ewe with mastitis safe to eat?

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ewe with mastitis safe to eat?
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Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 14 4:46 pm Post subject:

Bodger wrote:

They'll tell you straight away at the slaughter house. The big ones routinely have a vet on hand.

Even the small ones do, they can't kill anything without one present. Whether that be in the killing hall or in the office drinking tea depends upon the vet.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9717
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 14 4:53 pm Post subject:

Nature'sgrafter wrote:

I live on an island in the north sea slaughterhouse out of question too far. No she has not had any medication so no withdrawal time.

what is the arrangement on Orkney if you don't have an abattoir? Does everyone do home killing?

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 14 5:14 pm Post subject:

Nick wrote:

I'm no vet, nor food safety specialist, but when I worked on mastitis in the lab, it's most often a staph infection confined to the mammary glands, and as such, is about as dangerous as a sore throat.

I'd eat it.

If you die, however, I'm going to point out that I'm not a food safety specialist.

Kind of agree except that it can kill as it becomes systemic. Wait until she recovers from it and then cull. Although I was kind of assuming you meant this. A lot of culled ewes are culled for this reason and then go into the food chain.

(This is not me by the way but the commercial sheep farmer that I live with who would not eat or sell a sheep with mastitis.)

Nature'sgrafter

Joined: 22 Feb 2012
Posts: 527
Location: Sanday , Orkney

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 14 5:48 pm Post subject:

Their is a abattoir on the mainland but the cost of taking it there is prohibitive works out including shipping costs at around £60 a sheep.
A lack of space is the problem with waiting until she gets better as it is contagious and I have one field with mothers with lambs the other with expectant mothers the last laying fallow growing fresh grass after winter (+ allowing for rotation re worms) oh and the garden has orphan lambs in it.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 14 7:26 pm Post subject:
Weigh up the cost of finding her a space / looking after her till she is well against the value of what ever meat she would produce. If its not weighted in the right direction just cull her now & feed to the dogs.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 14 8:47 pm Post subject:

Nature'sgrafter wrote:

I don't know what you mean by contagious. Its infectious and some of the routes are obscure. Google mastitis in sheep and read the Moredun paper on it or speak to your vet. Internet forums sometimes have limitations when you are talking about disease.

Nature'sgrafter

Joined: 22 Feb 2012
Posts: 527
Location: Sanday , Orkney

Posted: Mon Apr 28, 14 10:56 pm Post subject:

con·ta·gious [kuhn-tey-juhs]
adjective
1. capable of being transmitted by bodily contact with an infected person or object: contagious diseases.
2. carrying or spreading a contagious disease.
3. tending to spread from person to person: contagious laughter.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin contāgiōsus, equivalent to contāgi ( ō ) contagion + -ōsus -ous

I have googled the disease hence knowing it can be passed to others but can not find an answer as to whether a ewe with the infection is fit to be eaten by humans.

Ty Gwyn

Joined: 22 Sep 2010
Posts: 4563
Location: Lampeter

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 14 12:16 am Post subject:
Plenty of ewe`s that have had mastitis end up as kebab`s.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 14 6:46 am Post subject:

Nature'sgrafter wrote:

Sorry, I was grumpy and tired last night. Partly due to trying to feed two lambs whose mother has had mastitis and got missed in the cull last year due to miscommunication. I am interested in reducing mastitis in our flock. It's not too bad but I would like to reduce it even more so I have been doing some reading around it.

madcat

Joined: 24 May 2008
Posts: 1265
Location: worcester

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 14 1:53 pm Post subject:
Cathryn could you start a topic on your strategy to reduce mastitis , it seems to be a big problem for lots of people. I'm finding sheep very interesting but have no plans to keep them yet. I'm trying to learn about them though.

Nicky cigreen

Joined: 25 Jun 2007
Posts: 9717
Location: Devon, uk

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 14 2:05 pm Post subject:
I would prefer to let the ewe get better before eating her - wouldn't hesitate to (and do) eat cull ewes, but I prefer the animal to be well before it joins the food chain.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 14 5:55 pm Post subject:

madcat wrote:

Cathryn could you start a topic on your strategy to reduce mastitis , it seems to be a big problem for lots of people.
I'm finding sheep very interesting but have no plans to keep them yet. I'm trying to learn about them though.

It's bit hit and miss at the moment which I think is the overall feeling on this in any case. I do know that there is more research going on at the moment.

I will have a think and perhaps put something together. It might help me as well although we don't actually have much mastitis and I have rarely seen a ewe ill with it. It's usually picked up when we go through the sheep later on in the year.

My current "strategy" consists of reminding people to wash their hands between sheep when they have checked them to see if they are producing milk. So basically nagging and come to think of it an awful lot like what I did when I visited hospital wards.

Nick

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 34535
Location: Hereford

Posted: Tue Apr 29, 14 10:01 pm Post subject:
The most comprehensive and expensive study ever said a bucket of soapy water was the best weapon. That was for cattle but I doubt it is different for sheep.

Cathryn

Joined: 16 Jul 2005
Posts: 19856
Location: Ceredigion

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 14 6:19 am Post subject:

Yep, I agree and there was a similar conclusion in the NHS hence the wash your hands campaign. We lamb outdoors for that reason so as to avoid a build up of bugs.

Unfortunately the ones we are concerned about do come in. Its contradictory. I clean the pens out between sheep as thoroughly as possible and we try to avoid putting anything back into that pen until it is dry.

Hmm and we have just had a discussion about using outdoor pens as well. It revolved around whether we would have the energy to move them each time during the busiest times. There would be no benefit otherwise.

Nature'sgrafter

Joined: 22 Feb 2012
Posts: 527
Location: Sanday , Orkney

Posted: Wed Apr 30, 14 8:29 am Post subject:
That's all right Catharyn I know the felling three caddy's a smallholding and a self employed handyman this time of year grumpy and isolation go hand in hand too busy to be cheerful all the time.

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