[Goldberry]

I’m brand new to keeping sheep and we’ve learned a lot in the last 6 weeks but I’m still struggling with bloat. I’ve read great articles and posts about what it is and what can cause it but my confidence in ID is low.

Our 3 month old lambs are filling out quickly. Usually in the evenings when I’m looking at them, they look so round and usually display a larger bulge on the left side. I’m worried about bloat when I see this, but they display no other symptoms and by morning the bulge is gone. This happens regularly. Is this mild bloat or Is this just a full lamb after a long, hard day of eating?

Am I paranoid? Yes!

Would it be a good safeguard just to put baking soda out free choice or with mineral?

Thanks for sharing your experiences with a new shepherd!

[bj_cardiff]

Its a full tummy, ewes also have it after a hard day eating! They will sit down overnight and cud and burp

Bloat can happen in sheep at any age, however in 12 yrs of keeping sheep and goats I've only ever seen it once in a goat and maybe twice in lambs that were on the bottle. Bottle fed lambs are greedy and prone to bloat when drinking milk from the bottle, especially when they are eating creep/grass/hay. I assume yours are weaned? I would just relax, you have got them through the danger stage!

[SallyintNorth]

Ruminants should be either grazing, sleeping or cudding.  When they are cudding, they bring up a mouthful of cud, chew it for a bit, and swallow it.  If they are cudding, all is well

[Goldberry]

Thank you both. I’ve read a lot of horror stories about a sheep being dull in the morning and dead by noon. Then we had a farmer tell us that a lot of sheep don’t tell you what’s wrong until they’re dead. I’m sure these cautionary tales are well meaning but now I always expect the worst.

Yes, we bought them weaned at about 6 weeks. Learned a lot really fast with vaccinations, foot scald treatments, hoof trimming, starting rotations with electric fencing, tick control, etc.

Yes, their life is grazing, cudding, sleeping and they still chase each other around, jump and kick, and head butt.

Is true bloat belly hard to miss? Will it look radically different than being full?

Thanks again!

[SallyintNorth]

If you spend a lot of time watching your sheep then I would expect that you would tell the difference pretty easily.  They will not be relaxed and cudding, but quiet and still, inward-looking, in discomfort.  Not an easy spot if you just glance at them once a day, maybe, but should get alarm bells ringing in anyone who spends a fair bit of time just watching them.  (One of the reasons you see old sheep farmers leaning on gates.  Still working )

The other thing to take into account is the likelihood of bloat.  Once bottle lambs are weaned, the risk factors are really about too much / rich food too quickly, and or any food which might ferment.  If they're on the same field they've been on for a while (and the grass hasn't suddenly gone mad after some rain and sun), it's fairly unlikely.

When you move them onto lush, fresh grass, especially if it has lots of red clover, then keep a closer eye for the first few days. 

If they break into the feed shed and gorge on cake, keep a close eye.

If they escape into the orchard or veg plot...

And so on.


Relax, enjoy your sheep; enjoy watching them and you will be fairly sure to spot anything amiss.