With many parts of the district a-wash with clover and surplus grass, lamb trading and fattening is being considered by more than just the seasoned experts. Below are reminders for some of the basic animal health essentials for the 30kg store-lamb.

1. Don’t bring on resistance worms: use an effective drench.

• 30kg lamb Zolvix (74c) or Startect (64c) are gold standard, but if you are using Matrix triple drench (17c) do a FEC 10 days later to check efficacy. There are plenty of triple drench resistance worms traded FOC (free-of-charge) with lambs currently….

• A drench interval of 28-30 days will not get you into trouble at this time of year. Pushing drench out passed 5 weeks can see lamb growth rates plummet. A 30 day FEC is recommended if you want to push drench intervals out. Moderate worm challenge will cost 50 – 100g per day. A high challenge will cost – everything you’ve invested sometimes!

2. Stop them from dying. Boosting lambs with Multine 5 in 1 (33c) with selenium and B12 (57c) is worth it, especially when going onto crops or changing feed. Lambs going onto lucerne will benefit from a Covexin 10 (now in 500mL packs, 75c). Every dead $120 lamb is the profit margin on another 4 lambs!

3. Keep the flies out. A squirt of Clikzin (shorter acting Clik) around the crutch (30c) or jet with 2.5l Cyrazin (35c) / Cyrazin KO (58c) or Cyrex (55c) will give ~6-8weeks protection. Not sure what the cost of messing around with melting lambs full of flies is, but its never good.

4. Don’t bring on disease. Troughing in 10% zinc sulphate will keep a lid on foot scald and early footrot. Lambs respond better to troughing than adult stock having softer feet and less complex lesions. Feet issues really do knock growth rates and can be over-looked by the trader without the mind set for dealing with it. Viral pneumonia is trickier to deal with but is one to look out for in lambs trucked over long distances (NI). I have had dealings with this last year, salvaged with a long acting shot of antibiotics – losing the ab free contract is better than losing lambs!

5. Longer term winter lambs will benefit from long acting products such as SmartShot B12, Cydectin LA and make sure they get their second shot of 5-in-1.

So for your 30kg stores put just over $2 in the budget for animal health – a very sound investment to avoid all the hassles of death, disease and disappointment.

*All dose prices are for a 30kg dose and exclude G.S.T.