# Any recommendations for a Livestock Drench Gun for sheep?



## soarwitheagles (Feb 29, 2016)

Hi everyone!

I would like to try my hand at treating for worms with various dewormer meds that require a Livestock Drench Gun for sheep.

Any recommendations for a Livestock Drench Gun for sheep?

How many mL's or cc's should the drench gun hold if I am treating anywhere from 15-50 sheep?

Thank ewe,

Soar


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## mysunwolf (Mar 1, 2016)

We thought we needed a drench gun and bought the one from Premier. It automatically refills as you go so that if you need a higher dose you can just drench, let it refill, then drench again. While it's a really nice tool, we only have 7-15 sheep at a time and have found that disposable syringes are much much easier for our small numbers.


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## Ponker (Mar 1, 2016)

I use this - https://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=219&criteria=drench

I bought this one because I have different sized sheep and can dose each one based on their weight. Recently, I have invested in a fecal home 'lab' to be able to drench my sheep on an individualized, as needed, basis instead of by calendar or season. 

For a large flock this my not be practical.


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## soarwitheagles (Mar 3, 2016)

mysunwolf said:


> We thought we needed a drench gun and bought the one from Premier. It automatically refills as you go so that if you need a higher dose you can just drench, let it refill, then drench again. While it's a really nice tool, we only have 7-15 sheep at a time and have found that disposable syringes are much much easier for our small numbers.



Thank you for sharing mysunwolf!



Ponker said:


> I use this - https://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=219&criteria=drench
> 
> I bought this one because I have different sized sheep and can dose each one based on their weight. Recently, I have invested in a fecal home 'lab' to be able to drench my sheep on an individualized, as needed, basis instead of by calendar or season.
> 
> For a large flock this my not be practical.



Ponker, 

Thanks!  May I ask where you were able to purchase the fecal home 'lab' fecal home 'lab' ?

Also, have you found it very effective?


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## Ponker (Mar 4, 2016)

soarwitheagles said:


> Thanks! May I ask where you were able to purchase the fecal home 'lab' fecal home 'lab' ?



I didn't find a lab kit specifically. Southern by Choice wrote some very nice tutorials on doing your own fecals.
http://www.backyardherds.com/resources/the-mcmasters-method-fecal-analysis.55/
http://www.backyardherds.com/resources/mcmasters-method-fecal-analysis-part2.57/

They are great and can get you started very fast.

I also used http://fiascofarm.com/goats/fecals.htm
That is an incredible website chockerblock full of super info. I'm a sheep person and get a lot out of that website written for goats.

Also advice given to me by others is where to purchase the McMaster Counting Slides. The kit is very convenient. http://www.vetslides.com/paracount-epg-fecal-analysis-kit-with-mcmaster-type-counting-slides
It is what I ordered after comparing the costs. I ended up purchasing the three chamber slide.

I have a microscope purchased on Amazon along with the kit from Chalex. The other things I either ordered from Amazon or had available in-house.

I'm a beginner, still learning to recognize the eggs. I did buy a book to help me. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813824192?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

The true credit goes to Southern by choice who has answered many questions and has a great deal of experience with fecals.

The ROI (return on investment) for this expense is easy when you begin to save on vet bills for the analyisis' and the reduction in consumption of dewormer (over time). And the well being of my sheep... priceless.


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## soarwitheagles (Mar 5, 2016)

Thanks for sharing your insights.

Well, I tried to use a really nice ARDES DRENCH GUN 60ML that my friend and fellow rancher let me borrow, but to be honest with you, it seemed more of a hassle than an effective tool!

No matter how many times I experimented with water, I could not obtain a consistent and accurate measurement.

So, here is what I did:

Switched over to a 6 ml syringe.  Mixed the Prohibit at the concentrated drench solution ratio, and shot 2 ml per 50lbs of sheep [most of the sheep received 3 ml of the Prohibit drench, lambs received 1 ml, big ram received 4 ml of the drench].

We also showered every animal with a Permethrin solution using a 5 gallon backpack sprayer.

The sheep now appear more happy, peaceful, and content.

So, now we will see if the 4 thin ewes will begin to put on more body weight.

Thanks again everyone for all the good ideas and advice.

Happy Saturday to all!

Soar


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## secuono (Mar 5, 2016)

I have one like Ponker posted, mine is from TSC and yellow. It's too small to do all 12 of my sheep. More annoying than anything else, especially since it leaks when even slightly downward pointing. 
I might end up getting a little bigger, and hopefully less leaky, one in the future. 
Great thread!


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## soarwitheagles (Mar 6, 2016)

secuono said:


> I have one like Ponker posted, mine is from TSC and yellow. It's too small to do all 12 of my sheep. More annoying than anything else, especially since it leaks when even slightly downward pointing.
> I might end up getting a little bigger, and hopefully less leaky, one in the future.
> Great thread!



secuono,

Thank you for sharing!  Yes, the leaking when pointed downward was a hassle for us too when we experimented with the water.

Good news is the simple 6 ml syringe did the job in no time at all!

Today I purchased a 12 ml syringe from our local TS.  Now, in the future, we should be able to drench 6 sheep per 12 ml syringe!  Three to four refills per flock drench seems very reasonable.  So, it certainly does appear to be much easier.


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