[maddy]

Hi I have just last week picked up 3 gorgeous ryeland shearlings who have been staying with a ram so hopefully will be in lamb.

I have noticed 2 have messy runny green poo.  Would this be the grass?  Should they be treated with something.  Should I wash their bottoms?

Like I said I am new to sheep, more used to goats, so apologise for the question.

Thanks for any help.

[SallyintNorth]

Could be a change in pasture (is your grass particularly lush and/or long?) or could be worms or fluke (more likely fluke at this time of year.)

Did the person you bough them from tell you when they were last dosed for worm and for fluke?

[maddy]

Hi, yes the grass is quite green and lush.  They were wormed in September. 

[feldar]

Hi Maddy
Like Sally said check the wormer was for fluke it's a bad year for this.
Your grass may make them runny we have a lot of grass this year but it's not got a lot of nutrients left in it so its very watery grass so that might make them runny.
You could offer a little bit of hay to help dry them up a bit and maybe restrict the time they are on the grass so they get used to it gradually. say maybe in at night on hay?
If they don't dry up and start to look poor, i would get a vet opinion and a worm count done.
I personally wouldn't wash this time of year just let them dry up and then crutch out nearer to lambing, we are hopefully out of fly season now

[SteveHants]

Do you get fluke down by you Feldar?


I have never had it and as such have decided to give up giving combined flukicides/wormers - I would have thought if tey were going to get fluke this would be the year and it just hasn't happened.

[feldar]

Hi Steve H I think your on a lot higher ground than me.
We give a combination wormer for fluke, mainly because ours is low wet ground. we run sheep on marsh and river meadows so i would guess we are quite high risk. We had some deer that had to be shot this year on our ground and the forestry chap checked their lungs and livers they definately had fluke cysts in the livers.

[jaykay]

Could be the grass, the move, or they may need worming again, or fluking.

If you can get a sample of the green poo and take it to your vets, they'll do a worm egg count and tell you what needs doing in that respect. Mine do it within a couple of hours usually, depends how busy they are.

My dad's just switched to Ryelands and the first ones he bought lived here for a month while he sorted out at his place - they are very cute and friendly 

[SteveHants]

Hi Steve H I think your on a lot higher ground than me.
We give a combination wormer for fluke, mainly because ours is low wet ground. we run sheep on marsh and river meadows so i would guess we are quite high risk. We had some deer that had to be shot this year on our ground and the forestry chap checked their lungs and livers they definately had fluke cysts in the livers.

Some of mine s quite damp/floodplain-y, but nothing - although in general I am on chalk downs.