Baby lambs!!!!

[kfacres]

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don't preach to somebody who lives on a dairy cattle farm, and raises about 70 ewes, plus many other head of livestock...

That's why I said to 'some'... remember this is a public forum, and we don't want the pETA people getting any publicity for their stunts.

... nor do we want people getting the idea that their questions and requests for feedback will be met with harsh criticism either. don't know how it was intended but your comment did read rather sharp.

not intrested in boxing with you, just noting that pulling baby animals and bottle feeding them is not essentially cruel, it is a management decision, with benefits and consequences that have to be considered in specific context. and besides that, if we were kowtowing to what PETA people *might* think, should they happen on this site, we might as well all just quit keeping animals, logoff, pack up and go home now. I'm not worried about the PETA folks, the OP is the one who's here looking for information.

to the OP:
it is possible to treat hoof rot, but it's a task that requires quite a bit of effort. Listened to a lecture last weekend by a farmer who has successfully erradicated hoof rot in his 300+ sheep, it was rampant in their flock 3 years ago. this year he's been hoof-rot free, on the same land. but he says it was a LOT of work and required a significant change in their management practices.

if your lambs are born on the ground thier moms are walking on, and the moms have active hoof rot, they're already exposed. moving them to the other pasture may work, or they may just bring the contamination with them. if you are not exercising good bio-security practices after being where the moms have been, before going where the lambs will be, chances are the area already has the hoof rot bacteria in the dirt. my suggestion is you get with your vet, or the extension office's livestock expert and go over your management to see what can be done to reduce the problem overall. simply separating the lambs may not be enough.

who's the guy? where's he from? and how do I get a handout/ info on it? I'd like to read about it for myself.

 

[zzGypsy]

FWIW, by erradicate, the farmer in question meant that he has 300+ sheep, and 0 cases of hoof rot for a full year.
I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to indicate that there were no bacteria present in the dirt on his farm.

The vet lecturing on hoof rot defined hoof rot as requiring infection by two specific bacteria, whereas scald involves only one of the two. I don't have my notes from the lecture with me, but I'll be happy to look it up later tonight and post the specifics.

 

[kfacres]

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that is how I saw it, on both accounts...

Let me have it...

 

[zzGypsy]

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his name's Mike, he's a local farmer here in SW Missouri, and I'll be happy to post my notes from the lecture later tonight. the vet who lectured is from Lilncoln University, don't remember her name off hand, but I'll get that too. no handouts, sorry, but I'll post my notes.

 

[kfacres]

Quote:
his name's Mike, he's a local farmer here in SW Missouri, and I'll be happy to post my notes from the lecture later tonight. the vet who lectured is from Lilncoln University, don't remember her name off hand, but I'll get that too. no handouts, sorry, but I'll post my notes.

you can email them to me... [email protected] or [email protected] if my personal one doesn't work-- sometimes it doesn't.

I recently went to a field day, which involved Lincoln U sheep specialists and grazing sheep to control invasives. it was at the elsbury research center.

 

[Evelle]

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thank you

for this information

 

[zzGypsy]

Here's my management notes off the top of my head - I'll post the rest after I acually get to where my notes are.

- Cull Cull Cull. animals that don't respond to treatment, or animals that respond to treatment then come down with hoof rot again once management practices are in place go to market. so do their lambs, even if the lambs don't currently have active hoof rot. this removes the genetics that contribute to hoof rot, and while it seems harsh, it's better than struggling with the problem for more years.

- no wet areas where the animals are. especially important around water tanks. healthy animals will have an immune response to the hoof rot bacteria but cannot defend effectively if their skin is chronically wet. the bacteria that produces scald must generally be an established infection before the second bacteria will invade and cause hoof rot. Prevent scald first and it won't progress to hoof rot. keeping their feet dry is important to this, so fill low lying areas that collect water, or fence them off. put waterers on slightly sloped concrete, or if they are built in and can't be moved, fill with gravel or rock around the waterer so animals are on high-dry ground when they drink, and spilled water drains away.

- foot baths - soak in (I'll look it up) for 30-60 minutes each day until the infection subsides. shorter periods of soaking do not seem to be effective. this may have to be done daily for *weeks*.

- trim - overgrown and cracked hooves need to be trimmed to proper shape and length so they don't collect mud and debris. we heard 2 opinions on the infected tissue - one vet said "all necrcotic tissue needs to be removed, down to where it bleeds" and the other said "not all necrotic tissue should be removed, leave enough to keep the animal from being lame from the tissue removal. then foot bath for 60 min to allow the treating agent to penetrate into the necrotic tissue."

I dont remember the names of treatments or bacteria, but I'll get that from my notes tonight, along with all the other things that didn't float to the top of my brain.

more later.

 

[zzGypsy]

also, one of the vets there is conducting genetic studies on sheep with hoof rot, so if you've got it, and you're interested in participating in a study, I'll include his contact info. it requires drawing a few drops of blood onto a card he provides and sending it to him, so it's pretty easy to do and no real problem for the sheep.

 

[DUCKGIRL89]

Ok, there are so many posts that I can not quote them all. Lol. But I will say that im sorry if I caused a argument. And the Ewes have it pretty bad, and that if we let the lambs on them, the lambs WILL get foot rot. And we want to try and save the lambs if we can. Again, I am sorry

I probably should of never posted it.

 

[zzGypsy]

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hey, don't let the strong opinions scare you off... your post was perfect and if you're looking for help on solving a problem, this is a good place to be.

sometimes when people type they don't realize how it will "sound" when it's read - sometimes folks come across sharper than they mean to.

so let me ask, are you looking for ideas on how to treat the foot rot in your adult sheep or are you already getting all the advice you need from your vet?

protecting the lambs is a good thing, and there may be more you can do to help with that, as just moving them may not be enough. there may be some ideas here to help you get your adults to heal as well. if you want to make some changes to see if you can help heal the ewes as well, this is a good place to start. if you're interested in doing that, you know we're here to help. just say what you need and we'll figure it out together. that way we all get to learn.