Video 14 7 steps to tackle lameness in your flock
Pain limits performance so we must limit pain
Lame sheep are something no farmer wants to see. It dramatically affects thrive and performance in young lambs. Lame rams can become infertile and ewes it can really impact feed intakes. It is also a serious welfare issue when we have prolonged lameness in a flock.
The target for our flocks is under 5% of lame sheep, but many flocks I have worked with have reduced this under 2%
Infectious lameness is still the big cause of lameness in our flocks.
The main offenders are
- Scald caused by Dichelobacter Nodus
- Footrot caused by fusobacterium
- CODD (contagious ovine digital dermatitis)
We need to come up with a flock plan for lameness to truly tackle the problem. It is one area where we can also dramatically reduce antibiotic usage. Flocks in general use very little antibiotics in their production systems.
While many would like to focus on the best treatments this is only a small part of controlling lameness. One thing we must also work harder to get licensed for sheep is pain killers. They are very effective when combined with antibiotics when treating sheep. These anti-inflammatory medications are currently available under the cascade.
So here is my step by step guide to how I tackle lameness in a flock. We must take action to stop the spread.
Step 1
A good quarantine If you don’t have infectious issues like footrot or CODD you must ensure not to buy them in. When buying in sheep ensure no lame sheep join the flock and at a minimum run them through a batch footbath for two consecutive days. Any lame sheep need to have their feet lifted and checked then treated. Common sense would say that careful decisions around their suitability joining the flock should be made.
These protocols should fit in well with any worm dosing and quarantining also.
Step 2
When lameness does arise we must step back and take a whole flock approach. Sheep don’t develop immunity to things like footrot so there can be a constant source of infection circulating.
The timing of intervention should be during a lameness outbreak or before a risk period like winter housing. So the first step must be to take all the flock into the yard and go through them carefully.
Pull out any lame sheep even the mildly lame. This now becomes your lame flock and they are managed as a separate group.
step 3
The healthy flock now needs to be monitored carefully for the next 3-4 weeks. They should be brought in weekly separate to the lame flock and foot bathed weekly. Any new lameness cases must be transferred to the lame flock.
Batch footbathing works well, with the key being (effective agent) and the time the feet spend in the footbath. Hence batch footbaths work well.
Ideally, let sheep stand in a dry yard for 30 minutes after footbathing.
Step 4
The lame flock needs special attention from the very beginning. They all need to be lifted and record the cause of the lameness. Involve your vet in this process to help make good decisions around what’s the cause and what the treatment should be.
Pick appropriate treatments for different diseases. CODD, for example, will require systemic antibiotics. Scald will respond to footbathing alone for a few weeks.
The challenge may be that there will be a number of reasons for lameness. Watch the video above to discuss the causes of lameness.
A clear treatment plan needs to be made for the lame flock with your vet.
All sheep numbers and treatments must be recorded. Colored ear tags could be used for each number of treatments.
- Treatment one yellow tag
- Treatment two blue tag (if treated recently then treatment selection questioned)
- Treatment three Red tag is the red card
When we are treating a ewe for the 3rd time for footrot we are losing and these chronic carriers are a source of infection for the rest of the flock.
Step 5
Regular footbathing is essential to control infection in both your healthy and lame flock. Also at risk times, we must pay attention to the environment the foot is in. At housing time a dry lie and clean bed are essential. Good drainage and space per ewe will also help this.
After the lame flock (or most of them return to the healthy flock then footbathing should be done whenever the flock are handled.
We can also avoid spread by liming gaps or areas around feeders. Graze one field at a time and avoid sheep trekking through gaps regularly.
Build your footbath to make it easy to use whenever sheep are in the yard. Also before housing ewes use batch footbaths to give the feet a good clean and disinfect to reduce any spread. Some good mobile handling facilities are excellent with inbuilt footbaths.
Step 6
Culling decisions are important also. By marking and tagging infected sheep we can also make better decisions around which ewes to breed replacements from. At the start of a lameness program culling will be part of the control program with repeat offenders not being kept.
With any sheep with poor feet it is also advisable to mark them and not breed replacements from them. Paring feet should only be done where absolutely necessary and use alcohol washes for the clipper between sheep.
Step 7
Any flock struggling with footrot or even CODD will see huge benefits from using the footrot vaccine. Although not a simple vaccine to administer. You need clean needles, a good dry fleece and day. It will rise some lumps but it does stimulate good protective immunity when timed well. With housing being a key risk time in advance of this works well in my experience.
This, of course, will seem for some like too much effort. However, this will pay off in the long-term. With restrictions around antibiotics and lost performance, it makes sense to tackle lameness head-on. A heavy workload in the short term will really be worth it in the end.
The five-point lameness plan includes this approach
- A good quarantine regime to keep infections out
- Cull chronic carriers to stop the spread
- Treat lame sheep aggressively and effectively initially. Review treatment success
- Vaccinate sheep against footrot
- Stop the spread by footbathing and being mindful of underfoot conditions
Thought for the day
It’s a nice place when you are comfortable in your own skin. Never be afraid to be unique, never be afraid to be you
Huge thanks to Nettex in helping support me in making this series for more information click the link here http://www.progiene-dairy.com/hoofcare/digicuradvanced
Happy safe farming
