Care & Animal Health: Healthy Sheep Without the Extra Work

Care & Animal Health: Three Areas That Shape the Year

With sheep a lot is decided in three places: at the feet, in the fleece and in what you keep within reach when an animal goes down. That is exactly what this category brings together. You find veterinary supplies for checking and treating, tools and products for foot trimming, and clippers and shearing plants for the spring date.

Check before you treat

The first step is always the check. A thermometer tells you in half a minute whether an animal is genuinely ill or only looks tired. If a treatment is due, you need drenching guns that sit properly and come apart for cleaning, plus bolus guns that get a bolus past the back of the tongue without injury. Against flies and external parasites there are sprays for farm livestock. Anything that works inside the animal, so wormers and prescription products, belongs in your vet's hands. We supply the kit around it: syringes, bolus guns, thermometers and support casts.

Feet and shearing are fixed dates

Feet and fleece cannot be put off. Overgrown feet lead to poor standing, lameness and weak feed intake, so hoof shears, a hoof knife and hoof care products belong on every holding. Shearing is usually done once a year in spring, often in May, and with ewes it is worth doing before lambing, because the lambs then find the udder more easily. For a handful of animals hand shears will do; from a small flock upwards a corded or cordless clipper pays off, and with large numbers a shearing plant with a flexible drive shaft.

Frequently asked questions

How often do I have to trim the feet?
Two or three times a year is normal. On soft, wet ground more horn grows than on stony going, so check more often there.

When are sheep shorn?
Usually once a year in spring. With in-lamb ewes the date before lambing pays off and makes the start easier for ewe and lamb.

What belongs in the farm medicine box?
A thermometer, a drenching gun, a bolus gun and dressings cover most of it. The medicines themselves are prescribed by your vet.