The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: ScotsGirl on February 21, 2011, 10:12:42 pm
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Hi, just wondered if any of you out there have any experience with Icelandic sheep? A friend of mine bought a small flock about a year ago and has had real bad luck with them losing a couple of the original ewes, her ram a few weeks ago and most of last years lambs. No consistency of symptoms, one minute running around, hour or so later dead.
Wondered if they need something different in their diet. She didn't vaccinate against anything so might have something to do with it. She did get a post-mortem on first dead ewe but couldn't find anything wrong.
An expensive mystery...
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oh unlucky. the wife wants them multi births a year very good wool and meat and easy to work with. just the cost is high.
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Sounds like time to call in the vet to investigate thoroughly :( It's nothing to do with the breed itself, but the lack of vaccination in a new flock could well be the cause.
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Hi and sorry to hear about your friends plight, how sad. This is a breed I have been looking into and hope to have in the future (Devil to get hold of)…I cant personally help…… however if you drop a email to [email protected] the lady concerned (Jill) is most helpful and im sure you will get a speedy reply!!
Good luck
Dave
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Agree, Jill is very helpful.
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our shetlands were simular a few years back running around and then 1 hr almost bang on dead we lost 50-60% of our flock and we have never found out reason but only thing we have put it down to rhododendron vet told us 11 leaves would kill a cow but she wont touch it or if they do it wouldnt be that much to kill them as there a grazing animal well we told them half a bush had been eaten and still he dont think it was that that killed them. there any poisenous plants about ?
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That's a good point - we lost 2 to laurel poisoning and they had hardly eaten any. That bush is now dead too ;D
our shetlands were simular a few years back running around and then 1 hr almost bang on dead we lost 50-60% of our flock and we have never found out reason but only thing we have put it down to rhododendron vet told us 11 leaves would kill a cow but she wont touch it or if they do it wouldnt be that much to kill them as there a grazing animal well we told them half a bush had been eaten and still he dont think it was that that killed them. there any poisenous plants about ?
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I have twelves ewes and five of last year's lambs, plus a wild ewe that was causing havoc and six wethers.
I did lose two ewes last year, presumably caught up in willow or something; otherwise they haven't caused me any problems.
I don't vaccinate them or give them any wormers, minerals, etc.; just two or three weeks of feed well before lambing - more to keep them tame than anything.
My plan is to cross two or three of them with my half milk sheep ram - for milking. Wonderful fleeces, but haven't got round to spinning yet - tho I did try out some felting.