Sheep

In-house worm and fluke egg counts with results within 24 hours, with tailored parasite control advice and plans using FECPAK technology

• We are focussed on the future of your flock and the environment that you farm in – our approach to parasite control plans seeks to ensure maximum productivity for your flock, whilst keeping the threat of anthelmintic resistance at bay. We have invested in FECPAK egg counting machines which ensure accurate and fast test results.
• Using this system has allowed us to increase the accuracy, standardise the procedure and, as it is cloud based, we can review testing by farm from earlier in the year or the previous year allowing us to monitor worm burdens over a longer timeframe.

Disease investigation

We are equipped to investigate sheep diseases at both flock and individual level. With access to in-practice lab diagnostics, on farm post mortem, and vets with a specific interest in sheep medicine we aim for rapid and accurate diagnosis and treatment. We are able to consult on complex flock problems as well as cater for individual sick animal needs for smallholder and pet flocks. We strive to offer a range of diagnostic options that can fit your budget requirements.

Flock health plans

We can offer a flock health planning service which can be tailored to scheme requirements, e.g. Red Tractor, Soil Association and/or your specific flock goals. We aim for plans to be bespoke, created by your vet that knows your farm best; as a useful, practical working document to drive flock health and productivity. Flock planning visits are included as part of membership of our Flock Health Club.

Flock Health Club

• Our flock club is open to all our commercial sheep farmers, which for a monthly subscription fee includes club-specific perks. 

• FURTHER INFORMATION COMING SOON. 

• We are keen to facilitate a group where ideas can be shared between sheep farmers as well as further opportunity for sheep-specific client training. 
• If you would like to join our flock club or find out more, please contact Yasmine on 07816 958011.

Lambing and caesarean service

All of our vets are experienced and equipped to deal with all lambings 24/7, 365 days a year. All vets can perform caesarean sections on-farm or at our Whaley Bridge branch (which we aim to offer at competitive rates). Out of hours we pride ourselves on our fast callout response time, in Spring-time we have 2 vets on call so we can ensure you can always access a vet promptly.

Tup fertility testing and breeding soundness examinations

• Around 1 in 5 tups are found to be sub-fertile for a variety of different reasons. It’s important to note that this doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t work at all, but could just be an increased number of repeats or a prolonged lambing period.
• We recommend a full physical examination of every tup 6-8 weeks prior to mating, with the option of semen testing all or just those with concerns. This is a choice taken between the vet and the farmer depending on the farm situation. For example, a farm utilising single-sire mating groups may wish to test all tups to ensure they are working and avoid a group of ewes coming over.
• The process is very similar to that in bulls and we can perform the entire process on-farm. Our equipment has been recently updated meaning we can perform testing at the highest standard.

Vasectomy and castration service

A vasectomised tup, or ‘Teaser’, can be a great way to tighten your lambing block, advance breeding by 1 or 2 weeks and to bring ewe lambs/shearlings into season.

What makes a good Teaser?

• Teasers are often overlooked, however this doesn’t mean thought doesn’t need to go into their selection. By the nature of how they are used, a teaser in effect can need to work harder than the fertile tups as they are often run with a greater number of ewes.
• A good teaser should be well built and grown, with good feet and conformation. They can be selected as lambs and vasectomised however the best results are found when they are not used until Shearlings. This allows them to grow, fully mature and often have higher libido – a vital feature of a teaser.
• Ideally a teaser should be home-bred as this maintains equal health status with the rest of the flock. This avoids the risks involved with buying in from external sources.

The Vasectomy

• Lambs can be vasectomised from 3-4months old however we would recommend waiting until at least 9 months.
• We conduct the surgery under sedation in order to reduce stress on both animal and vet and make restraint easier.
• The surgery can be carried out on farm or at our Whaley Bridge branch.

Using a Teaser

• The standard protocol for use of a teaser requires ewes to be isolated from the sight and smell of any male sheep (including lambs and the neighbours!) for at least 6 weeks. Sight and smell is usually taken as requiring a distance of 1 mile between ewes and any males.
• Teasers are introduced to the ewes for 14 days, which usually results in ewes having a silent heat after a few days. At 14days, teasers are removed and fertile tups introduced. Ewes usually then come into season at day 18 and 25 after introducing the teasers (4 and 11 days after adding the fertile tups).
• Teasers should be used at no greater than 1:100 ewes, with nearer 50 being more effective. As this in effect synchronises the ewes, fertile tups must work harder over a shorter period so we recommend adding them at no greater than 1:20 ewes.

For any further information about teasers and vasectomies, give the practice a call.

