February 2, 2021 Sales WVF

February News

Summary Page

Info
Lambing
Sheep Feed
Avian Flu
Litter Pickers
Face Masks
Seed Potatoes

Info

01858 461463
sales@wellandvalleyfeeds.co.uk

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Opening Times:
• Monday – Friday: 8am to 5.30pm
• Saturday: 8am to 5pm
• Sunday: 10am to 4pm

Lambing

Despite Lockdowns the farming world continues with its busy schedule as farmers ready themselves to care for more than 15 million ewes preparing to give birth. This year, more than ever, we will welcome the sight of the lambs in the fields representing new beginnings and the end of a long winter. Having said that, the lambing season isn’t the start of the process! The farmers start working on their flock well in advance of the lambing season – preparing the ewes and the rams so their offspring have the right genetic requirements for the terrain, the climate or the specific end product that is required.
Many breeds are only fertile once a year which is why spring is so closely associated with lambing (although there are breeds that are fertile all year). After about 145 days of pregnancy, the lamb will be born. Many ewes will deliver their offspring unassisted out in the field, farmers monitor their ewes day and night in case there are any problems. Some ewes may need to be brought into the lambing shed for a helping hand, especially first timers. The number in the litter will depend on the breed with some averaging more than two lambs per litter. First timers are more likely to give birth to one lamb.
Within the first few hours of birth, it is essential that the lambs latch on to the ewe’s teat to drink the colostrum (mother’s first milk) packed full of nutrients and antibodies. If the lamb struggles, the farmer comes to the rescue collecting the colostrum from the ewe and feeding it to the lamb via a tube. Not all ewes and lambs survive despite everyone’s best endeavours, so the farmer then has to support orphaned lambs using adoption techniques. Farming is not for the faint hearted!
At Welland Valley Feeds, we appreciate how exhausting the lambing season is and have worked hard to stock up our shelves in preparation. Use our free LOCAL delivery service(*) to add smaller items to your order if you are ordering your feed.
(*) Terms and conditions apply

Here is a selection of products for your lambing requirements. Please browse on the web to see more or call us to discuss your needs.

Lambing Instrument Product £6.79

Light and flexible to provide extra “reach” especially when the head is back

Soft Lambing Ropes 2 Loop £5.94

Lamb Puller £5.94

Totally hygienic and manufactured in rubber to be softer and kinder to lambs during birth.
Unlike traditional rope, the lamb puller will not damage or scald the legs.

Lamb Adoption Musk £6.49

200ml aerosol spray.
Helps to eliminate rejection during fostering by neutralising the odours of the ewe and lamb.
Spray the lamb and around the nose of the ewe for maximum effectiveness.
Allows orphaned lambs to be adopted by another ewe.

Lamb Teats (Plug-In) £0.95

Lamb Teats (Pull-On) £1.49

Latex teat for use with bottle feeder

4 Lamb Bottle Rack £36.48

Innovative multi-lamb feeder for effective rearing of orphan lambs. Feed one to four lambs simultaneously and unattended.
Coated for long life, the bottle rack system can be fixed to the front of the pen or on hung fences, walls etc.
Complete with fixing screws, four non-vac bottles, non-vac teats and collars.

Lamb Feeder Bucket 4 Teat £15.95

Volac Lamb Milk Replacer

Concentrated ultrafiltrated milk protein. Highly digestible for faster lamb growth.
Lamlac suits all rearing systems – bottle or machine feeding systems. Ideal for feeding through warm ad-lib feeders such as the Volac Ewe 2 or Eco Feeder.
Complete feed. Instantised. Easy mixing even in cold water.
Fully formulated.
Provides all the nutrients required by the lamb. Stays fresh for 24 hours.
Outstanding growth rates proven in performance trials

Volac Lamb Volostrum 500g £23.95

A natural alternative to ewe colostrum to be used whenever maternal colostrum is unavailable or in short supply.
Lamb Volostrum is easy mixing and is 100% natural.

Country Lamb Colostrum

Easy Mix, supplementary feed containing high levels of natural colostrum, fortified with egg powder, proteins and vitamins

Lamb Bottle and Teat 500ml £4.25

Non Vac Lamb Bottle £5.94

Large, 500ml boilable polycarbonate bottle complete with teat and collar.
38mm extra wide neck for easy filling with a strong plastic collar to ensure secure fixing of the teat.
Extra tough to prolong life and calibrated for accurate feeding, sterilise by boiling.

