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Flystrike

The rain that we received throughout November was very welcome, however, it's important to remember, heavy rain following the application of many fly preventative products could decrease their expected period of protection.

Now that it is warming up, be sure to keep an eye on your flock for signs of flystrike and consider if they need to have fly product applied. Our animal health reps can discuss with you which products would suit your needs best.

We run a service using an Electrodip, the original “magic eye” spray race for the jetting and dipping of sheep. Some advantages of this system include:

- Clean wash only is applied which means no stripping occurs of the active ingredient(s).
- Sheep can be processed up to 1,000 per hour depending on sheep flow and water supply.
- Save money with reduced chemical wastage, better utilisation of chemical applied to sheep.
- The self-adjusting sides adjust automatically to the size of the sheep or lambs as it is jetting so you can get effective coverage by running lambs and ewes at the same time.
- Pumping system keeps pressure at the nozzles so there is no delay in jetting.

If you want the job done right and on time before an issue please contact Ben Bamford at NCV Vets on 027 4688183

Checking your ewe udders

NZ studies have shown an average of 5% of mixed-age ewes have udder defects. Survival and growth rates are decreased in lambs born to ewes with udder defects (3-4 times higher death rates and ~2kg loss in weaning weight compared with lambs whose dams have a normal udder!).

Just looking at udders during shearing or crutching isn't effective, to check udders effectively they must be palpated (felt). This is best done 4-6 weeks after weaning while ewes are standing in the race. Both halves of the udder are gently squeezed and each of the teats is rolled between your fingers.

What to check for:
- Black mastitis 
- Udder abscesses 
- Hard sides
- Lumps in the udder tissue
- A hard core in the teat canal
- Teat end damage

If you are unsure of any cases, put them in a mob and we can come out and go through them with you.

Ram Palpations and Vasectomies

Drench Resistance

This is serious now! Triple resistance is running at approx. 10% of the FECRT tests done in our region last year. We CAN’T sit back and think all is ok anymore.

Are the drenches you use on your farm working? Now is the perfect time to start planning to get a FECRT done to determine the drench resistance status of the parasites on your farm.

You need to identify 100 “drench test lambs'' preferably at weaning and leave them un-drenched. These lambs need to pick up a worm burden before we can start the test. If you are interested in getting a FECRT done this summer then please give one of the vet team a call to discuss planning.

Once we have completed the FECRT, one of our vets will be able to assist you in developing a Parasite Management Plan for your property.

We're loyal, not just local.

www.ncvets.co.nz | enquiries@ncvets.co.nz