Early lambing indoors in winter is undoubtedly hard work but economically advantageous as shepherds can usually achieve the best market prices for their lambs. To preserve that advantage Janssen Animal Health is calling for sheep farmers to carry out winter lambing using ‘best practice’ to avoid the development of coccidiosis, which leads to depressed growth rates and extended time to finishing.
The parasite is widespread and most lambs will become infected by adult animals that shed oocysts at low levels infecting the housing environment. – just one consumed oocyst can result in 16 million oocysts being passed in faeces, so a build up of an infective challenge in the indoor lambing house can be rapid. Most lambs eventually develop immunity to the disease but a high level of exposure to infective oocysts, or a stress factor that causes the immune system to dip, can result in active disease. By the time lambs are scouring there is already significant gut damage, with subsequent long term effects. There can be significant weight loss sometimes without any other signs being shown at all.
Janssen Animal Health Vet Nigel Underwood has suggested some measures to help control coccidiosis:
- Ensure all lambs have adequate colostrum
- Keep young lambs in age groups within a 2 week range and don’t allow them to have access to older lamb pens.
- Don’t allow lambs to mix with older lambs until 8 weeks of age
- Raise food and water troughs to prevent faecal contamination
- Feed ewes well before and after lambing and provide creep feed for lambs to prevent scavenging.
- Keep bedding clean and dry but remember that adults shed oocysts regardless, so infection is likely
- Avoid overcrowding
- Signs of coccidiosis are usually seen as passive immunity wears off at around 3-8 weeks of age, so consider treating preventatively with diclazuril early in the 4-6 week window especially if the farm has had the disease before..
- Treat all in-contact animals every time.
- In the 2009 Vecoxan® Coccidiosis Survey 59% of farmers felt bad weather was a trigger for development of the disease in lambs, so keep an eye out for disease 2-3 weeks after the event.
Further information is available from Janssen Animal Health, 50-100 Holmers Farm Way, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 4EG Tel 01494 567555 Fax 01494 567556 Email: ahealth@jacgb.jnj.com
Vecoxan® contains diclazuril 0.25% w/v Legal Category POM-VPS
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