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Fly struck ewes are unlikely to get in lamb, while other losses come from reduced growth rates and deaths. While effective prevention and treatment of flystrike involves many factors, the cornerstone of any flystrike prevention programme remains the use of effective chemicals. Elanco have developed...

Flystrike is an awful disease, where struck sheep can die within 48 hours. Early signs of flystrike can be difficult to observe, so prevention is your best option. Wairoa-based sheep and beef farmer, Jonathan Neilson relies on Cyrex™ Liquid for the prevention and treatment of flystrike, as it has...

Managing Facial Eczema (FE) requires a multipronged approach that involves reducing spore intake and providing zinc as a prophylaxis and therapy. FE is caused by a mycotoxin produced by the fungus Pithomyces chartarum growing in pasture dead matter. This fungus multiplies rapidly when overnight...

With lambs now on the ground, it is time to plan an effective preventative drench programme to ensure that maximum liveweight gain occurs both pre-weaning and throughout summer. The lifecycle of internal worms in sheep results in pasture contamination with parasite eggs that continue to build and...

Scouring can be a common problem around weaning in calves, but it is not always due to worms. The weaning process needs to be managed well to reduce potential problems as the calf transitions from a milk fed diet onto a forage based one involving the rapid development of the rumen. If this...

How are you tracking? Is NAIT compliance weighing heavy on your mind and tracking the right animals consumes valuable daylight? You can take out the guess work and human error with a Tru-test EID Stick Reader. Do you want to keep things streamlined and simple or do you want to dive into the data...

It is often said that heifers reaching their targets is a good indicator for farming success. Heifers reaching 30 percent of mature liveweight at six months, 60 percent at 15 months (mating) and 90 percent at 22 months (pre-calving) are crucial milestones. “Keep in mind that younger calves have a...

Now that ewes are pregnant, the focus turns to maximising the survival of lambs to ensure profitability of the sheep breeding system. Placental development influences lamb birthweight, which in turn strongly determines survival rates post birth. The development of the placenta between 30 to 90 days...

CLiK™ Extra Spray-On is the gold standard product for flystrike prevention in sheep. Central Otago sheep and beef farmers Dougal and Sarah MacDougall can attest to that, having treated 10,000 to 15,000 lambs with CLiK every year for the last decade. The MacDougalls own Minzion Station at Millers...

Clostridial bacteria are everywhere, including on your farm and in your animals. Lambs are born with a low number of antibodies and rely on antibodies in the ewe’s colostrum for protection against clostridial diseases including pulpy kidney and tetanus. In most cases, it is difficult to ensure that...

There is always a lot to think about at weaning. Working through the below checklist may help ensure the essentials get done. Calves should have been given a 5-in-1 vaccine at calf marking, but as this was more than six weeks ago the vaccination programme needs to be completed. Vaccinate at weaning...

Blowfly strike is the second most costly parasitic disease of sheep in New Zealand, ranking only behind gastro-intestinal roundworms in economic importance. 1 Research has shown that even relatively small strikes can cause a marked loss of appetite in the struck animal, resulting in weight loss. 2...

Are you tired of dagging ewes? Do you feel that no sooner than you have cleaned them up, they start getting dirty again? Or have you got a constant tail end appearing in the flock, even when you think you are feeding them well? If the answer is yes, then it may be time to take corrective action...

Monitoring and using ewe Body Condition Score (BCS) should be your most valuable tool to maximise the profitability of your sheep flock. A beneficial approach is to set a minimum BCS or a range that you want all of your ewes to fall within and score all ewes within the flock. Although this is a time...

Calf rearing done well can be both rewarding and profitable, however when sickness occurs problems can escalate quickly. Prevention is the proven way to minimise this risk. Here are some considerations for spring: The calf shed should be dry and draft free with warm, dry bedding. Fresh, clean water...

By managing Body Condition Score (BCS) post-calving, cows can cycle early with high conception rates. Herd reproductive success requires a multi-factorial approach. It has been shown that BCS is a key factor that contributes to good fertility1. The foundation for achieving good mating results is a...

Clostridial vaccination of sheep and cattle is common on New Zealand farms to protect from diseases such as pulpy kidney, tetanus and black leg. Lambs are born without antibodies. They depend entirely on the amount and quality of colostrum they drink to obtain disease protection. In the case of...

Lambs are born without antibodies, and rely on antibodies in the ewe’s colostrum for protection against clostridial diseases including pulpy kidney and tetanus. This is why pre-lamb vaccination is important. Clostridial vaccination of the ewe just prior to lambing is utilised on most New Zealand...