Diary

Six weeks to lambingRSS feed

Posted: Monday 17 February, 2014

by Rosemary Champion at 11:02am in Sheep Comments closed

We had the vet out yesterday to Penny, second time lamber carrying twins, who was lame and a bit off-colour. Didn't come to the trough in the morning (started feeding the ewes on Saturday) - a Ryeland that doesn't come to the trough is always a cause for concern :-(

Made a pen in the field shelter and brought her in; put Jinx in with her for company (Jinx had "escaped" on Saturday when we were splitting them into "twins / triplets" and "singles / barren / ewe hoggs" and slipped in with the singles, so she needed to be moved anyway.)

Penny had been very lame earlier in the week; I had brought her in, trimmed her foot and applied copious amounts of antibiotic spray. She was in until Saturday, by which time she was much better but not completely sound.

I didn't think it was any of the pregnancy related metabolic diseases - she's seven weeks off lambing and in pretty much perfect condition. Her temperature was normal. The vet thinks she has a foot infection - not footrot, but in the foot perhaps from a puncture wound. He gave her Alamycin and the ubiquitous Metacam with instructions to give her some twin lamb drench if she still wasn't eating by teatime.

At teatime, she ate a wee bit of cake, some oatcakes and munched hay. This morning, she was much brighter, ate three digesive biscuits, a slice of apple and hay. Not eating cake though - maybe she doesn't like it?

Juno, one of my original three ewes (with Jinx and Jura), has also moved into the field shelter. Maybe it's to stay with Jinx, but I suspect it's because that's where she knows the treats are.

I'll check Penny's foot later, but she certainly seems to be on the mend.

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