Re: [Blackbelly] Fading lamb
Thanks Jann, I can't believe how difficult this lesson has been :(. I know death is be a part of this, but it just seemed so unnecessary. Natasha Sent from my iPad > I'm so sorry for your loss. I worry every day about my little ones and I > can't imagine your pain. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Fading lamb
I do have one mom with triplets who has been a little pushier than I'd like. When I found the lamb he was curled up against the hay feeding station. Those greedy moms could easily have squashed him. I need to pick axe open a frozen gate that will separate the flock. My next two ewes to go will be in that safe area away from the older lambs and less tolerant mothers. I don't think this lamb was over fed. His mother, for a first time mother, has been very good and attentive. I will keep my next set of lambs separate until they are stronger as you suggest. Thanks for your input, Cecil. Natasha British Columbia, Canada Sent from my iPad > The only time I have had lambs cry out in pain is when they had enterotoxemia > from over feeding. I would never elastrate a lamb before 4 months old. It > is possible that you little one tried to nurse another mother and was shoved > into the barn, ground, etc. I have seen other mothers being exceptionally > mean when the wrong lamb tried to nurse. These mothers usually found > another home if they were unnecessarily aggressive. I would always keep my > lambs in a pen with their mother for 4 to 5 days before turning them out with > the flock. This way they were bonded and did not try to nurse the wrong one... > ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Fading lamb
Thanks Carol. I have a few extra things to add for consideration. I know that I won't have a definitive answer but I want to throw some of this out there. This is the first time I've ever castrated. I have a very small flock - five ewes. I have grown tired of separating the ram lambs from the ewe lambs as my fenced areas are smaller than I'd like. I like seeing them all run together so I thought I'd castrate. Next time I won't castrate so young. The other fellas were a week old and strong, this guy was still little. The night before castration I was awakened by the sound of very close by foxes. I have livestock guardian dogs. One female is just under two and pretty solid but still immature. I haven't kept her in with the sheep at night, only once in awhile. So at 4:00 am I got up to check the sheep. The foxes were close and the dogs were barking. I put my dog in with the sheep. We have lots of snow here that is now hard and crusty and the animals can run on top of it to get around leaving my flock vulnerable. That morning was when I noticed the nick on the ram's head. Now I'm all worried that it was my dog who did this. But if the ram had neurological issues from a snap from the dog wouldn't they have manifested themselves right away? I have a hard time believing she did this as she will carefully lay among the sheep during the days while supervised. However, how does a two day old lamb get a nick? This leads me to my next point...don't castrate unless the lamb is 100%. He appeared fine that day but why stress him out with another procedure? Last thing to consider. This first time ewe has four nipples instead of two. Normally you'd probably not keep that but I liked her conformation and her lines throw some nice lambs. She's really skittish but I managed to express milk from two on the same side so I know her plumbing is working. If she is a little different - could that impact her lambs? I can't change what happened but for my remaining two ewes who have to deliver I will ensure that they have their own space to lamb and be apart from the rest of the flock as to avoid unfortunate accidents. Thanks for your input. Natasha British Columbia, Canada Sent from my iPad > Do not beat yourself up; simply learn. > > The only thing that occurred to me from reading your email is wondering if > perhaps it might be unnecessary to castrate your ram lambs. That would reduce > the amount of trauma that they have to go through, especially so soon after > birth. > It never gets easier. Don't let anyone tell you that it does. > > Carol ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Fading lamb
I put the lamb down about an hour after writing this. He started crying like he was in pain. My friend talked to a nurse and they feel that the lamb may have taken a hit to the head. It sounded like neurological damage. Sadly yours, Natasha Sent from my iPad ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Fading lamb
