Author Topic: ewe with firm udder - should I worry? (Read 2593 times)

suziequeue · « **on:** March 22, 2014, 07:41:35 pm »

We were doing the pre-lambing Heptavac P+ boosters this afternoon and having a very gentle feel of udders on the pregnant ewes. One of them has a firm cylindrical swelling in her left udder - just behind the teat - but no obvious heat or tenderness. Is this mastitis? or just the milk ducts developing? I didn't try to express anything from it as we weren't turning them over and there's no real substance in the teat yet as they are still a few weeks off lambing. The right udder seems fine. She is having one lamb. I'll check it again tomorrow. Should I be worried do you think?[/color][/font]

farmvet · « **Reply #1 on:** March 22, 2014, 10:37:08 pm »

sounds very suspicious of past mastitis. Not much you can do now except wait & see when she lambs. She may well be blind in that quarter or have very reduced milk supply.

suziequeue · « **Reply #2 on:** March 23, 2014, 06:09:10 am »

Yes - fortunately she's only got a single lamb this time but she's already reprieved herself from the pot once so it'll be lamb chops at the end of the summer this time - no arguments.

She's a bit of a pudding aswell so there will be plenty of flavoursome meat on her

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mowhaugh · « **Reply #3 on:** March 23, 2014, 08:10:07 am »

Hopefully if she is only having the one, she'll do it fine on one side. Against all reason and common sense I kept my favourite 7 year old Kerry Hill ewe last year even though I knew she was only milking on one side, she had twins last year and I lifted one, the lamb she kept is now my best hogg, and the other one is fine - avaerage I would say, and this years' lamb (single thank goodness) is growing like a mushroom and stunning as usual. Strangely, there is absolutely no sign of anything wrong with the other side of her udder, no lumps, stringy bits or anything, it is just dry. Mind you, she is the only ewe out of the approx 1000 we have ere I would have kept, but she's worth it!

suziequeue · « **Reply #4 on:** March 23, 2014, 09:19:09 am »

Although she is one of our "originals" - she is not registered and has a pissy tail. Last year she didn't catch with the tup so we gave her another chance this year otherwise it was the pot. She caught this year but definitely for the pot this time.

She's a good ewe but there are other things aswell which suggest that we should cull her.