The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: andywalt on March 17, 2011, 03:08:48 pm
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Can anyone advise please, one of my lambs has been out in the field for a few weeks and is about 4 weeks old, the other twin is ok and all other lambs are fighting fit but this one very wet around the rear end, brown watery squits that really smell, its looking a little bit under the weather and a little thinner than the other twin, what would be your advise please? anti biotics? and a clean up? is there any remindy to help with the squits when they are so young? should I bring the ewe and other twin into the barn or would that be a mistake?
comments appreciated
andy
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Suspect coccidiosis....right age right symptoms.....get sample to vet quickly
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Just what I was about to say, coccidiosis - act quickly and get professional help.
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ok, should I seperate the lamb from the other twin and mother and bring in, treat and feed with bottle or bring the ewe and other lamb in with her?
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you will need to treat the whole lot if thats what it is....so bring her and mum and sister in or put in a small nearby paddock. But you will need to treat all the lambs based on what the vet finds in the poo count. Also to try and break the cycle you will need a prescription for lick buckets with a preventative coccidiostat in it . The coccidiosis will have been on the ground, possibly from the last lot of sheep that inhabited it, or could be bought in by other animals that carry it....its quite complicated.
However first things first....get vet to confirm
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if you can get hold of a dose of vecoxan it wouldn't do any harm to give this asap, if it is coccidiosis then it will clear up pretty quickly and means that treatment can have started whilst you await results from vet.
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It seems that coccidiosis is on the increase. We now as a norm treat all our lambs with vecoxan after losing quite a few one year. They also have another dose a few weeks later (as advised by vet).
It is a killer and you can lose what looks like a really healthy lamb in the blink of an eye.
This is really upsetting, so my mission in life is to treat rather than lose them before they have had a chance of life.
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thanks for all your imput, im on the case !!!!
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Kas, how many sheep do you have? Can you get it in small quantities? I looked at dosing ours but it cost a fortune for a huge bottle at our local agri store. far too much for my small flock
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We do buy the smallest bottle (last year cost about £100), but as well in date will last.
Try your vet, ours has supplied me in the past as he will give you enough to dose a small amount of sheep. If not a friendly farmer may help you.
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it wasnt coccidiosis, its all cleared up, try and clean....i am relieved !!! it was a change in the feed, I changed to a diffrent brand of 18%
thanks for all your input
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Hi Andy :wave:
I am pleased your lamb is better.
---us hardened sheep farmers always "hope for the best !! ---but prepare for the worst"scenario
Tilly ;)
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Lesson for everyone there ANDY try never to change feed or if you must do it gradually even if from the same company.many years ago every town had a small feed mill and sometimes they changed 1or2 ingrediants in a feed it always caused big problems, today you would sue them so it never happens.
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yup bit stupid of me really, my local merchant who im not that happy with changed to a differant brand, he has many sheep too, you would have thought he would have mentioned it too when he sold it to me !! I thought 18% was all the same mix who ever made it, I realise now that its not, so yes lesson learned