I know that death is a part of having animals but this is killing me nonetheless. One of my wee lambs is in the house being warmed up by hot towels and a heating pad. I found him in a lifeless heap this morning barely breathing. I am now reliving the last 24 hours and chastising myself for some bad decisions. I took the ram lambs to my friends place to elastrate them yesterday. This fella was the youngest, two days old. I noticed he had a small nick where his horns should be (if they had horns). It was bleeding slightly and I had no idea how he got the cut. My friend examined it and we decided it was alright and did the elastrating. He was hale and hearty afterwards and I had no reason to be concerned. This morning his wound was a little infected. I don't know if the wound and the elastration was too much for his little body. I think now that I shouldn't have elastrated him. I brought him to my friends again to try and find a solution. His heart was beating well, good breath - just totally limp. We tube fed him electrolytes, he had a poop, but still hasn't picked up. We're back at home and on the heating pad and he moans now and again. I treated his head. My friend has never seen this type of presentation before. Is it neurological? Did he take a whack on the head and now he's hooped? The vet wants $175 emergency call out to see him. Any suggestions? Natasha British Columbia, Canada Sent from my iPad ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] ABB Rams fighting video
Wow! Great video! I only have one adult ram and he occasionally takes a cheap run at me. He's a bottle baby and all I have to do is take his collar and its over. Such power and force with your rams. I can't believe how the one fella got knocked over like that! You must've felt helpless watching. I'm glad no one got hurt. Does this make the aggressor top ram now? Thanks for the video, Natasha British Columbia, Canada Sent from my iPad ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] lamb does not recognize momma
Great post! Another thing is this...if the lamb is hypothermic she must be warmed up before she is fed. It has something to do with how they metabolize their food. I can't remember the specifics but maybe someone else can chime in? Natasha British Columbia, Canada Sent from my iPad > Newborn lambs lose a tremendous amount of their body heat if not fed > immediately, and can quickly develop hypothermia due to lack of nourishment. > Check the newborn lamb's sucking reflex by sticking your index finger in her > mouth. This will also help you determine if she is warm or cold. If the > inside of her mouth is cold, she is developing hypothermia and must be warmed > immediately to get her body temperature up and save her life. Lambs can > develop hypothermia even if the weather outside is warm. To warm her up, > wrap her in some towels which have been warmed in your oven. Hypothermic > lambs will quickly become weak (within a few hours of birth) and may not be > able to suck. If you cannot get her to take a bottle, then you must tube > feed her to save her life. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] worming sheep with DE and Garlic Barrier
Thank you for this post, Cathy! Are you using food grade DE or an agricultural grade from the feed store? I know that DE is supposed to be wonderful but there are no food grade dealers around me. How much do you use? What does the apple cider vinegar do? What is the Garlic Barrier? I would like to incorporate this into my small flock. I have Katahdin sheep as well. Thanks for the info, Natasha British Columbia, Canada Sent from my iPad > While still living in Nevada six years ago, I purchased my breeding stock of > American Blackbelly (ABB) and now I have 5 Katahdin hair sheep. During my > first year of raising the ABB sheep I used Cydectin for worming, but then I > read about diatemaceous earth (DE) for worming and began using that. I > misted their grain with 50/50 water/ACV and then sprinkled the grain with a > good dusting of DE which works well for worming the sheep. I had also read > about Garlic Barrier in Sheep! Magagzine. > > Three years ago this May we moved to NE Texas, and I introduced myself to a > local veterinarian shortly after moving here. I told him that raised sheep > and he said "you'll have to worm your sheep here every 30 days". I told him > that I used DE and he said that my sheep would die here if I just used that. > (Geez, no wonder the wormers don't work anymore) I located a young couple > who raise grass fed sheep about 1 hour west of where we live, and they were > mixing DE into kelp and free feeding the sheep this mix. They also did a > drench periodically with a liquid Amway soap. So for the first year here in > TX, I used the DE/kelp mix and then I looked the info back up regarding the > Garlic Barrier and bought a gallon of that in 2010. I continued free feeding > the DE/kelp mix and did a periodic drench with Garlic Barrier and water (no > more than 3 x per year) and that works really well. If an animal gets thin > and the Garlic drench did not seem to work, I would give them a dose of Sa feGuard but that is pretty rare. > ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Rejected lambs
Two of my yearling ewes did that too this season. I put the families into a 6 x 6 confined pen and they ended up mothering up fairly well. Last year one mom was a psycho with the second born and looked like she was going kill it! She would really knock that lamb around. I would continue to hold the ewe while the babies nurse and I think the stanchion is a good idea. At least the babes are nursing from mom for a couple of days before you resign yourself to bottle feeding. Do you have a lot to lamb out? Your effort at bonding them now may help you if you end up with more bottle babies in terms of your own personal energy - one less set of mouths to feed. Good luck and let us know how the stanchion works out, Natasha Sent from my iPad > I just had my second ewe lamb last night. She had twins, a ram and a ewe > between 2:45 and 3:45 AM. When the first one (the ram) was born she began to > clean him off, but once he moved she began butting him into the wall. > Fortunately I was there to rescue him. She did a little better with the ewe, > but not much. This is her first lambing. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse
Today my sheep friend came by again to take a look at my girls, hear my concerns, and allay my fears. Here's the poop: The Katahdin sheep are not ready to go yet by looking at their udders - they have a way to go. The ewe who is prolapsing mildly appears to have multiples by their estimation. I thought she meant twins...no, triplets. She does see this with her ewes who have triplets. I need to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't get worse, make sure she walks around a bit more. She developed a lump on her udder - it felt like a testicle of all things. Her udder is not hot, it may be a gland? She wasn't worried about it. They noticed that my ewes seemed to look a bit bloated and recommended offering baking soda to them, as much as they like, to reduce the gas. I am graining but they thought they looked too full for the amount I am giving. Incidentally, since they have offered it to their goats the milk tastes better and the milk fat concentration has increased. They also recommended offering molasses. This is what has worked for them. I don't need to call a vet but just keep a careful eye on my girlies. I can't imagine them getting any bigger but if they have too much gas from the grain maybe that's why they look so big? Have any of you heard of the baking soda? What were the results? Can I overdo the dry molasses? Thanks for listening and sharing :) Natasha Sent from my iPad ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Limping ewe
> I'd never heard of this term either (thanks for asking, Michael!). I Googled > and think it may originate from "Lamb Textured Feed." Sorry, I accidentally hit send on the last post when I wasn't ready to send... Here is an example of what is in "sheep text" http://otter-coop.com/_customelements/uploadedResources/NM14SheepText.pdf I believe you are correct with the name textured feed. Sorry, I'm new to all this and don't have the lingo figured out. Natasha ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Limping ewe
Sent from my iPad On 2012-03-07, at 8:45 AM, "Carol J. Elkins" wrote: > I'd never heard of this term either (thanks for asking, Michael!). I Googled > and think it may originate from "Lamb Textured Feed." See > http://www.showmasterfeeds.com/showmaster/en/products/lamb/show-lamb-textured-feed/index.jsp > > Carol > > At 08:36 AM 3/7/2012, you wrote: > > >> > what is Lamb Text? >> >> That is what they call creep feed here - at the feed store that is how you >> ask for it. It's a mix of pellets and grains. I think it's a bizarre way >> of naming it - but that is what it is. >> >> Natasha >> ___ >> This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list >> Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info > > ___ > This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list > Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Limping ewe
> what is Lamb Text? That is what they call creep feed here - at the feed store that is how you ask for it. It's a mix of pellets and grains. I think it's a bizarre way of naming it - but that is what it is. Natasha ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Limping ewe
One of my ewes got into too much lamb text this fall. I was worried she was going to bloat. One of the symptoms associated with acidosis is limping which is caused by inflamed laminae (sp?). The vet recommended that I soak her sore foot in ice old water. If she continues limping maybe this will help. Good luck, Natasha ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
