[Hillview Farm]

I have a shearling who is worrying me, sadly I didn't have the ewes or correct grazing system to warrant a ram ( but next year I will ) so I send then ten mins down the road to join a friends massive flock. Picked them up last Tuesday which is the 10th and all seemed fine, she was her normal self. Over the last few days she's been a bit of colour, just looking sorry for her self. I've not seen her cudding or grazing but I do go down early when they are all asleep still. No discharge from back end, not lost weight while she was away just looking sad.

Is it that the journey has stressed her and she's lost the lamb? I would expect to see bloody? Is it that she's missing a new friend? Or she's full up as they were on tight grazing and she's over eaten once she's got on some good grass?

Ideas please

[smallflockshearing]

Anaemic too?  Copper OD??  Best sign is death within a few days, unfortunately.

Do you know if your friend supplemented them at all while they were there?  If there were any poisonous plants around the field edge/hedges?

Being over fed would work its way out within a day or two.  Tricky one.

[Hillview Farm]

They had the big rumevite blocks but there was only 2 of them for 100 sheep! No plants that we know of.

Maybe its just because in the mornings they are still half asleep and dosy like us! Her gums were normal coloured

[SallyintNorth]

Often we do over-worry, but also very often an owner's intuition is bang on.  So I would certainly be wanting to see how she behaves during the day - does she move about normally, graze normally, lie and cud normally, interact with her friends normally, etc.

I know it's difficult this time of year when people have jobs, but can you spend some time watching her during broad daylight?  Maybe over the weekend?  You'll have a better idea what she is and isn't doing if you can do that.

[Hillview Farm]

Thank you Sally, i'll go up before milking this afternoon and have a watch from behind the hedge as they do like to stand and watch me rather than do there natural business!

[Hillview Farm]

Right just with them now and she's happily munching and with her best friend, will keep an eye on her. Maybe she has morning sickness! Haha

[Ladygrey]

Glad sheepie is fine now 

Hopefully she stays that way

[Hillview Farm]

Its the ewe lamb I bought from you!!  she'll be ok and its just me worrying

[smallflockshearing]

I'd keep an eye - I think Sally's right about intuition, and they can go up and down if it's a low-level virus/infection.  Body might be working it through.  Sounds good though. 

Could be love-struck?!

[Ladygrey]

Aww thats the only sheep I ever regretted selling 

Such a hardy little thing, I have her brother here at home and he is now HUGE, do you still have her other brother?

[Hillview Farm]

Aww bless, I wouldn't sell her for the world now! She is such a sweetie, Shes the ewe i'm most looking forward to lamb! Yip I've still got him, He's nanny to the ewe lambs while the ewes were with the ram but they are back together now and go and do everything together! I always ment to ask you what was there "story" related to each other? Rejected or  multiples? Etc

[Ladygrey]

Aww sounds lovely, I have never had any problems with my other Llyen/texels and would definatly get that cross as a little commercial ewe again!

I say brother but your two are related just by the dad so they are half siblings, the ewe ( "5" as she was called) was a triplet lamb and was taken off mummy as mummy was a shearling, the ewe she was mothered onto never accepted her so I bottle fed her from day number 2

She was the best drinker out of the 6 lambs I bottle fed, my little sister named her "Usain Gulp" after Usain Bolt LOL!!, by 2-3 weeks old she was leaping out of the stable over the door!!

Her half brother you have was "2", I have his full brother at home, both lambs were rejected at birth, the one I have at home "3" never grew and was a horrible skinny tiny lamb that I weaned at 21 days old and shoved out in the field to go off and decide wether he wanted to live or die, well after the summer he thrived and filled out, in february this year he shedded his entire fleece off and had to live in a dog jacket for 1 month, he is HUGE now, he is a ram friend to one of my rams and if he was a ram would be nice to breed to the shetlands 

The boy you have grew lovely and was the tamest of the lambs, (the girl was the wildest) although he suffered a setback when he got flystrike last year so he was saved from the chop and another lamb went in his place as he didnt weigh enough! he was nicknamed "kanjee" by my little brother

The reason why I sold her was that I was running out of hay and overwintering space and so sold off a few to help me through to the spring as I lamb outdoors and needed the space.

Glad you like her so much heres hope you dont get trips on her first lambing 

[Hillview Farm]

I would defo get more of them! I really Like the cross, it's really nice to know there background, I can't believe she was wild she's the most friendly I have! I will keep you posted as to what she's has (hoping not trips! ) 

[Ladygrey]

That would be lovely

I have some photos of her as a youngster but this one by far is the funniest

Here is "5" killing a pig!

and a photo after the lambs found an open door and were found in my mum's living room 

[Hillview Farm]

  they are brilliant! Cant believe they were that small! And that poor pig! it doesn't even care! haha