This is Abraham when he was just a few weeks old. He was so black.
This is him now. All reddish and huge with the black face and legs.
And he's sick. I took the 3 ram lambs to a friend's place to eat down her garden area. They have eaten most everything in a little over 2 weeks. So I brought them some sheep feed and sunflower seeds and alfalfa pellets. She's been giving them minerals too. But I thought they might need something else. I noticed Abraham was a little droopy and hanging back from the others. Not his usual friendly self. Then I noticed the lump under his jaw. Again. I had wormed them all before I took them there. The other 2 look fine.
So today I made a list of what all to take to them. I stopped and got penicillan since mine was way out dated. Some syringes. Some thiamine. I have Valbazen and some Ivermectin. But didn't have any Cydectin. So stopped at the feed store to get that. Plus some ACV for their water. Got there and we fed them and I got Abraham and gave him Ivermectin and Cydectin orally. Then gave him a shot of pen. and thiamine. She also made a bucket of molasses, salt and baking soda and he drank a lot of that.
I called just now to check on him and she said he was up and eating and drank a lot of the molasses water. I'm going back to town in the morning and i'll go by and check on him again. I left 2 syringes of penicillan for my friend to give him every other day. I hope he makes it.
Any of you with sheep, have you been dealing with lots of worms and mineral deficiancies? It's been abd here. And with the goats. If you have any idea of what else to do for him, please tell me. I am open to any suggestions. I just want him to be ok. And why aren't the other 2 rams doing this as well? I went ahead and wormed them too with Cydectin. So it's been a little over 2 weeks when I wormed them before. Maybe too late?
5 comments:
We have had that problem too!Do you check their eye lids? We used cydectin & were rotating our pasture & we still had an out break of worms. Just like you it only affected some. My vet was surprised cydectin wasn't working, he said that is what he uses as a last resort. He gave us Valbazen & that worked.We had a fecal sample done & the worms went from moderate to none.good luck!
It's a rough year for worms! I just did the lambs for the first time yesterday. I like to wait until they reach a healthy weight.
I did notice one starting with bottle jaw ... I give mine a concentrate of mixed vitamins and electrolytes in their water all summer long. I call it their "crack water" They will drink about 50+gals. a day when I add that to the water. I'll start drawing back in a couple of weeks to every other day ... and so on.
I also rotate them in different pastures every 2- 3 weeks.
And most EVERY year I only have to worm them in the spring and fall.
I really am big on flock rotation, and that just adds to their health. Hubby, thinks I'm nuts, when I spend more time taking care of the pasture than the lawn. hmmm maybe I should just fence the lawn.
My sheep are on an all organic pasture tho.
Good luck with your boy, I hope you get a hold on the worm issue.
Teri
Thank you both for your insight. I do rotate pastures. I am letting one rest while they are on another. And I have been reading about the life cycle of the Barber Pole worms. It's like a 21 day cycle. So I think I'll keep them on a pasture or area for at least a month, then move them again.
Do you all mow your pasture after you take the sheep out? Because the larvae will travel UP the tall grasses.
And what do you plant in each pasture? I have a neighbor up the road who has Katahdin sheep. He had big equipment too. I don't. But he had pigs in his front pasture awhile. Then about a week later put his sheep in there. Then he plowed it all up and planted what looks like corn but could be oats and other legumes. It's about 3-4 feet tall right now. Then he'll put his sheep back in there. I am going to talk to him to see if he'll come do my pastures.
And how many sheep do y'all have? I only have 5 grown ewes and 4 ewe lambs and the 3 ram lambs.
When do y'all breed your ewe lambs? Or do you go by size? Mine are pretty big that were born in Feb. and March. In fact, Adele is as big or bigger than her mother right now.
So many questions. But I am learning as I go here! Thanks.
I have 21 sheep.This is our 3rd year. We do mow our pasture when we take them out, again our vet says that helps & the heat should also kill them. I like to wait till they are 18 months.Last year I had one born in Jan. & she was big so I bred her in the fall. She had the tiniest twins & I was really worried I had bred her too young, but they were fine & oh so cute!
Kris,
Silly as this sounds yes, I do mow mine down. I wait until I know it is going to rain.
But see this year with the drought,and my fractured knee, hubby has been the shepherd, love him, and am grateful for him taking care of the sheep. But, they are not his thing ...
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