[mab]

hello all,

I noticed yesterday when I went to give them their daily bucket that one of my ewes looked a bit rough on the top of the rump above the tail; today she's got a big bald patch  .

I'm going to try & get her in and have a closer look tomorrow but any ideas what it may be?

she should be pregnant but not due til april. She seems perfectly happy despite the weather and when I've been watching she shows no signs of discomfort. I've not seen her scratching but they're in the big field with lots of trees and bushes, etc;  i.e. there's a million places she could have scratched without being seen.

I've got some crovect if it's some sort of parasite but am not sure what to look for.

[MarvinH]

Is it just the one? Has she been stressed? Poor body condition? Your probably best taking a scraping to the vet for mange/scab.

[mab]

it's just one so far. She's not been stressed to my knowledge.

If anything she's on the fat side (I'm only feeding to keep them bucket trained).

Silly question: how does one take a scraping?

[JulieWall]

She's probably having multiple lambs, I've seen this a lot with ewes having triplets. Given the timing it is far more likely to be that than scab. Does she look wider than the others?
Give them all a high energy lick and make sure she's getting her share of concentrates. If she is shy and hangs back until the others are done you may need to feed her separately.
Also, get in some calciject 20% in case she needs it after birth - ask your vets advice on how, when and if to administer it, it's not that I don't know when myself, I just think it best administration advice comes from your vet. Vets usually give advice free and will explain how to correctly inject it.
As regards the wool, if you can avoid pulling any out when you handle the ewes it will hopefully sit on her back until the weather is warmer. An elderly shepherd friend of mine told me once that when the wool comes away spontaneously like that it doesn't seem to ill affect them in the way it would if you sheared her. It does seem to be true. Hopefully she will keep enough of it to cover her back but if it snows, I would make sure there is some shelter out of the weather for her.

[Foobar]

How to take a scraping ... my vet uses selotape to take samples from the skin at the base of the wool, in particular areas like under the arm pits etc or surrounding any areas of wool loss.
[/size]Your vet would be able to advise what is best.[/color]

[mab]

Sellotape! well that's easy.

She's probably having multiple lambs, I've seen this a lot with ewes having triplets. Given the timing it is far more likely to be that than scab. Does she look wider than the others?

.

She's not due til April - I didn't think I'd be able to see a difference yet. Two of the four are heavier built and wider than the other two anyway - and she's one of the lighter built ones, but no she doesn't look wider to me.

Well I'll see what the vet says, but I generally get more consistent answers from TASers.

[Anke]

I had one year when several young ewes (without any particular cause established) lost wool and we in the end decided it was rain scald - but that went straight down to the skin, it wasn't a break in the fleece as would be caused by stress. They had nice pink (unbroken) skin underneath and it was in a running down in small-streams -kind-of-pattern from the middle of their backs. Just thinking with all that wet weather around at the moment could be something like that? Ours just sorted themselves.

If it is just the one and you can spend some time in the field and establish that she doesn't rub herself all the time (scab/lice), I would just keep an eye out to make sure she is ok and take action if she shows any signs of not being well.

[mab]

well i've still not seen her rub herself at all and the vet agrees it's best to keep an eye on her for now - I did try & take a pic rather than bring her in today but she got all paranoid when I got the camera out so the pics not very good as she was running away.

[Tim W]

It's hard to tell but it could just be a dermatological problem---sensitive skin reaction. I wouldn't worry about it unless it spreads or the skin goes red/itchy.
There is PLENTY of grass in that photo for the sheep, I would try not to feed otherwise you will end up with fat ewes and hi-energy buckets will also be a waste of money this early in pregnancy (the sheep look well so I wouldn't give them anything  at all)
If you must feed them then limit it to a handful (one handful) just to get them to come to you

[mab]

I think they may be fat already  - I've been giving them about 1 1/2 handsful between the four - perhaps I'll reduce it until the weather turns cold.

They're not touching the bucket yet anyway - I don't think they like this one (it's a cheap one from CCF) - but perhaps I'll put the lit on it anyway.

I'll try and watch her some more tomorrow -  but I haven't caught her doing anything that suggests she's uncomfortable.

Thanks folks - I just hope she grows some back in before the weather turns cold - it's not the best time of year to be wandering around with a bare bum.