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Author Topic: Anything else I can do for this Soay?  (Read 16219 times)

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #30 on: May 26, 2014, 01:45:37 pm »
Thanks all, yes she died of course poor wee thing, had to wait until I got my new computer to reply (old one died yesterday - computer that is).  Sure it's Johne's disease so now wondering if I have put our new lambs at risk, am going to get them on fresh ground just in case and do some test as suggested.  Thanks all.

Goats can get Johne's too... so test them as well if you think it could have been spread. Would she have come with Johne's or is it on your ground?

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #31 on: May 26, 2014, 09:27:28 pm »
She would have come with it Anke, but it can spread and you don't know it until the livestock is about 3 years old seemingly so having to keep livestock off this area for the time being, it would be the new lambs that would be at risk. Investigating now how long stock would have to be off the area, 6 months or more perhaps.  I have spoken to a few farmers and shepherds about it and it's not uncommon so it seems.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

waterbuffalofarmer

  • Joined Apr 2014
  • Mid Wales
  • Owner of 61 Mediterranean water buffaloes
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #32 on: May 28, 2014, 07:14:31 am »
I am so sorry to hear that. I hope none of your other sheep have it and I hope all goes well.
Best of luck
the most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, loving concern.

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #33 on: May 28, 2014, 09:39:29 am »
Thanks, me too.  Vet is dealing with it so we will know what's what soon hopefully.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #34 on: December 23, 2014, 06:54:49 pm »
Sorry for reviving this old and painful thread - the more I read about 'wasting diseases in sheep' the more I get the awful feeling that my sick ewe, also a Soay (just posted separately about her) might have Johne's.

Goosepimple, I wonder if Johne's got confirmed in your poor ewe, and if so how you managed your remaining flock?
Thank you so much, if you can shed some light on this.
"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #35 on: January 25, 2015, 06:35:08 pm »
Sorry ladyK, just got this message today (25 Jan), not on TAS that much at the moment, my life has taken a bit of tangent. 

Ewes were all clear, the remaining flock healthy and happy. Rare breeds have their own existence (or not) so don't know without further tests which I'm not paying for so long as no one is dying.

Hope all is well with you, sorry for the delay in replying.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

couann

  • Joined Apr 2013
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #36 on: January 26, 2015, 05:19:28 pm »
I got 3 Soay Ewes  (gift!!)...looked healthy when they arrived at a friends place then one just died in the field so they buried it, then I came home and they told me on was weak and ill so they separated it and were feeding it, it looked ok but wouldn't stand up. I took all the other sheep they got me up to my land. The 3rd Ewe looked really ratty but bright eyed, then the other Ewe arrived up as she seemed stronger. I put her in the field with the others and within 10 minutes she was sitting down, then she hid under a low platform in the shed (since removed). We built her a lean to emergency shelter up beside the house where I could nurse her back to health. I hand fed her...., gave whey in a bottle, green leaves, grass, hay , chopped veg etc ...she too it all, after 4 days I took her to the vet  who kept her in hospital and tried lots of things to keep her alive but she died the following night. An autospy was done and it was plain to see that she died of starvation because her stomach had never formed. I assumed the other was the same as they were the same age etc. Apparently if you bucket feed Soay lambs using pellets or processed feed they will not live too long as their stomach does not form! They must be fed by the mother and if bucket fed only get whole grains, if they cannot be fed by the mother for some reason they must get colostrum from some other animal and then give them whey etc in a bottle. With the 3rd who had a really terrible cough, shitty arse, runny poo, rage coat etc I really researched  nutrition etc for sheep and in particular Soay sheep.
The vet gave me some homeopathic remedy  for scarring after pneumonia which gives them a terrible on off cough. I gave that for 3 days and then started a regime of feeding her lucerne/alfalfa hay in the morning and evening, gave her vit c and apple cider vinegar in her water and a homemade mixture of Nutritional yeast, whole wheat berries, whole popcorn kernels, whole adzuki beans, and Kelp flakes. That was last January , to our great surprise in May, she had twins , one died just at birth and the other is a super healthy strong ram. She has become so super healthy, no cough, no worms, good coat, lots of energy .....she is happy out. so now I feed her as the rest but continue with a small amount of the grain mix, without the yeast once a day, vinegar in her water and vit C once a week, small bit of hay in the morning and small bit of Lucern in the evening and left out to roam the fields with a shelter. Hope this tfroghs some light on it for you .....I was lucky in that our vet is a rare sheep nut!!

goosepimple

  • Joined May 2010
  • nr Lauder, Scottish Borders
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #37 on: January 26, 2015, 05:36:06 pm »
That's good advice, a good vet there.  We keep 3 types of rare breeds one of which are north ronaldsays so we have to be very careful what we feed them, we don't feed any of our stock pellets (even the hens), I like as natural as poss.  Rare breeds are flimsy compared to commercial sheep, no doubt about that.
registered soay, castlemilk moorit  and north ronaldsay sheep, pygmy goats, steinbacher geese, muscovy ducks, various hens, lots of visiting mallards, a naughty border collie, a puss and a couple of guinea pigs

ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #38 on: January 27, 2015, 04:10:39 pm »
Thanks for the update GP! Glad it turned out well for the rest of yours.
Luckily my ewe seems to have recovered - she's even putting on a bit of weight now it seems.
"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

ladyK

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Conwy Valley
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #39 on: January 27, 2015, 07:13:34 pm »
And thanks CA for sharing your story too. I'm always interested to learn more about this kind of 'supportive healing'.
Can you point me to the resources you used to learn more about Soay nutrition? I'd be very keen to learn more about that myself, and to gain the confidence get away from any kind of processed feed eventually.
"If one way is better than another, it is the way of nature." (Aristotle)

Marches Farmer

  • Joined Dec 2012
  • Herefordshire
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #40 on: January 28, 2015, 03:00:20 pm »
Rare breeds are flimsy compared to commercial sheep, no doubt about that.

Horses for courses, perhaps?  I doubt a commercial ewe could successfully lamb outside on a mountain with little or no additonal feed.

Anke

  • Joined Dec 2009
  • St Boswells, Scottish Borders
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #41 on: January 28, 2015, 03:13:48 pm »
tutt, tutt, tutt.... burying sheep..... nough said.

in the hills

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Anything else I can do for this Soay?
« Reply #42 on: January 28, 2015, 05:22:41 pm »
Is the poster from France?   Perhaps different rules there.   :thinking:

 

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