Is this just asking for trouble?

[EmsoffLambs]

I've got a six month old ewe in my keeper pen that isn't prolapsing, but her rectum is rather "loose." It looks about like this most of the time. Am I just asking for trouble keeping this girl? Will she inevitably prolapse when I breed her?

[Califmom]

I am curious about this too, I have seen sheep like this.

[FMC77]

If it was me, I'd take the chance and breed her, she may never prolapse, then again she might, if that's the case you can fix a rectal prolapse pretty easily.

[meyersshowlambs]

Iodine shots now. Should be fine later.

[Bigiron59]

With many choices in most barns, she would not be a "keeper" here.  Why ask for trouble?.  But we all define keeper in a lot of different ways.Fat lamb is worth 225 to kill here. Prolapsed yearling ewe that did not raise a lamb, is worth maybe 100 . Easy choice .She ain't worth nothing if she ends up on compost heap.

[meyersshowlambs]

So basically you'd be keeping her and giving up $225. If she raises one lamb, she paid for herself, if she raises 2 lambs you doubled your money, 3 lambs...

[ARLambs]

I would keep her especially if she has been being pushed for rapid growth, it will stop as soon as she is treated like a ewe.

[EmsoffLambs]

She got pretty fat early so I kicked her out with the ewes for a month when she was about four months old. She's in better condition now.  I have had bred ewes prolapse and have yet to lose one of them. Iodine injections and a prolapse harness until they lamb and then they're fine to raise their lambs. I just don't want to perpetuate a genetic problem. Just wondering what everyone else's experience has been with ewe lambs that look like this. Do they usually prolapse?

[Bigiron59]

Lots of ways to the end of the race. You evidently have decided to take the risk. Others seem as well to agree. Here , she be lamb chops. With 200 head of ewes and growing, I don't have time for any of the production methods you are suggesting to keep here productive. With a growing segemnt of my rams going into large  commercial flocks, having one of these type here , when a prospective ram shopper is here, is to risky for me.  These guys will want to see "momma", and nothing will kill a sale quicker than seeing one of these. I know we all think we can " fix" these, but  I sell more and more rams each year into  large commercial flocks.So she gets culled here. 
From a buyers perspective, are you going to buy a daughter, or Stud Ram out of one of these you fixed.
I don't have problems with these, because I culled them as they happened years ago.Her other 10 penmates did not do this. What makes her worth keeping, when none of her other peers did not do this.
Just playing the devils advocate.
Also , know the most of you are saying you will keep them, means 3 flocks that I am likely not interested investing in genetic peices from.
Just saying.

[meyersshowlambs]

No. In the experiences I've had, with ewe lambs that look like that, they do not usually prolapse due to gestating. The iodine shots have worked great for me to hold them in until they are , as Cindy said, "treated like a ewe".  The "Rosebudding" rectal prolapse has seemed to be hereditary but only has lasted for me during their growing months while being pushed with grain. A full blown prolapse, at a young age, might be a different consideration.

[Califmom]

What is the correlation with grain? Is it internal fat? And can it affect wethers/rams too? Just wanting to learn 

[EmsoffLambs]

While I know it can occur, prolapsing is MUCH less common in males than it is in female. I have personally never had a ram/wether prolapse. And yes, internal fat can contribute to prolapse as it simply takes up more room internally.

[MizLiz]

I think feeding them hard increases the internal fat and pushes the rectum, however, I have seen plenty of overly fat ewe lambs that never do that, so there is a huge genetic component.

My issue with keeping a lamb like this is that she might produce a lamb, probably the best in the barn (cause it always seems to work out like that) that will do this or prolapse worse. Yes, selling 1 lamb makes your money back in feed but what about the kid that calls 3 months later cause his lamb is prolapsing and can't fix it. Not worth the headache in my opinion, plus you never know when the prolapse gene will rear its head later on and ruin your best lamb. Kind of like parrot mouths. 1 great great grandmother twice removed had it and the ewe lamb you wanted to keep cause she's the last of her line, etc is off in her mouth. I've probably opened a can of worms with that one, but all I'm saying is that's how these defects pop up later on and can bite you. People say " where did that come from, the parents were fine" but somewhere back in the pedigree there was a parrot mouth/ prolapser/ etc, that was too good to cull. 
So I guess my answer/opinion of the original question of is that ewe lamb asking for trouble, yes. Either she is or her lambs will be. Just my 2 cents

[AF32197]

Crystal, I am in agreement with Shane on this one. The last few years we had the Dorsets our local vet used to give me a hard time about starving him to death. LOL I am pretty sure that you have plenty of good replacement ewe lambs to not keep a potential problem that can very easily turn into bigger problems. The iodine  works but it basically hides the problem instead of curing it. I'd take the market cash and run. JMHO

[Jimmy Davis]

If you like her quality, I think you should keep her to experiment with. I'm sure the feed costs to find out won't break you, and the $200 you might get for her now won't make you. So why not keep her around and find out what happens? You might end up marketing some perfectly good females over the years if you don't find out for yourself if it's a problem. Just my opinion.