Please feel free to post any sheep-related questions you may have here, or under a new heading.
8 comments:
Anonymous
said...
My parents have been given two sheep that were rejected by their mothers. They each had some colostrum but the male (1 week old) did really good for 1 st two days but now is not feeding agressively. He is voiding and stooling but you almost have to force him to eat. I see him nibble at hay but I haven't seen him eat really good. He is not dying but he is not thriving either. The female is only 2 days old and so far is doing well is there something I can do to prevent her from acting the same way
There are several factors which may be at work here.
But the first thing you need to do is establish a good working relationship with a local veterinarian, who can examine your ram. No amount of advise from someone who hasn't seen a sick animal will begin to substitute for hands-on treatment!
The next thing you'll need to do is review your own management practices. A very young lamb cannot live on hay alone, and will have to have milk. Perhaps your ewe isn't able to provide adequate milk, which means you'll have to provide milk replacer to the ram lamb.
I have a twelve year old ewe who is down and not able to stand. Her eyes are turning up. I dont want her to suffer. Is there something like can give her to help her along?
HI, I am looking into getting 2 lambs. The thing is, is I am getting them as pets. Do I need to aquire an orphan baby to have a real attachment or can you still create a bond from a lamb that had been weaned
Regarding an older animal who is down and possibly suffering...it's time to call in a large animal veterinarian! He/she can determine if the sheep is beyond help, and if necessary can administer the drugs generally used to euthanize.
If that is absolutely impossible (and I realize that LA vets simply are not available everywhere), consider calling in a friend or shepherd who is familiar with hunting and/or butchering. Even if you determine that the end is imminent, humane dispatch is not as simple as one might think.
Bottle-fed babies have a guaranteed affinity for the bottle holder. It's very difficult NOT to make an attached pet out of one!
Some individual sheep, however, seem more inclined to like people than others. And some breeds are naturally more trusting of humans. If you acquire such an individual, and spend a good deal of time training her, you will have a good chance of achieving a satisfying friendship. Whether the bond is strong enough to satisfy your definitely of "pet" also depends upon your own desires here.
Do NOT choose an intact ram for this project though, unless you have definite masochistic tendencies. It might be easier at first, as rams tend to be less timid; but eventually you will find yourself with a dangerous problem.
8 comments:
My parents have been given two sheep that were rejected by their mothers. They each had some colostrum but the male (1 week old) did really good for 1 st two days but now is not feeding agressively. He is voiding and stooling but you almost have to force him to eat. I see him nibble at hay but I haven't seen him eat really good. He is not dying but he is not thriving either. The female is only 2 days old and so far is doing well is there something I can do to prevent her from acting the same way
There are several factors which may be at work here.
But the first thing you need to do is establish a good working relationship with a local veterinarian, who can examine your ram. No amount of advise from someone who hasn't seen a sick animal will begin to substitute for hands-on treatment!
The next thing you'll need to do is review your own management practices. A very young lamb cannot live on hay alone, and will have to have milk. Perhaps your ewe isn't able to provide adequate milk, which means you'll have to provide milk replacer to the ram lamb.
I have a lamb of a few days a week at the most.. I was wondering when I could give the lamb a bath..
I can see no reason why a lamb can't be washed at any time, provided it's not chilled in the process.
I have a twelve year old ewe who is down and not able to stand. Her eyes are turning up. I dont want her to suffer. Is there something like can give her to help her along?
HI, I am looking into getting 2 lambs. The thing is, is I am getting them as pets. Do I need to aquire an orphan baby to have a real attachment or can you still create a bond from a lamb that had been weaned
Regarding an older animal who is down and possibly suffering...it's time to call in a large animal veterinarian! He/she can determine if the sheep is beyond help, and if necessary can administer the drugs generally used to euthanize.
If that is absolutely impossible (and I realize that LA vets simply are not available everywhere), consider calling in a friend or shepherd who is familiar with hunting and/or butchering. Even if you determine that the end is imminent, humane dispatch is not as simple as one might think.
Regarding acquiring the pet sheep...
Bottle-fed babies have a guaranteed affinity for the bottle holder. It's very difficult NOT to make an attached pet out of one!
Some individual sheep, however, seem more inclined to like people than others. And some breeds are naturally more trusting of humans. If you acquire such an individual, and spend a good deal of time training her, you will have a good chance of achieving a satisfying friendship. Whether the bond is strong enough to satisfy your definitely of "pet" also depends upon your own desires here.
Do NOT choose an intact ram for this project though, unless you have definite masochistic tendencies. It might be easier at first, as rams tend to be less timid; but eventually you will find yourself with a dangerous problem.
Post a Comment