Sheep Services & Advice – LLM Farm Vets

Iceberg diseases in the sheep

Sheep

Iceberg diseases in the sheep

The term “Iceberg disease” is used to describe a disease where only a small proportion of the infected population are noticed, ie the tip of the iceberg. The remaining infected population are the iceberg that is hidden underwater. The small proportion of the population that reach the tip of the […]

Sarah Bourne2023-11-07T12:22:44+00:00November 7th, 2023|Sheep|

Lifting the Lid on Calf Housing Grants

Beef, Dairy, News, Sheep

Lifting the Lid on Calf Housing Grants

Last spring, I found time during the busy lambing and calving periods to take part in an ‘expert panel’ as DEFRA began planning their cattle housing grants. While I was comfortably the least qualified member, being part of the panel gave a useful insight into the thought process behind these […]

LLM Farm Vets2023-10-06T14:07:18+00:00October 6th, 2023|Beef, Dairy, News, Sheep|

What type of tea do Brits not enjoy?…Humidity

Beef, Sheep

What type of tea do Brits not enjoy?…Humidity

With the madness of Spring calvings and lambings well and truly over and Summer marching on past the longest day, we are back at that time of year to reflect on the previous breeding season and start looking ahead to the next one.

At the time of writing, Southern Europe […]

LLM Farm Vets2023-08-09T14:30:48+00:00August 9th, 2023|Beef, Sheep|

To be lame, or not to be lame…

Sheep

To be lame, or not to be lame…

The lame sheep, every farm has them and they can be frustratingly difficult to manage taking time, effort, and medicines. It is estimated that 3 million sheep are lame in the UK at any one time so as an industry we spend a lot of time, effort and resources treating […]

LLM Farm Vets2023-06-13T14:14:53+00:00June 7th, 2023|Sheep|

Is last year’s grass, this lambing’s problem?

Sheep

Is last year’s grass, this lambing’s problem?

With the dry and hot weather last year, many grass-based grazing systems had a distinct reduction in grass growth. This has meant that in order to keep lambs growing well and ewes in good condition, many farms have needed to supplement with forage and fodder far earlier than expected.

With […]

LLM Farm Vets2023-03-14T15:59:12+00:00March 14th, 2023|Sheep|

Huskvac season is upon us

Beef, Dairy, Sheep

Huskvac season is upon us

With turnout hopefully not too far around the corner, now is the opportune time to get Lungworm control fresh in your minds to avoid losses at a later date.

Lungworm (‘husk’, ‘hoose’ and ‘parasitic bronchitis’) is caused by the parasite Dictyocaulus viviparus. Animals are infected after grazing on contaminated pasture […]

LLM Farm Vets2023-02-03T13:43:08+00:00February 3rd, 2023|Beef, Dairy, Sheep|

Fodder beet – friend or foe?

Beef, Sheep

Fodder beet – friend or foe?

Fodder beet can be an excellent cost-effective winter feed for sheep and cattle especially if conventional forage is in short supply. It can either be grazed in situ in the field or lifted and stored in a clamp or pile before being fed to housed animals. Beet contains high levels […]

LLM Farm Vets2023-02-03T12:41:51+00:00February 3rd, 2023|Beef, Sheep|

Hygiene: Getting the basics right this lambing season

Sheep

Hygiene: Getting the basics right this lambing season

Some of you will be in the thick of lambing while others will be hitting the ground running over the coming weeks. Either way, the importance of good hygiene in the lambing shed is hugely important in order to avoid losses, reduce antibiotic use and
labour costs.

Good hygiene practices can […]

LLM Farm Vets2023-02-03T11:34:44+00:00February 3rd, 2023|Sheep|

View from the lab – watch out for worms

Sheep

View from the lab – watch out for worms

The unusual weather this year has meant we are seeing significant problems with gastrointestinal worms in sheep coming through the lab much later in the season than usual. Many farmers found they did not need to worm sheep as much as usual over the summer as the hot dry conditions […]

LLM Farm Vets2022-12-05T14:54:23+00:00December 5th, 2022|Sheep|

Maximising weight gains at grass

Beef, Management, Sheep

Maximising weight gains at grass

Whilst grazing may not be applicable in all systems it is likely that most types of enterprise will graze some class of stock at some point in the season. For many sheep and beef farms, making the most of grazed grass is a key element to their success and it […]

LLM Farm Vets2022-06-10T14:19:22+00:00June 10th, 2022|Beef, Management, Sheep|