The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: egglady on June 07, 2010, 10:42:09 pm
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one of our ram lambs has managed to damage his horn and over the last 2 days it's been bleeding profusely on several occasions. for instance i went down to check on him earlier today and he had blood in his eye, up his nose and in his mouth. sprayed it with purple spray and it seems to have stopped now. he's feeling very sorry for himself though.
hubby checked him a wee while ago and says his horn has broken away at the front and is now lying flat on his head.
not sure what to do - he's still feeding on mum and is a twin. do i get the vet? do i let things be? do i bring him and/or mum and sister in?
any advice gratefully received.
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Hi, presuming the horn is still attached - just. Best to remove it totally, use hoof shears to carefully snip round as low as you can - like you would trim your nails. It may make it bleed a bit more but it will stop.
I had a ram kept ripping them off or half off and blood went everywhere but if you wash the area and regularly spray with purple spray it should stop. Watch out for flystrike. The vet or local country store may have some wound powder which will help the clotting if it persists in bleeding.
It looks worse than it is and generally the horn re-grows quite quickly.
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thanks scotsgirl, that is really helpful. the hoof shears - just the ones you use to trim their feet?
and i already have wound powder for the horses, so i'm guessing this is the same stuff?
not much fear of flies just now - never stops raining long enough!!
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I agree it does look alarming. The bleeding will stop once you have got rid of the dangling bit. Cobwebs are an excellent first aid measure to stop bleeding - I have plenty of those :) You can also apply pressure for 5 mins if it's an arterial bleed (spurting rather than just dribbling) It should just be the casing of the horn which has come off, leaving the small inner core behind. This will look bare for a while then regrow - never quite the same length as the unbroken side.
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update: his horn came off tonight all by itself. Hollow inside (the bit that came off that is) so I'm guessing just keep on with the purple spray and keep an eye on it?
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Good news. Yes just keep a check on it and spray if necessary. Tends to dry up quick and grow again. Normal hoof shears would have nipped off the bit still connected. Young horns tend to be hollow and I think they thicken the older the sheep as those are used for making crooks. Not sure if they ever become solid.
You will be prepared for the next detachment!
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Cornflour (like you would use in cooking!) is great for helping to stop the bleeding on things like that. Our vet suggested it once when neither he nor us could get our billy's head to stop bleeding when his horn came off. It works a treat, and we kept a jar of it in the goatshed now for emergencies.
Beth
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I have used plaster tar spray on one of mine that kept knocking his horn buds off. Forms a thin film, also good for cuts when shearing...