Author Topic: Off feed after lambing? (Read 3949 times)

andywalt · « **on:** January 30, 2011, 10:43:38 pm »

Is this a coinsidence or is it normal? my first 3 ewes didnt eat much at all for a couple of days after lambing? I thought there was something wrong and gave them all 3 days of anti biotics $:-\$ Probabily didnt need it? is this a normal thing? can anyone shed any light on the matter? 3rd day and all eating fine.....was it the anti biotics? or was it just that they go off there feed?

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** January 31, 2011, 02:01:42 am »

Usually as soon as ewes have lambed, washed their lambs and suckled them they are ravenously hungry and thirsty. We give them a bucket of clean water and a good handful of concentrates (coarse mix). Sometimes they also eat the placenta. After that they usually eat normally. The shyer ones though sometimes don't come up to the trough until they bring their lambs to join the flock after a couple of days. Any which have had a hard lambing and might still be in pain from internal bruising may well not be eating normally at first. Maybe someone else can suggest a possible cause but as it was all three I would think there wasn't a problem

morri2 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 01, 2011, 12:59:44 pm »

I've had a couple like that. Couldn't understand why they were not hungry after all that hard work. What I found was that they picked at the nuts, then ignored the hay for a good 24 hours or so. After that they began eating normally. They could be a bit traumatised after lambing, or, as Fleecewife says, a bit sore and bruised. After all, its not every day they give birth!