update on sheep

1948jr · Jun 22, 2018

I went out 3 times to drag it off it was not dead , went out this morning still not dead ,acted better but still wont get up came to house got a bottle of Gatorade and poured some down him and some on him about an hour later he was up walking and eating grass. still weak and staggering around but better

tomturkey · Jun 22, 2018

We had a flock when the kids were young and involved in 4-H. The most we ever had was 25 ewes and the buck, of course. Some people just don't like sheep. In my opinion they are a very tuff and rugged animal. A bit picky when it comes to pasture and hay, but like people, eat what they like unless forced to do otherwise. With the wool coat, it is easy to not see an animal is losing condition. They continue to feed with the flock each day then suddenly they are down. By then many times intervention is too late. Hence my previous thread statement, a sick sheep is usually a dead sheep. The more time you spend around them the better you will be at recognizing that something might be going wrong. Good luck with your flock. Glad to hear the Gatorade helped. Another lesson in your animal husbandry education. Evan though I recommended calling the vet, I know that sometimes that is not a option given the value of the animal versus the vet bill. gobble

Traditional Farmer · Jun 22, 2018

Think you can buy some anti bloat mineral blocks if you're having much trouble you might want to check them out.

farmerwithmutt · Jun 22, 2018

Could it be grass teteny? Was the sheep swelled on the left side?
The blocks are a good idea i used the m often

woodbutcher · Jun 23, 2018

Your comment brought back a memory from 30 years ago when a new vet came to our area. We had the same size flock as you for the same reason you had yours. One day I noticed a ewe that was away from the rest of the sheep. She was down, and when I helped her up, she seemed to lose her balance and fall over. I put her in a sick pen and called the new vet, thinking he could use the business. When he drove up, I met him at his pickup and told him what I had. He wouldn't even get out of the pickup to look at her. He said sheep don't have any will to live. I thanked him for coming and started reading what I could find in vet medication catalogues. I went to the co-op and bought some vitamin A and injected her with it. She was up and grazing the next day.
Butch

Dusty MI · Jun 23, 2018

A neighbor told me that during the depression a visit by the Vet cost more than a sheep was worth.

Dusty

Bret4207 · Jun 23, 2018

It's not that sheep have no will to live. It's that sheep are incredibly stoic and just don't show their illness much until it's well advanced. Add to that that most people ignore their sheep and that most sheep aren't handled hardly at all and you get people thinking they have no will to live. By the time most people spot a sheep in trouble it's been sick for days. What do you expect?

Traditional Farmer · Jun 23, 2018

Things change now a vet's visit costs more than a cow is worth.

g ostby · Jun 27, 2018

In my high school days sheep were the only animal I made a profit on. Grange insurance was something like fifty cents per year. When they died I got $50. for each ewe and $75 for each ram.Lost many to bloat and dogs.

update on sheep

1948jr

Member

tomturkey

Well-known Member

Traditional Farmer

Well-known Member

farmerwithmutt

Well-known Member

woodbutcher

Well-known Member

Dusty MI

Well-known Member

Bret4207

Well-known Member

Traditional Farmer

Well-known Member

g ostby

Member

Similar threads