Trace element evaluation

• Trace element deficiencies are a commonly encountered problem in sheep farming given the grass based system used. Issues on farm can change from year to year, and indeed from field to field so a wide-ranging assessment is required in order to make an educated plan for the management of deficiencies.
• Blood testing is the primary way we are involved in trace element evaluation, however liver samples from animals at slaughter can arguably be even more useful. These results must however be taken in a greater view alongside soil and/or forage testing and diet details.
• Copper, Cobalt, Selenium and Iodine and perhaps the most commonly encountered deficiencies, with different areas of the practice struggling with different issues. There are some typical signs seen with certain deficiencies which may not be immediately obvious so it can be well worth monitoring performance or having regular blood testing done to keep tabs on blood trace element levels.
• If you would like to discuss testing for and managing trace element levels, have a chat with any of the vets.

Metabolic profiling

• Metabolic profiling allows us to assess the success of a ration being fed to pregnant ewes. Using blood testing we can see if levels of energy or protein in the diet are adequate for their stage of pregnancy/number of lambs.
• Profiling is best carried out around 1 month before lambing dates, as there is sufficient increased demand for energy and protein that an inadequate diet would be highlighted. It is also far enough from lambing that changes can be made to minimise the negative impact this may have.
• Bloods are usually taken from a few ewes carrying twins and triplets, along with details of the current diet and body condition. Results are then interpreted alongside the gathered information and advice given on changes which could be required.

Nutritional advice and plans

Nutrition is the linchpin that holds the sheep farming year together. Whether it’s the grazing management for ewes and lambs through the summer, or the diet fed to ewes in the run up to lambing, all of it has a huge impact throughout the year.

Pre-lambing ration

• Ewe nutrition is vital to ensuring adequate colostrum, good sized, healthy lambs and has a direct impact on growth rates and 8 week weights. Getting the diet right reduces the impact on ewe body condition and has been shown to have an impact on not just this pregnancy, but also the subsequent year.

Feeding ewes and lambs

• Whilst pre-lambing is the most covered part of sheep nutrition, ensuring proper nutrition through lactation and post-weaning is vital for both the following breeding season and for the finishing and sale of the growing lambs. Whilst this predominantly involves grass on most farms, there are common pitfalls that should be avoided to maximise lamb growth, sale and at the end of the day, profitability.

Top tips for getting diets right

• From our experience, the top tips we could offer to ensure you can get the diet right, particularly in the run up to lambing, is to get your forage analysed. Without this, all diet formulating is just a stab in the dark. We would also point out that forage varies significantly from year to year, so doing the same as last year isn’t necessarily good enough.

We are able to assist with all aspects of sheep nutrition and Matt can assist with full diet formulations. For a chat about nutrition or to look into it further, give the practice a ring. 

Housing design and advice

• Whilst most sheep are out for the majority of the year, a significant number of farms house ewes for lambing and many will house some lambs for finishing. Whilst you may have to work with what you have on the most part, it can be worth looking at how small adaptations to your sheds could have big benefits in terms of production, health or welfare.
• We can assist advising on feed space availability, water provision (an often overlooked issue!) and of course floor space. All of these factors, whilst seeming small, can have real beneficial effects on the health of stock, particularly when it comes to in-lamb ewes.

Red Tractor compliant medicines courses for Beef & Sheep farms

Our beef and sheep medicines courses are Red Tractor compliant but also a great training resource if you are not Red Tractor approved. We cover medicine use, antibiotic resistance and reduction, worming protocols and husbandry to improve the health and welfare of your animals. The course is constantly being updated to ensure we are giving you the newest advice. You will leave the course with a certificate and medicines charts tailored to your farm. The courses are run at various points throughout the year and we always have a waiting list if we do not yet have a date specified for the next course.

Testing and health planning for accreditation schemes e.g. Premium Sheep and Goat Health Schemes - Johnes, MV, scrapie, enzootic abortion (EAE), CAE (goats)

We can assist with all aspects of disease accreditation schemes, from flock blood sampling, to creating flock health plans to meet accreditation scheme requirements. If seeking to start the disease accreditation process, we can help advise you to get you set up on the scheme that suits your flock best.

Dermatology (skin) disease investigations

We are able to investigate common skin problems in sheep such as sheep scab, lice and orf. With our in-house laboratory and access to rapid external testing we can quickly diagnose problems so that a treatment and prevention plan can be created. An appropriate treatment plan is essential for infectious and costly diseases such as scab.

Body Condition Scoring

Individual quarterly body condition scoring of any animal regardless of species or purpose is a great way to monitor your herd/flock. By following changes throughout the year adjustments can be made based on upcoming production stage or lifestyle. Critically we do not want any animals that are outliers nor do we want large swings in scores. We use a scale of 1-5 to assess body condition score and are more than happy to assist you in performing this if you would like to get it implemented on your holding. It is important to always have the same person scoring to allow for direct comparisons to be made between scores.

Export certification

We have export certified vets within our team to assist with exporting sheep internationally.