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X LVETS NEWS
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
3
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
Lambert, Leonard & May held a Game Day on
the 25th of May, in conjunction with Checkley
Wood Shoot and Huvepharma for XLVets
practices. XLVets member practices were invited,
along with their gamekeeping clients, to have a
discussion about good management practices
and biosecurity in the release pens. We had
attendees from Severn Edge, Rutland, Midshire,
Willlows, Glenthorne and Wright and Morten.
Ivor Beavis, from Checkley Wood Shoot
welcomed us to the lodge and we filled up on
sandwiches before heading out to his rearing
field. Richard Byas, from Sandhill Vets, lead the
‘Walk and Talk‘ and focussed on the
importance of sourcing good poults. Various
topics were discussed, including water quality
and temperature, stocking density, coccidiosis
and disease control. Specific emphasis was
placed on the reduction of the industry reliance
on antibiotics.
We also had the opportunity to view the
breeding hens. Nick Beavis, who heads up the
breeding and rearing production, gave handy
tips on managing the birds to produce good
quality poults. There was a lot of discussion
on the pathogenicity of hexamita, with
Richard adamant that good biosecurity and
management could reduce the disease
challenge and potentially avoid the need for
antibiotics to control this spironucleus.
Richard also spoke about the importance of
good veterinary advice and why a vet visit to a
shoot is so important. After a good couple of
hours of walking and talking, we returned to the
lodge for a presentation by Dr David Welchman,
from APHA and President of the BVPA.
David spoke about diseases in the release pens:
what to look out for and tips to improve
biosecurity and reduce disease challenge. He
also covered the importance of sourcing good
quality, robust poults and spoke about the
reasons why medication might not always be
effective. David stressed the importance of
veterinary advice to ensure correct diagnosis
and treatments.
The discussions and questions were varied -
with both keepers and vets keen to delve into
further detail on the subject matter. Later on in
the afternoon, it was time to let off some steam
and the group joined in with the Checkley
Wood Weekly Clay Pigeon Shooting
Competition. It is fair to say that the keepers
well out-performed the vets on the day, with Joe
winning crack-shot of the day. The stands were
incredibly testing, varied and there were some
very high birds indeed. Checkley Wood Shoot
is definitely worth a visit to get your eye in
before the season.
Our thanks to Lambert, Leonard and May for a
great day to improve the knowledge of both
vets and keepers for the coming season. Thanks
also to Ivor and the team from Checkley Wood
Shoot for hosting a superb day and to
Huvepharma for their support.
Gamekeeper day
Hazel Goodwin,
Lambert, Leonard & May
Dr. Richard Byas, Sandhill Vets