VSHB are involved in some large artificial breeding programmes such as the release of breed such as Finnish Landrace, the Texel, the Awassi and the East Friesian and work closely with individual New Zealand breeders with AI/ET programmes for advancement of superior genetics. In the last 12 months (despite Covid-19) we successfully Implanted…
Sheep Scanning is used to ascertain whether or not a sheep is pregnant (“wet” vs “dry”, known as WD) and/or how many lambs she is carrying (single vs twin vs triplet, known as TSD or Triplets). We strongly encourage investing in pregnancy scanning as the scanning data allows you to maximise your flock performance with…
Waipukurau Results A low and slow approach to the season so far with counts rising steadily but not yet in the dangerous zone for most. There have been reports locally of clinical cases on farm already, and farms that have tested multiple sites have shown us the differences we can see between paddocks even on…
This week’s pasture spore counts – Week ending January 24, 2021 Not unexpectedly with so much long, rank grass beginning to build we are seeing our first FE spores of the year. The warm, humid weather is also a concern. However counts at this stage are thankfully low and so not require any immediate intervention. Nonetheless the…
Sheep Performance Vaccines reduce the risk from deadly sheep diseases across most New Zealand farms. These Vaccinations need to be timed around the date you plan to introduce the ram to your flock. Please fill in the order form below so that we can schedule vaccinations for your farm. Name* First Last Farm Name Email*…
Waipukurau Results (11-17 Jan). Not unexpectedly with so much long, rank grass beginning to build we are seeing our first FE spores of the year. The warm, humid weather is also a concern. However counts at this stage are thankfully low and so not require any immediate intervention. Nonetheless the season has just begun and things are…
What is Flystrike? Flystrike is the most significant ectoparasitic disease of sheep in New Zealand, both from an economic and animal welfare perspective. The main flystrike challenge is during warm humid conditions, normally from November through to March, however this can vary seasonally and in some cases the challenge period can occur from October through…
Mastitis in ewes is something I’m sure many of you have battled with over the years, it is a condition we are very familiar with in cattle, especially in the dairy sector, but we are less accustomed to treating it in our ewe flocks. This season we have had a few more cases presented to…
Do you know whether that drench you just gave your stock is working? They may look to be free from signs of parasitism, but a drench can have lost a significant amount of its efficacy before you will notice any clinical impact. Continued use of a poorly effective drench is a perfect recipe for building…
Your livestock are at risk from clostridial disease at key times throughout the year. This means full, annual protection is vital to protect them against death. Clostridial diseases are caused by a group of bacteria that have the ability to form resistant spores. Spores can concentrate in areas of high usage e.g. around yards, sheds…
A common winter issue, lice are prevalent at this time of year due to their preference for cooler, darker and drier weather conditions. Infestations develop as a slow burn on healthy animals, with numbers gradually increasing on individuals. The entire lifecycle of lice is spent on sheep, so transmission between individual animals can only occur…
This season has been extremely challenging for all farmers in the Hawke’s Bay, the prolonged dry spell and lack of Autumn growth, difficulty in finding supplementary feed, delays in killing space, and cancellation of sales have all had a massive impact. The feed requirements of livestock are well known and can be easily found…
