Topics

31

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / They Eat My Trailer Wires

« on: February 18, 2016, 09:46:08 am »

My sheep eat the wires on my trailers.  Does anyone else have this problem?  You'd think I would have learned to just leave the trailer outside the fence so someone could steal it.  Instead I leave it out back. 

I let the sheep out to weed eat and graze and they eat the wires as a snack.  I've rewiring the trailer a half dozen times.  The last time we put the plastic wire cover over the part where all the wires come together and fastened the rest of the wires with zip ties to the bottom of the frame.  Yesterday they reached under the frame and yanked the wires down and ate them!

Is this a nutritional issue?  Certainly not a boredom issue since they are not confined when they are doing this.

32

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Lamb Without Anus

« on: February 14, 2016, 07:06:15 pm »

I was wondering if anyone else has had a lamb born without an anus? 

I had a set of twins (one ram and one ewe) born about 2 weeks ago.  They were both strong and healthy at birth.  After 3+ days the ram lamb wasn't following his mom and sister around.  His tummy was round and full.  Later that evening he attracted my attention when he started crying out.  I noticed him straining and crying and thought that he was pinned or constipated.  Color me shocked when I lifted his tail and found he had no anus!

I had this happen to a lamb in the late 70's.  With that lamb the vet told me that most of the time the intestinal tract is usually not completely formed and the animal has to be put down.  He thought that this one might be complete but that the opening never formed.  He carefully made an opening and fortunately for the lamb, it was complete.  We raised the lamb up to butcher.

On this lamb, the first vet that I contacted didn't want to try.  She said that it usually ends badly and that my last one was a rarity.  She was supportive of me contacting another vet to try to make an opening.  My small animal vet used to treat large animals as part of his practice.  He told me to bring the lamb in.  Fortunately the procedure worked on this lamb too.  I had to take him back in to open it again because scar tissue started closing him up. 

Economically feasible?  No.  Did it make me and him feel better?  You bet!

I'd love to hear if anyone else has had this problem.   

33

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Triplets and Milk Replacer

« on: February 05, 2016, 03:01:42 pm »

I had a set of triplets born during the night.  Mom is doing an excellent job of caring for them.  She seems to have plenty of milk right now but I know that as the lambs grow, her production won't be able to keep up with the demand. 

Your thoughts on whether to pull one off of her and raise it on a bottle or leave all three on her and convince one or more that the bottle is a great supplement. 

I currently have another ewe that has twins and doesn't have sufficient milk.  The babies nurse off of her but come running to me for a bottle several times per day.  That arrangement is working great because they get some milk from Mom and also have her to protect them.

34

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Minerals With or Without Bovatec

« on: January 24, 2016, 11:51:41 am »

I purchases loose minerals this past week and they gave me the option of Sweetlix with Bovatec for coccidiosis or without.  I purchased it without the Bovatec because the lambs grain has a coccidiostat included.  My question is whether or not it is okay to feed minerals with Bovatec to lambs that are already receiving a medicated feed?  And would it be beneficial to feed the pregnant ewes Bovatec?

35

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Almond Mulch for Pens?

« on: January 15, 2016, 12:41:27 am »

They are still telling us that the drought is a long way from being over.  Unfortunately, we are under some serious mud right now.  With lambs due any day, I'm worried about lambs being born and wandering away from mom and into the mud.  I lost several lambs five years ago when storms left us with boot-sucking mud.  The lambs get hypothermic the moment they lay down.

While on Craigslist I ran across an ad for Almond Mulch being advertised as Livestock Bedding.  While I wouldn't consider it as bedding in a lambing jug, I'm thinking it might work for turning the mud into a passable footing.  Any thoughts?  Our mud is 6" or more in most areas where the sheep walk and every other low spot.

http://modesto.craigslist.org/grd/5393527533.html  It's $8/yd.  Is that reasonable?

36

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Pipestone Webinar on Lambing Preparation

« on: January 06, 2016, 05:30:26 pm »

I received an email today from Pipestone about a Webinar on Lambing Time Preparation.  To access the webinar you have to be a member or join at a cost of $20.  Does anyone know if they have had previous webinars and if it is worth the $20 cost to participate?

Lambing Time Preparation Webinar
We're having a webinar and you're invited!  Join Veterinarians Dr. G.F. Kennedy, Dr. Jay Bobb, and Dr. Larry Goelz for Pipestone's very first sheep & goat webinar covering:
Essential Barn Supplies for Lambing
Processing Lambs and Vaccinating
Colostrum, Milk Replacer, and the Lac-Tek Milk Machine
Abortion Control: What Constitutes an Outbreak and How to Proceed
Plus a Q&A Session that you can participate in live!
An opportunity you won't want to miss before lambing season!

When: January 11th at 6:30 p.m. Central Time
Where: You can access from anywhere online.  After purchasing we will send you the login information for the webinar.

Webinar is free to Pipestone Shepherds Club members!  Not a member yet?  Click here or call 800.658.2523 to learn more.

Not interested in all the other Shepherd's Club features?  Click here to purchase access to this one webinar for $20.
 

37

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Soremouth Vaccine

« on: December 20, 2015, 06:48:50 pm »

I have questions regarding sore mouth and the vaccine. 

