Worm control

This week’s sheep feature covers a topic that is unpalatable to many. It is important however that farmers take heed of anthelmintic resistance as it is quickly becoming a major problem on a growing number of sheep farms. Louth farmer Peadar Kearney is open in detailing his experience around how anthelmintic resistance has affected his flock.

When producers think about resistance many do not envisage problems with ivermectin-based products and usually point the finger at white and yellow drenches first. However, it is easy to see how this could be the case. In Peadar’s situation he was using ivermectin-based injectable products to guard against sheep scab, a practice that many farmers use for convenience. Many ivermectin-based products require a double treatment which can increase the rate of resistance developing. The advice on scab control is to use plunge dipping where at all possible and only use alternative options where there is no other choice and not routinely.

Quarantine procedure

While on the subject of worm control and anthelmintic resistance, now is an important time of year to discuss quarantine protocols. Along with worm control the other big areas where measures should be taken to prevent introducing disease into a flock through purchasing animals is with lameness and external parasites.

Dealing with lameness first, sheep should receive a footbath on arrival to the farm with lameness checks carried out while sheep are maintained indoors or in a yard following their worm treatment.

Where there are any lame sheep in a batch then it is worth keeping these animals together and away from the rest of the flock until you are happy that sheep do not pose a risk in spreading problems to other animals.

In terms of store lambs many farmers treat them with a blowfly preventative product and delay treatment for sheep scab or lice until later in the season. If this is the case then it is important to keep bought-in sheep together and hold off on having them join the main flock.

Yearling hoggets: It is important not to delay weaning lambs suckling yearling hoggets. These sheep will benefit from a longer recovery period before the next breeding season. Where hoggets have performed poorly and are short on flesh then it is advisable to consider weaning early at 12 to 13 weeks of lactation.

SWS meal feeding

For hill sheep farmers who selected the concentrate supplementation measure, the advice includes starting at a feeding rate of 75g per head daily in week one and increasing to 125g in week two, 175g in week three and 250g in week four. This gives a minimum input per lamb of 4.4kg and satisfies the requirement to feed for a four week period. It is important to note that all lambs in a flock must be included in the measure but feeding dates can be split where there is an age gap between lambs and more than one weaning date.

The measure is policed by presenting feed receipts and records of when feeding and weaning took place. Dispatch documents may also be cross referenced to ensure feeding commenced on time.