The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: tom1984 on March 28, 2011, 07:35:29 pm
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A bit of a problem for you all to think about and if you're of a nervous disposition, please look away now! Had a lamb born three nights ago and over the last day and night has developed a crusty lump of poo over its anus. It seemed to strain and nothing would happen so i tried to wipe the crusty deposit away with straw. It came loose and poo flowed freely once more. Just went to check on lamb (an hour later) and backside all covered in poo.
My question is, have i accidentally ripped off the poor little thing's arsehole? There was no blood or anything so i don't have a clue what's happened. Can they be born without anal muscles, just a hole?
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Cant remember the name for it - but there is a rubbery bit of s**t that they have to pass first - its normal.
Sometimes it does get stuck and it needs helping along - sometimes it all sticks round there tail and goes like a 'crystal feel'
Its prob got a little upset cos it couldnt pass for a while. Keep an eye on it, sounds like normal really.
I have been know to have a finger with vegitable fat on making sure that the little blighter can get that first bit out successfully :) lol
Baz
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Happens often shows the lambs getting plenty of milk,the stuff is so sticky try getting of clothes or hands,will change after first week , keep clean or as youve seen the lamb gets bunged up.
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Meconium is the first little black plug of poo they have to pass (at least that's what it's called in humans)
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yup ive had a lamb this year with the same thing, i noticed the tail was stuck tight to its bum, it was like very thick toffee, real tough stuff like glue, I had to peel it off and clean its bum and it took about 3-4 days before it cleared, but perfectly normal now !!
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yep - lamb poo is really sticky.
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It's worth checking all lambs bums whenever you are in the field to make sure the tail isn't stuck down with yellow poo like that. Here it's a job for OH to clear - he doesn't seem to mind being covered in s**t when it's come out of a cute little lamb :D Sometimes it needs Swiss Army knife scissors to cut away, but you have to VERY careful when doing that and only cut through the wool the poo is stuck to. We also tend to carry baby wipes around at lambing time as they are great for cleaning up bums - and for cleaning yourself up afterwards. So no Tom you haven't torn its bum off, but if you hadn't removed the plug the lamb could well have died of the blockage.
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Baby wipes are a god send - f*** lamb s**t stinks. Makes me wretch everytime - normal sheep s**t is OK, happy to walk round with that on my hands but lamb s**t!! argg..
You'll probably be cleaning s**t from its arse until you get rid of it or it dies so may as well start when its young ;)
Baz
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Baby wipes are a god send - **** lamb s**t stinks. Makes me wretch everytime - normal sheep s**t is OK, happy to walk round with that on my hands but lamb s**t!! argg..
You'll probably be cleaning s**t from its arse until you get rid of it or it dies so may as well start when its young ;)
Baz
;D ;D ;D ;D
It's true though. I had one little guy go downhill in hours, and like you, found a massive dried lump of cack stuck to his rear end. Once removed, the poo flowed freely and all was well with the world again. It was everywhere and I had to throw out my favourite work gloves as the smell just wouldn't come out.
Baa!
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You can see why the mums are not too keen to clean their lambs bums themselves ;D
This is a bit horrible, but we used to have a huge bitch - Anatolian Karabash X Irish Wolfhound - whose job was to guard the flock and whenever we had a lamb with a sticky bum plug we would present it to her to clean up. She thought it was great, did a perfect job with her teeth and tongue, and any lamb she had cleaned would become her special friend forever :D Sadly she died a few years ago so now it's OHs job, but he doesn't use the same method ;D ;D
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You can see why the mums are not too keen to clean their lambs bums themselves ;D
This is a bit horrible, but we used to have a huge bitch - Anatolian Karabash X Irish Wolfhound - whose job was to guard the flock and whenever we had a lamb with a sticky bum plug we would present it to her to clean up. She thought it was great, did a perfect job with her teeth and tongue, and any lamb she had cleaned would become her special friend forever :D Sadly she died a few years ago so now it's OHs job, but he doesn't use the same method ;D ;D
;D ;D ;D ;D
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This is a bit horrible, but we used to have a huge bitch - Anatolian Karabash X Irish Wolfhound - whose job was to guard the flock and whenever we had a lamb with a sticky bum plug we would present it to her to clean up. She thought it was great, did a perfect job with her teeth and tongue, and any lamb she had cleaned would become her special friend forever :D Sadly she died a few years ago so now it's OHs job, but he doesn't use the same method ;D ;D
I know what you mean. My Jack Russell used to gather up and eat any afterbirths she found and would even dig in the lambing pens to find them. Now she is no longer with us, I have to clear them up. For some reason the cats (which seem to eat everything else - even been known to eat a dead piglet) won't touch them.
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Muscovies love afterbirth too :D Unfortunately their stomachs are not quite as big as the average placenta so there would always be a bit left trailing.....on which I always felt obliged to pull to prevent them choking....OK I won't take that one any further ;D ;D Animals are very basic creatures, aren't they ;D ;D Now our sheep mostly eat their own afterbirth, so there are not many to pick up.
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I know what you mean. My Jack Russell used to gather up and eat any afterbirths she found and would even dig in the lambing pens to find them. Now she is no longer with us, I have to clear them up. For some reason the cats (which seem to eat everything else - even been known to eat a dead piglet) won't touch them.
My Jack Russell is also keen on this - Petal ate the majority of hers at the weekend, I took the rest out to dispose of only to find it haring across the garden in her gob! Don't mention the eating of dead piglets - it's forbidden fruit on this forum and rules and Regulations Police will be out to tell you off. Although, thinking about it, I doubt DEFRA have written anything about cats eating dead piglets...
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its the one job no-one tells you about when you buy sheep.The smell is just horrid.
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This topic has become quite revolting!! ;D :D ;D
With 7 dogs in the house at the moment I often forget exactly what they have been up to when they give me a kiss!!
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Thanks for all the replies everyone, I was worried yesterday because, after removing the hardened s**t, it seemed to leave a gaping hole filled with the toffee like substance. More hardened up today and i could just flick it off, leaving a nice clean backside. Crisis averted i think but i'll keep a close eye on the little bugger, especially with rain coming tonight. No doubt i'll have a dozen new problems in the morning! ;)
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Hi Tom. It doesn't tend to happen again to the same lamb in my experience. Watch him but also watch the younger ones. They seem to go through a stage when the poo is particularly sticky, then it all settles down
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Goat mums seem to be much better in cleaning up their offsprings' backend, only happens in the first few days though. I guess it's when the milk is still really rich, then all goes normal after the fourth day.
But yes - the only reason to keep scented baby wipes nowadays; for lambing season!