I've been invited to place a few of my LAI lambs in a sale.  I was told that I need to vaccinate for sore mouth.  I've cut the feed back on the mothers and am going to wean the lambs tomorrow or Tuesday and then vaccinate.  Here's my question, none of my sheep have been vaccinated for sore mouth before.  I was told the ewes don't need to be vaccinated because it predominantly affects the lambs and usually not a problem after 6 months of age.  I've also heard that ewes get it on their udders and won't let lambs nurse.  We are due to start lambing in a month and don't want problems with the ewes.  Should the entire flock of ewes be vaccinated?  Also, does the vaccine cover just one strain or multiple?

Your input on this is greatly appreciated!

38

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Prohibit Dewormer Special **Sale Extended**

« on: November 28, 2015, 01:52:00 pm »

Jefferspet.com has a special deal on Prohibit Dewormer today only.  It's $22.28 but when you buy 3 you get one free.  Plus shipping is free on this order.  They have a limited number available.  I just finished ordering and my order went thru so they still have it available.
http://www.jefferspet.com/products/12-days-of-christmas-prohibit-levisole-powder-52-g

I checked the site today.  12 Days of Christmas specials have been extended until supplies have been depleted.  Prohibit is still available as of today 12/10.

39

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Nuflor Dosage

« on: November 23, 2015, 02:14:12 am »

I have a 5 week old lamb that has developed a cough over the past week.  He's not hacking but I'm catching him coughing often enough that I'm a bit concerned.  He's eating and playing but has loose stools and now doesn't seem to be gaining at the same rate as the others.   

I thought Nuflor would be the drug of choice but can't remember the dosage for his age and if I should administer it SQ or IM.  Do you think Nuflor is best or another antibiotic? 

40

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Topics for Reference

« on: November 10, 2015, 06:53:01 pm »

Since MyLamb is gone and with it, all the excellent posts for reference, I was thinking that it would be great if those of you that have so much knowledge would post helpful information that would be available for quick reference.  There is always the need for immediate information on such things as pregnancy toxemia, when to glove up and check a ewe, what to do if the ewe won't accept one of her lambs/grafting etc, how and when to tube a lamb, etc. 

Often times a new breeder, and sometimes us older ones, needs immediate support from those more experienced.  Not always is an experienced breeder available to answer when someone has an emergency.  Having this information on the site would be of immeasurable help.

41

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Ewe Not Cycling

« on: October 16, 2015, 03:38:45 pm »

I'm wondering if any of you have had this experience and how, if possible, you resolved it.

I have a ewe, a very nice one, that was bred last year as a lamb.  I didn't have a due date for her and checked regularly.  The day she lambed in March, I checked her at noon and while it seemed she was getting close I didn't think she'd lamb that day.  When I got home at 8pm she had a head and one foot sticking out.  The was swollen and I couldn't get it back inside to get the second leg.  The vet was sure the lamb was dead and had to cut the head off in order to extract the lamb.  The ewe, while swollen for a week, seemed otherwise fine.

Fast forward to early September.  I CIDRed her, gave her PG600 on schedule and took her up to a very nice ram for live cover breeding.  The other two ewes were covered by the ram but she didn't marked.  I brought her home, scratched my head, and tried to figure out what went wrong.  Then I thought that perhaps she got bred in the trailer on the way home from the fair in July.  With that thought in mind, I took a blood sample to the lab to check for pregnancy.  I came back clearly not pregnant.

I sent her out with our ram a week after she came home from her date.  Four weeks later, she hasn't been marked and the ram has shown absolutely no interest in her.

I contacted Pipestone to see what they would say.  I was told to CIDR her for 12 days and give her a shot of PG600 and turn her out with the ram.  That will be tomorrows task.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?  By the way, she is excellent body condition.

42

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / If You Need A Good Laugh

« on: October 11, 2015, 09:18:12 pm »

What Happens When Animals Get Too Fat

https://www.facebook.com/GymPass.com.br/videos/10201094721800702/?fref=nf

43

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Broken Leg

« on: October 11, 2015, 09:12:09 pm »

The ewe stepped on one of her twins .  I'm sure there is a fracture as the lamb bears little weight on her hind leg.  Since I'm not feeling a break, do any of you know how to tell if the break is above or below the hock?  Splinting is going to be considerable different if it is above the hock.

Since MyLamb seems to be gone, I can't reference past posts.  Time to start anew here .

44

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / First LAI Babies!

« on: October 05, 2015, 04:21:47 pm »

We welcomed twin ram lambs from Viking Genetics ram Tomcat this morning.  They weren't due until the 14th so it was a surprise.  Both are pretty tiny.  I don't have a scale but I don't think they weigh more than six pounds.  Mom's first lambs so I'm keeping a close eye on them.

45

All Sheep and Lamb Discussion / Oat Hay and Rye Blend

« on: September 09, 2015, 07:30:57 pm »

Any thoughts on oat hay and rye blend?  A friend called me to say she can get me a stack for $5.00/bale.  Bales weigh 110 lbs so it's a really good deal.  I had planned on just feeding it to a couple of our horses but will feed it to the sheep if it's okay for them.  I'll probably hold some back for lambing time to use as bedding.  Last season a bale of straw was running $9.