The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: SuffolkK on March 16, 2017, 10:47:09 am
-
Have turned ewes and lambs out on good grass and a couple of the ewes have a bit of a messy back end. WEC has been done and all ok. The problem is a couple of their lambs have now got very messy heads and faces!! Question is would you leave them like this or catch them and wash off best you can. Lambs are absolutely fine, very happy, feeding well and growing. Would be interested in peoples opinions please
-
I would probably leave them... because trying to catch my ewes and their lambs in a field is nigh on impossible :roflanim: noticed this morning some of my ewes are mucky behind they are out on very good grass too and wormed before they went out. They have a hay rack out which they do pick at overnight which should help.
-
I would probably clean them off, because otherwise they'll only come up and wipe it on my trousers!
-
I'd leave it. If it continues and they don't dry off I'd bring them in for a couple of days and cut it off.
-
Simple.
If it offends you to see the lambs with mucky faces AND the lambs are easy to catch then just grab them and clean them.
If catching the lambs involves any degree of chasing then don't bother as the muck will come off in time anyway. To pointlessly chase lambs merely teaches them that they can evade you fairly easily and there may be a time when it's helpful to catch them with minimum hassle.
-
Decision made - they can run around with mucky faces ;D Many thanks for your replies
-
What you need is some rain :)
-
my question is WHY are the faces mucky? are they drinking from behind and /or pinching of another ewe? the lambs may not be coping as well as it looks.... :raining: can you tell I'm a glass half empty kinda guy..