The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: candpdoyle on August 18, 2009, 09:23:27 am
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HI There
while shearing my fatties yesterday i noticed they have a raw painfull looking patch on their chests.... does not really look like scab??? they are very overweight despite being on grass only for the last 3 months... so am wondering if it is some kind of pressure sore???
Am unsure of what to do about their weight?? they seem to be some sort of cross breed with whales :D
was hoping to breed them in a couple of months, but their weight refuses to drop???
(http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc146/candpdoyle/shearing035.jpg)
Cheers
Chris
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Mint Sauce could be a solution for one of them :yum: :yum: :yum:
Julie ;D
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Have a few Ryelands and find that some of them are prone to having sore and even scabby chests along the breast plate.
I have found the best answer is to keep an eye on them (best time to look when turning to trim feet) and protect from flies if necessary, it's probably because they are a Downs breed and have a bigger frame than mountain breeds and of course they are lazy.
Try putting them on a diet of eating straw in moderation to drop the weight, no concentrate and no goodies.
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cheers Kaz
I thought it might be related to their unique and mighty physique ;D
They only get a little concentrate for 1 week a month when i give them their vermex... and no treats at all... unless you count the apples that fall on the ground... oh and sometimes they raid the calves feed when she is looking the other way ::)...
Will keep my eye on them....
Cheers
Chris
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Try vaseline on the sores. Should help heal and keep the flies off - or even spray on elastoplast!
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looks like the sores that lame sheep get from lying down too much, check that they don't have scald or footrot. Another thing to try to keep sheep exercised is to put your feed troughs well away from the water troughs so the sheep have to walk from one to the other. If everything is handed on a plate they'll just lie around waiting for the butler... ie - you!!
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daft question im still new to sheep but why are you sup feeding during summer. no wonder they are slightly plump.
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they dont have any feed troughs.. they only get fed when worming as it is the easiest way to get them to eat their medicine... always hand feed them and make them come to me :)
Have recently introduced them to our new calf and she gives them loads of exercice ;D she wants to play and chases them around the paddock ;D
they not lame, just very relaxed and like to lie around a lot.... they even graze in a heap.... not like the badger face's..... they all over the shop like a pair of goats... even climb the apple trees to get at the fruit ;D
Chris
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we are supplementary feeding because of the weather, Its cold and damp here and the lambs aren't putting down any fat layers so aren't fit enough to go to the butchers. since we sell by the box we need about 8 a month to 'feed' demand. Tups especially are hard to fatten at this time of year as they have started thinking of other things. Our lambs are now between 7 and 9 months old. we are also feeding the odd ewe that has a low condition score as the up is going out next week
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I am also feeding my 4 lambs as the weather has been terrible and they are not the weight I would expect them to be by now. We had planned for them to go at the end of this month I doubt they will be ready. :sheep: