General sheep thread

Mad about baa baas

Hi all. I hope santy came and treated ye well..

I had a ewe lamb here yesterday..2nd crop ewe

she was full term but had twins that look like quads..they are tiny..they are up.and sucking and bright enough but i was just wondering of possible causes? Had a few more lambs since and are all plenty big.

This ewe is also scarce enough in milk. Im hoping as small.as they are they wont need much to begin with and she might come on

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122995105#Comment_122995105

Would she have been a poor/slow feeder? Other thing is some strain of abortion.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122995105#Comment_122995105

Had they plenty to eat, they'd need to be getting 2lbs meal for a month before lambing. Was she eating silage, could be listeria

Mad about baa baas

Thanks for the replies

they Were well fed i think..had several sets of twins since and all plenty big..no silage ..had them out during the day and in at night till they started..had decent grass and hay outside and fed twice a day..they are still lively anyway but just teeny..the ewe is a great grubber ..

The only other thing is the placenta looked a little unusual..little nodules like strawberries.

She is the only one out of the bunch so far so hopefully a one off and not a strain of abortion

Next group due in a couple of weeks so fingers crossed

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122999541#Comment_122999541

The placenta you describe is definitely pointing at some form of abortion/interference imo.

Kevhog1988

I had one like that a few yrs ago. He was 600g at birth out of a massive Suffolk x ewe and Dorset ram. I fed him by turning ewe up 3 times a day for 3 weeks til he could reach the tents himself.

He came into Savage money in the end as lambs were very scarce when he was finally fit.

jfh

Feeding ewes outside on silage, have one with twin lamb disease, was going to bring them all in for a few days as weather is promised bad for next two days, would it upset them too much? lambing in Feb, not sure about changing sheep diet too much, I'd be giving them hay inside

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123000572#Comment_123000572

Are they getting meal outside? If they are, they'll be no fear of them inside. Maybe give 2 feeds/day when inside until they're settled. It'll prevent twin lamb disease too if they're properly fed. The hay wouldn't be adding much nutrition, only a Fibre source really to keep stomach right. Ewes coming close to lambing need energy dense feedstuffs.

jfh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123003506#Comment_123003506

Thanks white clover, appreciate the advice, we're in sheep all my life but I left it to the father. Yes they were in ewe and lamb nuts so not too much of a disturbance. Regards the hay, it's over two years old now so intend to give them silage in future, the hay keeps them nice and dry but doubt there's much feeding value in it. Not lambing until 1 st week of Feb so intend to let them out again for 10 days

DJ98

What type of feeding barrier do people find best?

roosky

the only feed barrier to buy is the one from O’Donovans, that design anyway. They are the one with the access gate that opens all the way to the ground. I have half the shed with them and the other half done with the standard gate that they have to jump over and the ewes don’t like crossing it, even with lambs they prefer to run straight into the pen

DJ98

Is there a tams grant available for sheep feeding barriers?

joe35

When does the census need to be filled in by??

DJ98

Any tips or advice for controlling footrot in housed lambs? 50 lambs in and approx 15 with rotten feet. They have been paired back, treated with alymicyin spray, injections got from vet and footbathed weekly in formalin but still can't get on top of it.

Bleating Lamb

What kind of bed are they on and are they eating Silage or hay?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123039523#Comment_123039523

,Its not good to footbath too often in formalin, the hoof gets too hard and cracks off. you'll need to be treating them intensively now. ie use lime every time you bed them, maybe use zinc sulphate in the footbath for a while and then formalin once.

Give them 5 mins in the footbath if using zinc sulphate and then on to a fresh bed with lots of lime, If you had an infection in your foot you'd be bathing it more than once a week.

There's no miracle cures but foot vax is working very well here. I don't know how it'd work in the face of an outbreak though.

joe35

Last year I put lime directly on to the infected foot. Seemed to dry them up quickly

Dickie10

no Heptavac P to be got as we know, so im vaccinatiing with Covexin or Tribavex the vet has both, i vaccinated my lambs in october with covexin to prevent braxy, struck, blackleg, pulpy kidney etc and thought it worked well. what would you people go for on here covexin or tribavex. this is fro in lamb ewes 6 weeks from lambing

Jimbo789

I bought some Heptavac P today to use in a few weeks when heard people talking about there being a shortage.

Dickie10

where did u get it?

foxirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123042584#Comment_123042584

Covexin 10 and tribavex 10 are the exact same thing in a different bottle as far as I know.

Jimbo789

Usually would buy it in Midlands veterinary in Tullamore but had to go to Grennans Rath today so just got it there. 2 X 250ml bottles

DJ98

How many mule ewes averaging 70kgs would a 16x16 straw bedded pen hold roughly? 16 ft feeding space too.

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123052256#Comment_123052256

You have lying space for 14 but only feeding space for 9.

Mad about baa baas

Will depocillin work on joint ill? 5 or 7 days?

jfh

I have lost a few lambs due to the ewe lying on them, both sheep have foot problems, even though they regularly go through footbath with formulin, anyone else have the same issues

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123083374#Comment_123083374

Have you lifted their feet? It may be something like a small stone or piece of dried dirt between the digits. Post a picture here if you're not sure after giving them a good examination.

Kevhog1988

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123084364#Comment_123084364

Cull the lame ones if its recurring. best thing i ever did was load up anything with an issue one day. i dont think my sheep have had a hoof pared in 3/4 years and are all fine.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123079928#Comment_123079928

We inject for ten days, any less it just comes back

Mad about baa baas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123091502#Comment_123091502

Thanks for that..how quickly should they come sound..im on day 4 here and no real improvement..the lamb is bright and nursing just o. 3 legs..knee is swollen