Lifeline Ewe/Lamb Bucket 22.5kg £19.95

A unique specialist pre-lambing feed and mineral bucket designed to benefit both the unborn lamb as well as the ewe

Key features and benefits

Original patented formulation, and the only product proven by SAC to increase colostrum quality, including a 25% increase in IgG levels.
High energy, from several sources, ideal for ewes at risk of twin lamb disease
Includes a blend of nutritional boosters, including lactose, mannan-oligosaccharides and beta-glucans to support the ewe’s immune function and colostrum quality.
Supports an easier lambing, and contains minerals, vitamins and trace elements, including good levels of selenium and vitamin E, to support lamb vigour

Battles Twin Lamb Drench 500ml £8.95

A fast-acting, energy rich drench to protect against, and support Twin Lamb Disease.
Contains a combination of two valuable energy sources to offer the ewe an instant energy boost, as well as a sustained energy supply.
Also contains a bioavailable source of calcium for protection against hypocalcaemia.

Disposable Needles 21g x 5/8 (Lamb) £0.14

High quality needles with a plastic luer fitting, high hub and point protector.

Shepherdess Milk Feeder Bucket £196.00

A unique lamb milk feeder providing a simple system of delivering warm, fresh milk to lambs 24 hours a day.

Colostrum Feeder (Syringe/Plastic Tube) £5.94

Used for feeding colostrum directly into the stomach of a weak cria, lamb, calf, kid and other small animals that cannot feed from its mother in the first few hours after birth.
A 60ml metered syringe to help administer doses quickly yet gently.

UF Stock Marker Spray 400ml £4.49

Approved by the British Wool Marketing Board providing farmers with a reliable sheep marking solution
Also suitable for use on cattle. Weather resistant and fully scorable
Rapid drying formulation, works on both wet and dry fleece.

Sheep Feed

Badminton Country Stock Mix 20kg

Badminton Country Mix is a quality coarse mix. It contains no added copper and has a full inclusion of vitamins and minerals.
Micronized cereals and quality proteins are added to improve digestion and enhance performance.

Ewbol Gold 18 Nuts 18% 25kg (Ewe)

Badminton Pedigree Sheep Mix 20kg

Badminton Pedgiree Sheep Mix is designed to meet the conditioning, growing and breeding needs of all ages of sheep.
This high quality coarse mix can be fed to ewes and lambs, as a general feed and a palatable creep feed.

Prestige Lamb Creep Pellets 25kg

Farmgate Prestige Lamb Creep Pellets is a high energy, high protein feed suitable for creep feeding and intensive lamb feeding systems.
Prestige Lamb promotes: High growth rates Maximum feed efficiency Excellent grading Good lamb health Pellet:To promote high intakes High Energy: A high level of starch, plus digestible fibre, promotes high Daily Live Weight Gain (DLWG) and maximises Feed Converstion Ratio (FCR). High Protein: 18% high levels of rumen degradable protein and DUP to increase DLWG and lean tisue growth.

Sugar Beet Shreds 20kg

Sugar beet shreds. Non GM product made from British sugar beet. Suitable for cattle, calves, ewes, lambs, sows, growing pigs, horses, goats, and other ruminants.
High in energy, palatable and rich in highly digestable fibre, for growth, milk production and milk fat.

Sugar Beet Pellets 25kg

Sugar Beet Pellets is a natural and nutritional feed that is highly digestible and supports rehydration when soaked.
Suited to the horse’s natural way of feeding and helps to maintain a healthy gut.

Avian Flu

Initially called fowl plague, it was first recorded in the late 1800’s but outbreaks were sporadic and contained. There was a huge increase (76%) in the world’s population of poultry in the 1990’s – one of the factors that has led to an increase in outbreaks and a need to provide control and containment measures which currently include, amongst other things, the declaration of an Aviation Influenza Prevention Zone – AIPZ – effective from 11th November 2020 and enforcement of housing measures from 14th December 2020.

Also called “Bird Flu”, it is a notifiable disease.

Failure to report suspected avian influence of any type in poultry or captive birds is an offence. Defra Rural Services Helpline 03000 200 301.

