Endell Farm Vets

02/08/2023

Tomorrow is , a day to celebrate British Farming, and to thank you all for your dedication and hard work. Thank you.
Let's keep Britain farming.
We hope the sun shines on you all! ☀

27/07/2023

A thoroughly enjoyable evening at Watership Alpacas last week - thank you to Alison and Keith for having us!
A beautiful location and a lovely summer's evening during which Alison talked to us about their alpacas, what they have done to enrich the land on which they graze, and what they do with the very high quality fibre that they produce. This was while Keith whipped up some sausage and burgers on the barbeque! It's always great to hang out with like minded people in stunning surroundings ♥

24/07/2023

Thank you to all who turned out to our sheep club meeting last week on sheep/goat abortions. It might seem like a strange time of year to be discussing this topic but the idea was to not be too long since lambing to recall any issues you may have had, but close enough to the next breeding season to be considering which vaccines you might give before the tups go in.
Abortions rates of >2% are suggestive of an infectious cause and investigation should be considered.
Barren rates of >8-10% are suggestive of Toxoplamosis infection in particular.
The drug company MSD that make Toxovax (for toxoplasmosis) and Enzovax (for EAE/chlamydia), offer a 'flock check' for flocks of more than 100 sheep for which they will pay the laboratory fees to check for these diseases in 6-8 ewes, to allow you to make decisions regarding vaccinations.
Thank you to MSD for sponsoring the meeting.

21/07/2023

Thoran became a vasectomised ram today! He had his 'tubes' (vas deferens) cut meaning that he still has his testicles and therefore the hormonal drive to attract and mount the ewes but without impregnating them.
After the ewes have had 6 weeks without sight nor sound of males (think nunnery!), Thoran will be put with the ewes for 2 weeks before the 'real rams' are put in.
This method can be used to synchronise ewes for a tighter lambing period and/or to advance the breeding season by a couple of weeks. As more ewes will be coming into season at the same time, a higher ram to ewe ratio is required (1:20).
Now is a good time to have your rams vasectomised so they have plenty of time to recover before they need to be used.
PS Thoran still thinks he is a 'real ram' 🤫

20/07/2023

Concerning beverage choice for a Thursday night!

29/06/2023

Here are details of our next smallholder meeting, to be held near Andover.
Yes, it is the same day as the sheep meeting but usually clients come to one or the other not both!
Please call the farm office to book a place on 01722 333291

28/06/2023

Please see details below of our next sheep/goat meeting. This is a good time to be thinking about abortions as this year's lambing is still in your relatively recent memory, and interventions ie. vaccination, need to be considered soon, before the next tupping!
Please call the farm office to book a place so we can cater accordingly.

26/06/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=645365557624896&id=100064543728118&sfnsn=scwspwa

Have you spoken to your vet practice about the TB Advisory Service?

The TB Advisory Service provides FREE, practical and cost effective advice to all eligible farmers in England.

If your private vet is a trained TBAS Adviser, they will visit your farm and speak to you about your farm set up, any concerns you may have about TB, potential issues you may face in the future and have a walk around the farm. The adviser will identify potential areas where TB risk could be eliminated or reduced and discuss how you can control them. At the end of the visit you and your adviser will agree on four recommendations you can carry out. These will then be reviewed at the second visit 3 – 6 months later.

The adviser is there to help and will not judge you or your farm. The idea is you and your TBAS vet can look at TB as an infectious disease and the recommendations are the start of an action plan to reduce your risk and length of a TB breakdown.

If your vet is not trained to deliver TBAS visits, not to worry! We have a team of independent advisers who can visit your farm and deliver TBAS visits.

23/06/2023

Friday funny!

22/06/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=185256464480896&id=100089896316295

19/06/2023

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=651784396993163&id=100064848244660&sfnsn=scwspmo

There are pros and cons to this warmer weather - for cattle and cattle vets. Here's some practical advice for both on hot days.

https://www.bcva.org.uk/content/beat-heat

16/06/2023

Farming Community Network Survey
The Farming Community Network (FCN) is conducting some new research to better understand the impact of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) on UK farmers’ health and wellbeing. As part of this research, they will be running a survey from June until mid-August for livestock/cattle farmers in the UK. Please see the following link to access this survey. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3HG5YFG

“This has been designed with input from colleagues and academics and is to be shared with livestock/cattle farmers in the UK. FCN want as many farmers as possible to fill it in so that we can gain a wealth of data from across the whole of the UK. It should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.

