The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: waterhouse on October 01, 2010, 08:03:00 pm
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The others are putting on weight but not this one tho' he has an appetite and buries his head in the food bucket. They were all wormed when I bought them - saw it done - so what's the likely problem?
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Hi! A few questions: What is the age of the sheep, is it a ewe? Has she been feeding lambs? How long ago is it since they were wormed and if more than six weeks, it might need another dose/change of wormer. If the ewe has lambed a few times they tend to look thin on the back end anyway because everything tends to drop! If she's been feeding lambs this year, particularly twins, it can take it out of them and it can be a while before they are back in condition. You could try taking a droppings sample and sending it to the vets for a worm count but this is a bit of a pain because you have to isolate the sheep for a while to make sure you're getting poo from the right sheep. And of course, you will be charged but not sure how much (someone else on this site might though) Cheers!!
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Liver fluke is a likely candidate at this time of year. Did the dose you used do fluke as well?
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He's one of this years boys. The others are all on weight but he isn't and you can feel every bone in his back. The farmer I bought him from dosed all of then as we loaded them but I don't know with what.
We don't have any running water on or near our property. Is liver fluke still a risk in Hertfordshire?
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Regarding the likelihood of fluke, I would ask your nearest sheep farmer if he has to dose for fluke. If he does then you will need to as well.
Beth