23/02/07
An outbreak of the sheep viral condition Orf convinced the Coates
family that a vaccination programme was essential, particularly
as the disease prevented selling at the main autumn North of England
Mule gimmer lamb fixtures.
Bryan Coates, Mary Dawson and Richard Coates
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That was 25 years ago and brothers Richard and Bryan Coates have
continued to vaccinate all the lambs produced from their 1,000-ewe
Swaledale flock, which runs on the slopes of Whernside at Braidagarth,
Westhouse near Ingleton.
"The Orf outbreak among the weaned lambs during August and
September that year meant we weren't able to sell them until six
or eight weeks later, by which time we had missed the association
sales and had to sell them through ordinary breeding sheep sales," recalls
Richard Coates
"Not only is it a preventative disease management measure
for us, but the feedback we get from buyers is that they prefer
the lambs to be vaccinated."
The Coates farm 1,250 acres at Braidagarth, running from 1,000ft
at the steading to 1,500ft on the enclosed hill land. When the
Coates family moved to the farm from Troutbeck near Windermere
in 1969, they also took on the farm's flock of Dalesbred sheep.
They still have a flock of 100 of the local breed ewes and the
brothers treat the flock's health as a priority, particularly as
they show the sheep during the summer with success.
During the 2005 season at Malham, Bentham, Westmorland County,
Gargrave and Masham shows they collected four breed championships
and two reserves with a home-bred ewe and a gimmer shearling.
Unlike most neighbouring farms, which share common land on the
hill, the Coates are able to keep their sheep flock contained.
They do not buy in replacements and rams are quarantined after
purchase in the autumn, during which time their health status is
regularly checked, in line with the policy they follow with their
vet, Neil Roberts, of Dalehead.
The policy has been to vaccinate all the lambs against Orf - half
the Swaledale flock is bred pure for replacements while the remainder
are crossed with the Bluefaced Leicester to produce the Mule gimmer
lambs.
Originally the lambs were vaccinated at three weeks to a month
old, but because it was time consuming and more stressful to gather
the animals, they are now vaccinated within 24 hours of birth.
Vaccination against Orf is now part of the routine for the newborn
lambs along with ear tagging. The Coates have found the Scabivax
Forte vaccine and applicator to be much easier to use than the
previous system. It is an updated formulation that also protects
against 'wild strains' of the disease and the pump-mechanism applicator
definitely delivers the appropriate vaccine dose very effectively. "The
vaccination is still a simple scratch, but now you can put down
the new pump mechanism applicator without spillage," points
out Bryan Coates.
Ewes with twins are lambed indoors while those carrying singles
are outside, with the ewes put to the Leicester starting on March
25 and the Swaledales bred pure following on from April 12.
Mary Dawson, who runs her own flock of Bluefaced Leicesters, helps
the brothers. She is employed full time during lambing. But they
rely on contractors for fertiliser spreading and silage making.
The Coates also vaccinate against pneumonia and enzootic abortion
and the health status of their gimmer lambs pays when they sell
at North of England Mule Sheep Association sales at Skipton and
Bentham. Their entry of 450 to 500 is always at the top end of
the averages.
Wether lambs, which are also vaccinated for Orf, are finished
off grass and sold from August through to the end of October. This
acts as an insurance policy as an outbreak of orf would set back
the lambs and delay their marketing.
The wether lambs are finished on 200 acres of ground also used
for silage cropping at 200ft above sea level five miles from the
farm and are sold through Lancaster auction mart weighing 40-45kg
liveweight.
Last autumn in Lancaster they won the society-sponsored competitions
for the North of England Mule wether lambs as well as the Swaledale
wethers, the lambs weighing 45kg and 44kg respectively.
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