The seasons this year have certainly presented their challenges. The forecast doesn’t show much rain arriving anytime soon. When the rain does arrive, I would expect to see a rise in worm challenge in grazing youngstock. We have recently invested in an Ovacyte machine which will give us more consistent and accurate results when performing worm and fluke counts. Please remember to supply us with fresh samples and when pooling samples from a group; it is best to supply individual samples and we can then ensure they are pooled in equal quantities. We have seen Lungworm outbreaks as early as this in previous years so please be vigilant for any growing cattle coughing at grass. If you have cattle coughing it may be worth considering giving us a dung sample to check, ideally 7 days after the onset of coughing.
It only seems a short time ago we finished lambing but our thoughts are already turning to next year’s lamb crop. Abortion in ewes can seriously affect the profitability of your enterprise so it is well worth getting prepared. Did you have lamb losses from scanning to lambing, or lamb losses around the time of lambing, or even too many barren ewes? It is worth getting some ewes tested for the 2 major causes of sheep abortion; Enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE) and Toxoplasmosis. There is vaccine available for both of these causes. A single shot will give up to 4 years protection so it is money well spent. Ideally vaccines need to be given 4 weeks pre-mating for maximum benefit.
With tupping on the horizon, we are holding several Teaser days at the surgery. You can bring in your rams and we will vasectomise them at a discounted rate of £65+ VAT per Ram.
A ‘teaser’ is a ram that has been vasectomised (rendering him unable to impregnate ewes), but maintains his testosterone levels, driving his libido and physical mating ability. As a result, the ‘ram effect’ naturally synchronises the ewes ready for your entire, fertile rams to be introduced. Teaser rams are used to advance the breeding season by two to three weeks, and to tighten your lambing window. We recommend using teasers at a 1:50 to 1:100 ratio, and then introducing your rams at a ratio between 1:20 and 1:30. Ewes need to be kept away from any males (sight and sound) for a minimum of 28 days prior to introducing the teasers (6 weeks+ is ideal). Whilst there is no hard and fast rule about which rams you can vasectomise, it is preferable to have a ram with a high libido, he should be fit and healthy with good legs, feet and teeth. It makes sense to vasectomise a young ram as you will get more value for money if you can use him for multiple seasons. From a practical point of view it makes sense to choose a ram that is different from your normal rams so there is no issue with identification! A vasectomy should be done 6 – 8 weeks prior to the intended introduction of the teaser ram. In this period the teaser ram should not run with any breeding ewes as he may still be partially fertile. If you would like to book your Rams in, our current Teaser days are Monday 26th June and Friday 14th July. Please call to book your slot.
Don’t forget that the applications for animal health and welfare equipment and technology grants will close at midday on the 15th of June. Grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 towards the cost items that improve the health and welfare of livestock are currently available through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, as part of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. The grant is open to all farmers or contractors with a business in England who keep beef/dairy cattle, sheep, pigs or laying hens and broilers (including rearing and breeding farms).
Applicants do not need to be eligible for BPS to apply. Each application must be for a minimum grant of £1000. To meet this, it is possible to apply for multiple items as part of the application. For example, a cattle farmer could bundle together a head scoop for a cattle crush, a calving gate and an EID panel reader in their application, to cross the minimum grant threshold. All applications for this round must be submitted by midday on the 15th of June.