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Know How / Sheep / Health and welfare

Poor flock health undermines productivity and causes welfare issues. Read the latest thinking on treatments for foot-rot, worms and fly strike along with veterinary advice on diseases such as Schmallenberg and liver fluke, as well as lambing issues including twin lamb disease, abortion, watery mouth and hypothermia.

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Case studies

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Closed policy yields 1.7 lambs reared for Durham flock

A string of flock health setbacks has forced a Durham family to rely on its own breeding to maintain high output in its stratified sheep outdoor lambing system.    Several iceberg…

SHEEP

Why demand is hotting up for worm-resistant rams

Sheep breeders are selling rams with parasite resistance attributes after finding 35% heritability for the trait through a blood test. And growing numbers of commercial sheep farmers are seeking rams…

LIVESTOCK

How grazing change helped sheep farm cut wormer use

Destocking and dividing up fields for rotational grazing have drastically reduced anthelmintic requirements for the two flocks at Hornington Manor Farm, near Tadcaster. By keeping sheep on clean grazing and…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Maedi visna outbreak leads to soul-destroying 4,000-ewe cull

Aberdeenshire stockman, Harry Emslie, suffered a cull of 4,000 ewes after maedi visna (MV) was discovered in his flock.  He had a soul-destroying autumn sending sheep to the local cull…

SOILS

How Herefordshire mixed farmer won Soil Farmer of the Year

The farming system at Boycefield didn’t just tick all the judges’ boxes when searching for the Soil Farmer of the Year. It is ticking all the boxes when it comes…

SHEEP

How farmer lambs 1,000 ewes inside without oral antibiotics

Diligence around lambing shed hygiene and ewe body condition scoring have allowed a Wiltshire flock to get through four lambings without a single dose of oral antibiotics. Martin Tobutt and…

Practical advice

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HEALTH AND WELFARE

How to stop losses when grazing youngstock on herbal leys

A fundamental misunderstanding of how to manage stock grazing herbal leys has caused heartache on some farms this summer, as more yearling cattle and weaned lambs have died from twisted…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Acorn poisoning: Symptoms, treatment and prevention

Last autumn saw an increase in cattle and sheep deaths with either confirmed or suspected acorn poisoning. This was because 2022 was considered a “mast year” for oak trees. A…

PARASITIC DISEASES

6 top tips for sustainable parasite control

Habitual worming carries several risks. It is costly in time and money, drives resistance and prevents natural immunity to parasites developing. In contrast, responsible worming in cattle and sheep gives…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Two lamb castration methods that put focus on animal welfare

Leading sheep farmers and vets are pushing for a full-scale reassessment of castration methods, with some even questioning whether it is needed at all. The sight of recently castrated lambs…

LAMBING

Tips for managing ewe mastitis during lambing

Mastitis in ewes costs the UK sheep industry more than £120m a year in direct and indirect costs, according to AHDB. It is a primary cause of premature culling, loss…

SHEEP

3 ways to reduce use of antibiotics at lambing

Use of oral antibiotics in neonatal lambs has almost halved since 2016. How can the industry capitalise on that progress? The sheep industry’s use of antibiotics is relatively low compared…

Insights

SHEEP

Can sheep be 'worm tolerant' and what are the implications?

Lambs most tolerant to worm burdens could have a 10-day weight gain advantage over less tolerant ones, a pilot study has shown. The study, Breeding for tolerance to worms for…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Why keeping ewes in good condition can help save on wormers

Keeping ewes at a good body condition score (BCS) in the weeks before and after lambing minimises worming requirements at a key point in the year, a new Welsh study…

LIVESTOCK

How rising costs threaten future of Icelandic sheep farming

Tough and resilient – the farmers in Iceland are much like the sheep they have bred to cope with the rugged terrain and sub-Arctic winter conditions. But many, like 44-year-old…

PARASITIC DISEASES

Gene mapping breakthrough good news for sheep farms

Researchers have taken “a major step forward” in the fight against wormer resistance on sheep farms by mapping the genes linked to drug resistance of the parasitic worm Haemonchus contortus.…

MEDICINES

Livestock Medicine Hub - what it's for and how it can help

A new database that enables farms to record, monitor and benchmark their antibiotics use has been developed by representatives from across the ruminant sector. Medicine Hub is available now and…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Why health gains cut ruminant methane emissions by 10%

Three classic livestock benchmarking targets can help sheep and cattle farms raise technical performance and meet obligatory methane goals to battle climate change. Livestock policy leaders are urging farmers to…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Coccidiosis project raises hope for new treatment

Coccidiosis is a perennial parasitic problem in growing lambs. It presents some difficulties in diagnosis, treatment and prevention – but good news could be around the corner.  Lambs and calves…

SHEEP

Video: Fluke video gives powerful insight into parasite

A video documenting the different stages of the harmful liver fluke parasite has been made to help farmers understand its complex life cycle. The video (below) shows the liver fluke…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Vet survey reveals serious challenges ahead for profession

Poor retention and recruitment rates, Brexit and dissatisfaction in the industry could see a shortage of farm vets in the future if action isn’t taken.  Farmers Weekly carried out a…

SHEEP

Why a spring spike in dead lambs occurs despite vaccinations

A spike in pasteurella in dead lambs, aged five to eight weeks, has been seen again this spring despite farmers vaccinating ewes for the disease. Typically found in northern England…

HEALTH AND WELFARE

Sheep lameness: The successes and remaining challenges

In 2012, Farmers Weekly launched the Stamp Out Lameness campaign after sheep lameness hit the government's radar when the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) put forward an Opinion on Lameness…

FOOT HEALTH

4 ways to reduce sheep lameness to less than 2% by 2021

UK flocks have already worked hard to reduce lameness to less than 5% by 2016, but the next target set by the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) is to reduce…

Online resources

Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Cattle

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Sheep

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Pigs

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Nadis livestock disease A-Z - Poultry

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