The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: mcd on April 11, 2019, 08:37:37 pm
-
This evening I ring banded a lamb (making sure not to trap the teats) born early yesterday. The lamb seemed very uncomfortable initially but hasn't really recovered and is now very dull. We have cut the rubber ring off but no improvement. I just do not understand what could be causing this as its the usual method I use without problems? Is it too young? Am I panicking
-
As long as he’d fed, he wasn’t too young, no.
It could be an unconnected ailment, or it could be that a bit of intestine got trapped too, and by the time the band was cut off had suffered significant damage. Is he pooping and peeing ok?
-
Hope by now all is well , I would suspect that the lamb had some problem that increased with ringing .
-
He is reasonably ok. Been penned up with the ewe today and seems alright. It does make me wonder whether there is something underlying but will now wait until early next week before I try and ring him again. Fingers crossed.
-
A very experienced stockman who is my sheep guru told me once that very very occasionally you get a lamb with tricky physiology and the banding causes trauma. He said he had come across it two or three times after a lifetime of banding sheep and goats. You may have just been unlucky in positioning or it was unrelated but unless you have to band this one worth considering leaving it entire. Some years I band as it gives more flexibility on turn out chums but other years I leave entire and they go off to the abbatoir quite happily come September