The results of the survey will help FCN to better understand how farmers and farm families perceive the threat of bTB, helping us to support those at risk or affected by a bTB breakdown.

This research builds upon a study conducted by FCN in 2009 'Stress and Loss – a report on the impact of Bovine TB on farming families'.https://www.tbfreeengland.co.uk/media/jjqh5jc3/tb-report-stress-loss-aug-09.pdf

14/06/2023

APPLICATIONS FOR ANIMAL HEALTH AND WELFARE EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY GRANTS CLOSE AT MIDDAY ON THURSDAY 15th JUNE

NB this is not the Animal Health and Welfare Review which provides financial support for BVD monitoring (cattle) and Faecal Worm Egg Counts (sheep)

Grants of between £1,000 and £25,000 to put towards the cost of items that improve the health and welfare of livestock are currently available through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, as part of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

The grant is open to all farmers or contractors with a business in England who keep:

- beef and dairy cattle

- sheep

- pigs

- laying hens and broilers (including rearing and breeding farms)

(Sorry to our goat clients, you've been missed again 😔)

Applicants do not need to be eligible for BPS to apply.

Each application must be for a minimum grant of £1000. To meet this, applicants can apply for multiple items as part of their application.

For example, a cattle farmer could bundle together a head scoop for a cattle crush, a calving gate and an EID panel reader in their application, to cross the minimum grant threshold.

If you are interested in learning more, all the information you need can be found on GOV.UK:

The full list of items available through the grant

The guidance for how to apply for a grant

More information about the Farming Equipment and Technology Grant

A short video explainer of the application process

09/06/2023

What a lovely sight! Well done Lois! ♥

06/06/2023

Some of you might have only just recovered from lambing, but others who synchronise their ewes to bring their breeding season forward will already need to be thinking about tupping again! And don't forget that ram vasectomies need to be performed at least a couple of months before their intended use.
For more information on breeding your ewes and rams, including pre breeding ram checks, please call the farm office on 01722 333291.

26/05/2023

A fascinating talk from Ian De Peyrecave this week about his energy efficient house! They have no central heating and the house never goes below 17 degrees Celsius! We learnt that the eaves have been designed at just the correct angle and size to stop the sun beating in during the summer months when the sun is high in the sky, but allowing it to warm the just when it is lower in the winter. We also heard about how deep the wall cavities, packed with mashed up newspapers, for excellent insulation. And much more besides!
We also got a tour of the garden, with the goats and chickens, had sausages from the BBQ and some home brew! All on a beautiful sunny evening ☀. Thank you to Helen and Ian for hosting!

22/05/2023

REMEMBER SMALLHOLDER MEETING TONIGHT

Monday 22nd May 6-8pm.

Helen and Ian De Peyrecave have a small herd of goats at their home near our Newton Wood Office, which you will be very welcome to stroke and ask questions about, but the main event will be their house! It was designed by architect Ian who is willing to tell us how he constructed the house to the highest eco standards, using minimal external energy sources. I assure you that it will be a fascinating talk!

Barbequed sausages and drink will also be available!

Address is: Hillside, Willis Lane, Four Marks, Alton, Hampshire GU34 5AP

Please let the farm office (01722 333291) know if you would like to come along.

19/05/2023

MEET OUR VET TECH
Ashley Chandler has lived in Salisbury all his life and has always had an interest in farming. He studied at Sparsholt College after leaving school, then went onto a mixed dairy, calf and tractor-based apprenticeship while working on a large dairy unit. He started off checking around the farm and helping out on weekends and holidays with calf duties such as feeding and milking the cows. He progressed on the farm with a Level 2 then Level 3 apprenticeship in mixed farming, leading on to him becoming a herdsman and tractor driver. He joined our team at the end of August 2019 excited for a new challenge. Ashley has a particular interest in dairy and calves, but since working for Endells he has also developed an interest in goats and teaching the RVC Vet students.
Out of work Ashley’s interests are vintage farming with a small collection of Classic tractors and has a collection of vintage farm machinery and old farm tools which during the weekends and bank holidays you’ll find him at shows around Wiltshire and Hampshire or on road runs with the tractors .
He's currently working on his Landrover Defender 90 replacing the bulkhead so his daily drive out side of work is a 1969 Morris Minor .
Ashley also has interests in the steam world and it is his dream to own a miniature traction engine in the future.
Ashley is in a vintage club where he attends once a month called South Wiltshire Agricultural Society.
What a busy bee!

