[shrekfeet]

why would my lambs be scouring if it's not worms?

[SteveHants]

Cocci, lush pasture, stress.......


The answers are many and varied. I expect with all this rain the ground is too good for them.

[jaykay]

When Dad's lambs were scouring very badly two weeks ago I took a sample to the vet. Who said it was Nematodirus! At this time of year!
So worth getting the vets to look at a sample.

[lachlanandmarcus]

My fave ewe has just had to be dosed for worms/fluke - have never had any issues with either before.
Getting some wool break too - its just so &*(_ing wet!!! grrrrrr

[plumseverywhere]

Am I right in thinking that green scour is lush grass, black scour cocci and brown scour worms/another cause?  or is it not as clean cut as that?


 

[Anke]

About half of my lambs have green goo coming out at the backend, since they were moved to a nice green field  after weaning... I spoke to the vetabout needing to worm/fluke treat and his advíce was to give some hay and some mix as well (as I have so far never had to worm my sheep and he reckons it is not fluke time yet), to dry them up. There is not much in the grass right now....other than water
Torrential showers again yesterday...

[jaykay]

Not as easy as that Plums.
The lambs of Dad's with Nematodirus (ie worms) were scouring dreadfully but it was green, as it was with my goat kids when they had cocci.

It can, of course, just be lush wet grass. But after that experience a fortnight ago, completely out of season, I wouldn't assume it was just the grass. That's what Dad's neighbour did and by the time I saw them two days later, one was so ill she died.

[SteveHants]

When Dad's lambs were scouring very badly two weeks ago I took a sample to the vet. Who said it was Nematodirus! At this time of year!
So worth getting the vets to look at a sample.

Yes, but the the original question was "what causes scours if it isn't worms?", and last time I checked, Nematodyrus was a kind of worm.....

[Remy]

In my case it's definitely the grass, one or two of them always get it when they move pastures but they aren't ill.  The grass just hasn't stopped growing this year 

[jaykay]

Yes, Nematodirus is worms. Just very unexpected at this time of year and possibly therefore not being considered. Which is why I said it, not wanting anyone else's flock to go through that if my experience could help avoid it.

Dad's lambs had been routinely wormed about two weeks beforehand, so I might not have thought they would have been scouring due to worms either. There must have been a huge hatch over a few days.

So I suppose I'm saying even if you think it isn't worms, it could be.

[Bramblecot]

All our lambs were treated with Oramec 5 weeks ago.  Moved lambs to new pastures last week - ewe lambs/shearlings in one field, ram lambs in another. Scours within days, faecal samples to vet showed ewe lambs to be clear (scours due to new grass) and ram lambs had a heavy worm burden  .  You just can't tell.

[Foobar]

I find that ram lambs are more resistant to the effects of worms, they are more "robust" internally.

[Blackbird]

So jaykay, would a routine FEC sample test reveal Nematodirus? 2 of my lambs are scouring badly - last FEC sample 2 weeks ago showed no sign of worms or cocci, but I've put another one into the vet today as there's no improvement even though they're now on hay aftermath which is short and scanty grass. (Am supplementing with the fresh hay and a bit of coarse mix) This sample will be sent away to another lab so it can be tested for fluke as well.

[jaykay]

So jaykay, would a routine FEC sample test reveal Nematodirus

I presume that's what the vet did when they found the Nematodirus in Dad's lambs - I took in the poo at 10am and they'd sussed what was wrong by 2pm - the vet did it himself.

[woollyval]

If a group of sheep keepers get together and buy a FEC kit (feacal egg count) it is really easy to use yourself and then you can look at poo as much as you want!