Brian Divilly is a practising vet and sheep farmer based in Headford, Co. Galway. He runs Divilly Veterinary Clinic, where he has recently renovated the practice and opened a new farm shop stocking the full Natural Stockcare range. He also uses the products on his own flock — and Aqua Lamb in particular has made a real impression.
Five Weeks Indoors, Not One Lamb Treated
Brian lambs early in the year — January — with lambs housed for an extended period. That makes getting the first few hours right critical.
“The first few hours and days are crucial — get your colostrum in, your Aqua Lamb, get your navels dipped. When they’re indoors for so long in sheds, you have to get things right at the start.”
This year, the results spoke for themselves. “They were in for five weeks, and not one lamb had to be treated for scour, or pneumonia, or navels, or anything. It’s brilliant for me because I’m busy with the practice. I don’t have time to be running around after sick animals of my own, it’s so important for me to get things right at home.”
What Is Aqua Lamb and How Does It Work?
Brian explains the product from a veterinary perspective. “It’s a simple product to use. You give one pump into the mouth as soon as you can after being born. There’s oil-based energy in it and essential vitamins and good bacteria that coat the gut, which is very important in the first days and weeks of a lamb’s life.”
It’s that gut protection that helps prevent watery mouth. “Aqua Lamb has the hyper-immunised immunoglobulin in it to coat the gut, to stop the bad bacteria. Watery mouth is caused by E. coli. So if you can reduce its ability to bind to the gut, it really will help to reduce the incidence of watery mouth.”
Extra Support for Weak Lambs and Scour
Aqua Lamb isn’t just for the first feed. “If you have a weak lamb or a slow lamb, you give two pumps to the lamb and they get up and get going as a result. And if you have a lamb after a week or two — if a lamb did get a bit scoury — you can also give them another pump as well.”
Getting the Basics Right at Lambing Time
As a vet who sees lambing problems across the area every spring, Brian’s advice is practical. “Get the simple things right. Get your bedding right — by rights you should be able to lie down in the straw bed yourself and not get wet or dirty. Have plenty of ventilation but no drafts.”
“Copious amounts of colostrum — it’s cheap, the ewe has it, use it. Because it’s the best that you can give to a lamb. And then you have your complementary products like Aqua Lamb that really add to the equation and are very beneficial. Keep navels clean and dry. It’s the simple things that don’t cost a lot that make a big difference to get right from the first few days.”
Prevention Over Treatment — Tús Maith Leath na hOibre
“What you’re looking at is the old saying — tús maith leath na hoibre — a good start is half the battle. I know when you’re busy and there’s lambs at every side, it’s hard to get the time. But actually those few hours — milking the ewe herself, getting that milk into the lamb, getting your Aqua Lamb into them — it’s hard at the time but it’s well worth it in the long run.”
“There’s nothing worse than going around looking at lambs with scour and watery mouth and navel infections and joint ill. That’s what costs money. That’s what takes the time and that’s what I find is a real headache for farmers. The main message is put in that extra time at the start and you’ll really reap the rewards.”
Stocking the Full Natural Stockcare Range
Brian stocks the full Natural Stockcare product range in his clinic’s new farm shop. “I’ve used a lot of them on farm myself and just from talking to farmers going around, they’ve really found them useful. Farmers are coming in to say ‘that’s a great product’ — that’s the feedback I’m getting, so I’m very happy to stock them.”
Aqua Lamb and the full Natural Stockcare range are available from Divilly Veterinary Clinic in Headford, Co. Galway. To find out more, get in touch with the Natural Stockcare team or visit the full Natural Stockcare product range.
