Farming at Capontree Vets

11/02/2026

🌟Colostrum is gold!🌟

🐑All lambs should receive 50ml/kg within the first 2 hours after birth

🐑Try not to rely heavily on powdered colostrum - these products have a place and are better than no colostrum but their quality is variable. Colostrum from their mother/another ewe on the farm is best!

🐑Take extra colostrum off ewes that have plenty and freeze in ice cubes.
❗️These can be easily defrosted in a water bath (warm water not boiling!) when needed or added to powdered colostrum ❗️

🐑Ensure ewes nutrition before lambing has enough energy and protein to produce good quality colostrum!

09/02/2026

🩺NoBACZ Navel🩺

Many of you will have used this product last year and we’ve heard very good feedback from you!

NoBACZ navel has been formulated to cleanse the navel, dry it out quickly and prevent bacterial infection. It also has a bitter ingredient to deter licking.
This product can also be used on ear tagging and castration wounds to prevent infection. Infected ear tagging/castration wounds can result in joint ill in lambs.

A 2024 study compared NoBACZ navel to strong iodine for navel care. They found a 21% reduction in lamb mortality compared to iodine and lambs were 460g heavier at 8 weeks. Each application costs roughly 30p/lamb.

❗️Contact the practice to get yours ❗️

06/02/2026

🩺🐑Lambing Checklist🩺🐑

Lambing time is getting closer and for some people it will have already started! To help, we have put together a handy checklist of some essentials for a successful lambing time.

🌟Colostrum/milk for lambs
🌟Feeding bottles
🌟Feeding tube
🌟Gloves
🌟Glucose - intraperitoneal glucose injection for weak lambs
🌟Lambing ropes and head snare
🌟Lube
🌟Medication - e.g. anti-inflammatories and other medications, consult your flock health plan or speak to a vet for advice
🌟Navel spray
🌟Prolapse harness
🌟Twin lamb drench
🌟Lots of sweeties to keep your energy levels high!

We hope everyone has a successful lambing time, our vets are on call 24/7 for any emergencies.

04/02/2026

🐑Ewe Nutrition🐑

75% of lamb growth occurs in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy and the ewes requirements increase significantly!

Energy requirements and protein requirements for a ewe carrying twins increase by 60% in the 6 weeks before lambing.

🌾Hay or silage may not be enough to meet their requirements alone. Adding in cake and/or molasses will help to meet requirements🌾.

Low energy and protein in their ration pre-lambing can result in:
🩺Twin lamb disease
🩺Less or poorer quality colostrum
🩺Lower milk yield
🩺Increased mastitis risk
🩺Small weaker lambs

Silage/Hay analysis can be useful to check the energy content of forage, we can help you work out how much extra concentrates you might need to feed to meet requirements.

💉Blood sampling 5 ewes from each management group (singles, twins, triplets) for energy and protein 4-6 weeks pre lambing can help identify issues with the ration before you start to see problems.
🌟If you test before lambing you’ll have time to make any changes! 🌟

Please discuss this with one of our vets!

03/02/2026

We now have 500ml of Heptavac P back in stock
Please contact the practice to secure yours!

23/01/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined us earlier this week and made our Annual Farmers Gathering a huge success! It was lovely to catch up and see so many of you there. 🚜🐑🐄

23/01/2026

🌟AHWP PRICE INCREASE - CATTLE🌟

From the 22nd January 2026 the payment rates for the AHWP are increasing by 16%.
You must have 11 or more Cattle to be eligible for the funding

❗️Cattle review & follow up❗️

For Beef and Dairy cattle, the funding is focused on BVD testing. You need to blood test of 5 youngstock 9-18 months old that are not vaccinated for BVD, Dairy herds can do a bulk milk test to claim for the review.

The follow up for cattle depends on the initial test results.

· Negative herds can have a funded biosecurity review. Good biosecurity is essential for controlling all infectious diseases, not just BVD!

· Positive herds can carry out a funded PI hunt, looking for animals in the herd which may be persistently infected with BVD.

This process can be repeated every 10 months and is running until June 2027. Don’t forget cattle and sheep reviews can be done alongside each other!

📞If you have any questions, contact one of our vets!

22/01/2026

🌟AHWP PRICE INCREASE - SHEEP 🐑

From the 22nd January 2026 the payment rates for the AHWP are increasing by 16%. If you haven’t applied for this funding already, you can apply online using this link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/farmers-how-to-apply-for-funding-to-improve-animal-health-and-welfare

You must have 21 or more sheep to be eligible for the funding

❗️How it works❗️:
For the first part of the funding you need to do a wormer treatment check, ideally on lambs, to see how well your wormers are working. Pre and post worming treatment samples are sent to the lab for a worm egg count.

For the follow up testing there is a range of different diseases you can target. Common uses for the funding have been; mineral testing, MV/Johnes screening, fluke testing, investigating poor growth rates etc.

This process can be repeated every 10 months and is running until June 2027. Don’t forget cattle and sheep reviews can be done alongside each other!

If you have any questions, contact one of our vets!

Apply for funding for a vet to visit your farm to reduce endemic diseases and conditions, increase animal productivity and improve animal welfare.

22/01/2026

** FULLY BOOKED ** We do have a reserve list if you missed out this time. Look out for more Farmskills courses in the near future.

With the first Lambs of 2026 starting to arrive - now is the time to book our Lambing & Lamb Survival Course ahead of lambing season - CALL NOW ☎️☎️

09/01/2026

🐑Sheep scab🐑

🌟This winter we have diagnosed several cases of sheep scab, caused by the Psoroptes ovis mite.

🌟Taking deep skin scrapes of itchy sheep allows us to identity the culprits under the microscope, we can also do a blood test – it is important not to confuse scab with other potential causes of itchy sheep, such as lice or bacterial infections, which would require different treatments!

🌟Sheep scab can be treated by a few different injectable treatments we stock. However, plunge dipping is the most effective treatment. Discuss which is the most suitable option for you with one of the vets.

🌟After treating the flock, it is crucial to take measures to avoid re-infection from the environment. Remember the mite can live in the environment for 17 days.

🌟Keep scab out - most new outbreaks of sheep scab come from purchasing new stock, contact with another flock or sharing equipment! Always quarantine newly purchased sheep and use blood tests and scab treatments where necessary; and maintain secure farm boundaries

08/01/2026

🌟Farmers Gathering 🌟

Come and join us on the 21st January at Brampton Golf course for our annual gathering!

🐮Food Provided
🐮Talks from our vets

📞 Brampton 016977 2318
📞 Longtown 01228 791245

02/01/2026

🐑Lambing season🐑

Lambing season has Officially begun.
Vet Sarah got called out to help deliver this little lamb.🥰

🌟Watch this space for lambing updates and photos. 🌟