of flock health we are involved with and are happy to discuss your flock in more detail. Please contact the surgery to discuss further.