Black Sheep Farm Health

Black Sheep Farm Health We are an independent, locally owned dedicated farm only veterinary practice serving Northumberland
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🚨JUST ARRIVED🚨We're excited to have in stock the brand new pen-side liver fluke antibody test!In the past we have had to...
15/11/2024

🚨JUST ARRIVED🚨

We're excited to have in stock the brand new pen-side liver fluke antibody test!

In the past we have had to send blood samples away to the lab for fluke antibody testing, these rapid antibody tests give results within just 10 minutes. This will allow us to make decisions about fluke treating cattle or sheep quickly and conveniently.

As the tests detect antibody, they need to be used on first grazing season animals, ie calves or lambs. The tests can detect fluke antibody as early as two weeks post infection, with levels peaking a month post infection.

Please get in touch for more information!

14/11/2024

JOIN US

Budget Brunch for Our Farming Community at Hexham Mart

Date: Friday 15th November 2024
Time: 10am – 11.30am
Location: Hexham Mart, NE46 3SG

We know recent changes have brought a lot of questions and uncertainties to our farming community. youngsRPS, Armstrong Watson Accountants and Hexham and Northern Marts invite you to join us for a cuppa and a bacon roll where we can discuss the issues you’re facing, share insights, and provide some clarity.

This is an open space for farmers and landowners to talk with experts and each other about the impacts and opportunities ahead. Let’s sit down together over coffee, share concerns, and explore practical solutions.

Everyone is welcome. Let’s navigate this together.

🐔Bird Flu Update 🐔With H5N5 diagnosed at a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, last week, it is important t...
13/11/2024

🐔Bird Flu Update 🐔

With H5N5 diagnosed at a premises near Hornsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, last week, it is important that bird keepers monitor for signs of Avian Flu:
- sudden death
- swollen head
- closed and runny eyes
- lethargy and depression
- lying down and unresponsiveness
- lack of coordination
- eating less than usual
- lethargy
- sudden increase or decrease in water consumption
- head and body shaking
- drooping of the wings
- dragging of legs
- twisting of the head and neck
- swelling and blue discolouration of comb and wattles
- haemorrhages and redness on shanks of the legs and under the skin of the neck
-breathing difficulties such as gaping (mouth breathing), nasal snicking (coughing sound), sneezing, gurgling or rattling
- fever or noticeable increase in body temperature
- discoloured or loose watery droppings
- stop or significant drop in egg production

💊Antibiotic Amnesty💊It is important that unused and out of date antibiotics are disposed of responsibly. If you have any...
12/11/2024

💊Antibiotic Amnesty💊

It is important that unused and out of date antibiotics are disposed of responsibly.
If you have any dusty old bottles cluttering your medicine cabinet, drop them in with us for disposal!

Electric Fencing Gear⚡We now sell KiwiKit PEL electric fencing gear and solar fencers. Please get in touch for prices.
11/11/2024

Electric Fencing Gear⚡

We now sell KiwiKit PEL electric fencing gear and solar fencers. Please get in touch for prices.

Preparing for a Smoother Winter; Housed Cows• Timely PDing to minimise the cost of an empty cow. With costs increasing a...
08/11/2024

Preparing for a Smoother Winter; Housed Cows

• Timely PDing to minimise the cost of an empty cow. With costs increasing across the board and poor weather conditions likely to make straw harder to come by, it is important to ensure your not carrying any passengers through housing.

• Consider the timing of your Johne’s disease testing if you have a TB test due this winter; the TB skin test can interfere in Johne’s test results for 3 months.

• Identify any lame cows and get them seen to before they are too far in-calf to be turned safely.

Preparing for a Smoother Winter; Housed Calves 🐮• Ensure pneumonia vaccines have been given in plenty of time before hou...
07/11/2024

Preparing for a Smoother Winter; Housed Calves 🐮

• Ensure pneumonia vaccines have been given in plenty of time before housing.