12/05/2023

We have completed 3 on farm worm egg count training session this week! Being able to carry out your own faecal worm egg counts allows you to perform them more frequently, without the need to get a sample to the practice. In particular, Haemonchus numbers can get very high in a short space of time so monthly counts may not be sufficient to identify a worrying burden.
The ease of performing counts yourself also find you flexibility to check certain animals individually (rather than mob or 'composite' results), and to perform resistance checks after each treatment to check how well it has worked.
If you are interested in learning how to do this, please contact the Farm Office for more information.

11/05/2023

SMALLHOLDER MEETING
Our next meeting will be on Monday 22nd May 6-8pm.

Helen and Ian De Peyrecave have a small herd of goats at their home near our Newton Wood Office, which you will be very welcome to stroke and ask questions about, but the main event will be their house! It was designed by architect Ian who is willing to tell us how he constructed the house to the highest eco standards, using minimal external energy sources. I assure you that it will be a fascinating talk!

Barbequed sausages and drink will also be available!

Address is: Hillside, Willis Lane, Four Marks, Alton, Hampshire GU34 5AP

Please let the farm office (01722 333291) know if you would like to come along.

05/05/2023

Hopefully, any of you who have spoken to a vet about calf pneumonia over last 6 months will have been offered diagnostic testing to try to ascertain which pathogens are involved. If appropriate, this may lead to starting vaccination programmes in those farms that so not already vaccinate, and ultimately decrease the amount of antibiotics required to treat these calves.
PI3 and RSV are the most common viruses found in calf pneuemonia, and thankfully there are vaccines available for both.
Many of the bacteria isolated in calf pneumonia are bacteria found in the throats of healthy animals which commonly invade the lungs after viruses have damaged the airways.
The bacteria Mycoplasma is an exception - if found, it is likely the cause of pneumonia rather than a secondary invader. Thankfully there is a vaccination against Mycoplasma too.
Vaccination is only one tool in the box; deep bedding, good drainage and ventilation as well as fit healthy calves with good immune systems all help.
Remember that the presence of BVD virus decreases the immunity of calves and increases the risk of pneumonia.

28/04/2023

Ah, it's been a long time coming! 🐄

24/04/2023

24/04/2023

To cheer you up in this rainy Monday!

19/04/2023

I'm sure you are all aware that the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone housing measures for poultry and captive birds in England and Wales have now been lifted! Your birds are free to roam.
The Avian Influenza Prevention Zone mandatory biosecurity measures remain in place which means it is a legal requirement for all bird keepers to follow strict biosecurity measures to prevent bird flu and stop it spreading.

14/04/2023

MEET OUR VETS #6
Mel McPherson has been at Endells for just over 2 years, previously working as a farm vet in North Wiltshire for 10 years.
She has recently completed a Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice, covering a mixture of cattle and sheep modules. Mel enjoys all aspects of farm work but is particularly passionate about TB and worms! She also enjoys organising farmer meetings and delivering training.
Out of work, Mel is busy with her family; her husband is also a farm vet, and their 2 children (10 and 8 years old). Anyone who has met Mel has probably also met her loyal black labrador 'Bonnie'. They live in Wroughton, a village just south of Swindon.
Mel is chairman of the Wiltshire TB Eradication Group and plays the tenor horn in her village brass band.

12/04/2023

This lovely lady 'Margot' was found to be carrying twins on her recent scan! Out vets offer a sheep/goat scanning service, using a sector scanner which can visualise the uterus through the abdominal wall. This is different to how we pregnancy diagnose cattle where we use linear scanner inserted into the re**um.
Sheep and goats are best scanned between 40 and 80 days of pregnancy.

09/04/2023

Happy Easter to all our clients!

03/04/2023

We love lambing time!! 🐑 🐑 Please post photos of your spring lambs below! It is spring now isn't it?!