With one of the mildest and wettest Decembers on record just having passed, livestock throughout the country have suffered greatly.
The persistent wet weather has resulted in extremely muddy ground all over the country, which has caused havoc on sheep's feet. Recently when treating a Ram Lamb for scald I noticed how soft there feet have become, however this isn't the worst of their problems. The wet ground results in scald, and the majority of our 89 strong flock are suffering from this condition, which essentially causes the gap between the two parts of the cloven hoof to become very sore and pink, with the worst cases resulting in bleeding. This has led to widespread lameness. Luckily it can easily treated with an antibacterial spray, which dries the foot out and destroys any infection.
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| Scald |
However with respect to cattle it has not been too bad in un-flooded areas. Many of the local cattle have been consigned to barns, which one might argue results in the easy spreading of diseases, helped by the mild weather. But the appropriate design of cattle barns coupled with the high winds has meant that the barns have had good ventilation, and so disease has not been too bad.
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| Cattle Barn |
