The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: SallyN on May 07, 2017, 09:45:43 pm
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I have been really struggling with one of my ewes this year, she's one of my favourites - one of two ewe lambs I bought six years ago to start my sheepy adventures :D - but she has hit a patch of serious illness and I'm beginning to wonder if I'm fighting a losing battle here.
It started with acute mastitis - I took the lambs away from her and treated her with antibiotics and painkillers after much advice from the vet, and despite lots of dire warnings along the lines of "if she's here by Thursday it'll be a miracle" she pulled through.
She now looks about as poor as it's possible for a ewe to look without being actually dead, but I'm feeding her up and she's bright again (though still extremely thin) after a long spell of being very sad. So I'm thinking she may have turned the corner at last with that, although I won't be able to breed from her again and she's started to slough off her udder as the vet warned me she would (yuck and yuck again).
Now the trouble is that she's started to rub her fleece off, originally just her face and now her entire body. The whole field is covered in bits of fleece. I originally thought, head lice, so treated her whole body with Crovect, including direct spray to the head. But if anything it's got worse. She's definitely itchy, even on the bits which are now just bare skin. The fleece seems perfectly normal and healthy, and I can't see any signs of wrigglies in there (though I believe you can't see lice anyway, is that right?)
Any clues? Am I just keeping her going against her own welfare? I know a 'proper' farmer would have shot her weeks ago but every time I resolve to get in the deadstock people she pulls through a little better.
What do you all think? Any thoughts very gratefully received... I really am a bit at a loss as to what to do now.
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You can actually see lice with naked eye or good glasses , scab mites you can't see . Sounds like she's just loosing her fleece from the stress , I have similar and yes they are always rubbing at the moment with wool every where
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I agree it's most likely stress. I would also imagine the reason she scratched more after applying the crovect is because it is quite irritating to bare skin. How do I know? Well I once put some on my arms to deter insects and I found it so irritating that I had to wash it off again!
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Proper farmers would have done the same you did, albeit for a different reason. A ewe who's had mastitis will usually recover in herself, fatten well and fetch a reasonable price at the cull market. Farmers can't afford to go around shooting animals and paying the dead cart unless there's no hope of recovery.
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Wow this is why I love this forum :)
I had no idea that sheep lost their fleece when stressed - that absolutely explains it, also why some of the fleece is in the middle of the field rather than next to the obvious rubbing points. And I haven't really seen her rubbing much so it's clearly mostly just dropping away.
I did think I had only Crovected on to the fleece rather than bare skin but I suppose some might have got onto the wrong place. Anyway - I think I shall stop worrying so much about lice etc and assume that this is all stress. It does fit.
Sally - thank you also for the insight into how a commercial farmer would approach this. I sometimes feel like a silly sentimental idiot for the way I deal with my sheep keeping but at the same time I am very aware that farmers too really care about their animals. They just have to take a more commercial viewpoint about it, and sometimes I think that is also a more sensible one in that it often prevents some of the suffering I sometimes worry I put my sheep through by trying to keep them alive rather longer than perhaps I should!
Anyway, in this case, since she seems happy enough, I will keep going and hopefully she'll pull through and recover fully. I think culling is off the cards in her case but then I'm lapsing into sentimentality again :innocent:
thanks again,
Sally
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Sheep coarse mix often perks up a poorly sheep, as does bits and pieces cut from the verge if your grass is short - cleavers, dandelions and suchlike provide welcome variety. Put her in the shed if it gets cold or wet and let her out again afterwards. If she has black bag then she's been very poorly indeed and will take time to recover. Provided she's not in pain then she may well do so as six is no age for a sheep.
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it is warm and wonder if she is suffering under the wool - you havent said the breed. I have easycare but they started shredding early this year. The few Wilts we have have big patches missing too.
Good culls seem to be reaching good money at market at the mo. A poor cull can reach £40 which is more then some lambs.
Consider mineral boost - salt licks, energy licks, seaweed and nuts to buy strength and def sun!
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How do I know? Well I once put some on my arms to deter insects and I found it so irritating that I had to wash it off again!
IF you have a look at CYPERMETHRIN the base of crovect you may be suitably shocked as to what you put on your skin .
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How's she doing now? Even right up here it's warm enough that mine are shedding - I had a lovely cuddle with the tamest one yesterday, she stood in the middle of the field, eyes half shut, while I plucked out a vast pile of fleece from her neck and chest, and you're not supposed to be able to roo North Country Cheviots!
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As the others have said its most likely stress thats made her loose her fleece. If she still has milk I wouldn't feed her, once she'd dried up she can be fed. It won't take long to put condition back on this time of year. She's probably been cold at night as she's lost her fleece so might be burning up feed to keep warm.
I'd of done the same as you. Give her the summer to recover and then I'd cull. I did keep a couple of favorate sheep as pets one year (Mastitus and a Prolapse) but when their in season in the autumn their more trouble than their worth if you have a ram around. My ram climbed (and damaged) 2 fences to get to them..