The DEFRA helpline on 03459 33 55 77 (option 7) should be used to report any dead wild waterfowl (swans; geese; ducks) or dead wild birds (gulls; bird of prey)

There are many different strains of avian flu, most do not affect humans but transmission to humans has been known. As we know with coronavirus in humans, these viruses can mutate and public health officials have expressed concern that strains of the avian flu may mutate to become easily transmissible between humans. Currently this is rare.

Avian flu is not an airborne virus - it is spread by close contact with an infected bird (dead or alive) i.e. touching the infected bird, its droppings, its bedding and killing or preparing an infected bird for cooking. Contaminated feed, water, dirty vehicles, contaminated clothing and footwear are also routes of transmission.

If you keep (more than 50) chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, pigeon (bred for meat), partridge, quail, guinea fowl and pheasants it is compulsory for you to register them. If you have these poultry as pets, then voluntary registration is recommended so you can be contacted in the event of an outbreak of avian flu. All bird keepers are required by law to keep their flock indoors or netted as well as taking biosecurity measures. Close observation for early detection of any signs of disease with prompt advice from your vet are crucial.

The gov.uk website has thorough documentation on the issues and control measures that need to be taken to both prevent, contain, and manage Avian flu – first published in 2014, it was last updated on 17th January 2021. It is vital that adherence to public health guidance is maintained.

Welland Valley Feeds stock a variety of sizes of Antec Virkon S Disinfectant - 50g, 1kg, 5kg, 10kg

Powerful broad-spectrum, multi-purpose virucidal disinfectant, with exceptional safety profile towards man and animals. Highly versatile, use for surface, equipment, water and aerial disinfection.

Antec Virkon S 1kg £19.98

Antec Virkon S Sachet 50g £2.75

Antec Virkon S 10kg (DEFRA Approved) £99.95

Antec Virkon S 5kg (DEFRA Approved) £65.00

Litter Pickers

BBC Newsround advised that, according to a report in the Environmental Science and Technology Journal, there are now more than 194 BILLION face masks and gloves being used every month. Unfortunately, this has led to an explosion of discarded masks on UK rivers and beaches as well as littering the countryside.

The problem with the disposable products is that they take more than 450 years to fully break down if they end up in the sea, and even if they are disposed of correctly, they cannot be recycled as they are deemed to be medical waste – this means they end up as landfill or incinerated, releasing toxic smoke.

One way to help reduce this problem is to purchase material / reusable masks (see product below) – although not medical grade, these products are designed to reduce the transmission of virus when you cough, sneeze, or speak when worn correctly over the mouth and nose.

For more information about helping with litter picking please refer to

https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/great-british-spring-clean/clean-preparation-and-safety-advice

Garden Litter Picker £7.00

Entry level trigger picker. Provides 80cm extended reach. Lightweight and easy to use.
Picks up to 0.5kg

Burgon & Ball Oak Leaf Glove M/L Navy

Ensure you wear strong and protective gloves – gardening gloves are ideal

FACE MASKS £12.95

Available in three colourways (Navy Equine / Olive Camo / Plum Grey), two sizes (S/M & L/XL)
Crafted from a technical high-stretch knit these layered protective masks are washable and reusable.
Designed for comfort with laser cut ears, cooling fabrication, UPF 50+ and an advanced fabric finish to inhibit the growth of bacterial odours.
Non-medical, reusable mask.
V-Block - Fabric protected with antimicrobial finish* Bonded and layered protective mesh interior.
Flexible ear loops for all face sizes UPF 50+ Cooling fabrication Odour control HAND WASH: Machine washing can cause damage
FINAL SALE. THIS ITEM CANNOT BE RETURNED.
NOTE: Please understand that these face masks are non-medical and are not a replacement for medical grade Personal Protective Equipment.
*This product does not protect users or others against bacteria, viruses, germs, or other disease organisms. Always clean this product thoroughly after each use.

Seed Potatoes

Customers have been asking us to stock seed potatoes for ages. Hopefully you will be delighted with the full range that we have selected. Seed potatoes aren’t actually “seeds”! They are the tubers you can use to grow new potatoes genetically identical to the parent potato. This is also easier than growing the potato from seed.

FIRST EARLY: we stock two varieties