• Consider lower stress weaning options such fence line weaning or quiet wean nose flaps, allowing continued physical contact between newly weaned calves and their dams. Reducing stress is key as stress reduces an animal’s resistance to disease.

• Ensure calves have been introduced to silage preweaning. A change in nutrition is a major stressor as it reduces feed intake and limits the energy available to the animal.

• Plan protein provision for weaned calves. Silage analysis is important for being able to plan how to meet their requirements and avoiding a post weaning check in growth.

• Ensure housing is managed to reduce stress and risk of disease, with dry, fresh bedding and good ventilation without draughts.

Borrow Our Scales for Weaning Weights🐮Weaning weights, as a percentage of cow weight, can be used in suckler herds to qu...
06/11/2024

Borrow Our Scales for Weaning Weights🐮

Weaning weights, as a percentage of cow weight, can be used in suckler herds to quantify how well the cows are rearing beef.

A weaning percentage of 40% should be a minimum target. If weaning percentage is
below this, consider:

• Look at individuals producing below average and consider why– is it age, breed, or bull?

• Can fertility be improved? Target is weaning 95 calves for every 100 cows put to the bull, with more than 65% calving in the first 6 weeks.

• Are the calves suffering from a worm burden or other disease challenge?

• Look at above-average cows and use this as part of your selection criteria for breeding replacements, while balancing other traits such as mature cow size.

Remember to get in touch if you have any questions around fitness to travel 🐮🐑🚜
05/11/2024

Remember to get in touch if you have any questions around fitness to travel 🐮🐑🚜

Following an increase in animals being found with ingrown horns, we urge farmers and transporters to double-check all livestock before they leave the holding. Especially if they are breeds with longer or curled horns.
Ingrown horns are extremely painful, and further injury can be caused if the horns are knocked during transport.

All livestock must be ‘fit’ for their intended journey, which includes loading and unloading at the destination. If you are unsure if an animal is fit, then you should seek veterinary advice.

Please see the welfare in transport guidance available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-welfare-in-transport

**CPD for Beef Vets**After a great first session in September, we're taking expressions of interest for a second round o...
04/11/2024

**CPD for Beef Vets**
After a great first session in September, we're taking expressions of interest for a second round of FTAI CPD. Pitched for practitioners who want to engage more with beef AI, and repro more broadly. Details are below, just ignore the date - we are thinking late winter/early spring 2025 to line up spring 2026 calvers. For more information, give Kaz a ring or drop him a message on 07557092760

Picture of the Week 📸What an unseasonably warm and settled week of weather we've had!
03/11/2024

Picture of the Week 📸

What an unseasonably warm and settled week of weather we've had!

Fluke: Test Don’t Guess🐌It has been a relatively wet and mild year, so it is likely snail habitats, and therefore liver ...
02/11/2024

Fluke: Test Don’t Guess🐌

It has been a relatively wet and mild year, so it is likely snail habitats, and therefore liver fluke, will be more widespread on farms than in the previous dry summers.

There is potential for the fluke population to build up this autumn into what is the
traditional peak fluke season.

Testing remains the best option to cope with the unpredictability of fluke risk on an individual farm, avoiding treatments that are unnecessary or too early, while also making sure animals are treated in time to minimise any production losses.

Could anyone house a young German farmer for a couple of weeks? Please speak to Kaz if you think you might be able to he...
30/10/2024

Could anyone house a young German farmer for a couple of weeks? Please speak to Kaz if you think you might be able to help!

If you have any cool bags hiding on farm, we would appreciate you returning them back to the practice 🐑🐮
29/10/2024

If you have any cool bags hiding on farm, we would appreciate you returning them back to the practice 🐑🐮

Clipping Backs of Weaned Calves 🐮Clipping backs of calves at housing is an important management tool as it reduces heat ...
28/10/2024

Clipping Backs of Weaned Calves 🐮

Clipping backs of calves at housing is an important management tool as it reduces heat stress and therefor reducing the risk of pneumonia and increasing feed intake.

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Unit 4A Rothbury Industrial Estate
Morpeth
NE657RZ

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

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