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Anemones |
Losses
We have been free of coyote losses this year, thanks to the effective work of Maremmas, Millie and Ruby. Now the losses are due to illness in the adult sheep and it has been heartbreaking.
Polar Bear has been ill for some time. As the sheep went out to pasture she was unable to tolerate the green grass. She would "spew" her cud. Sheep don't vomit but I was reminded at times of projectile vomit. I consulted the Vet and was informed it was Frothy Bloat. Bloat is the filling of the rumen, the "first stomach" of a ruminant, with gas and / or foam which is unable to escape. Often it is caused by too much of a particular food item that is not well tolerated. For example, legume pasture such as alfalfa; or, if a sheep got into grain and ate A LOT!
Polar Bear did bloat a few times as I tried to introduce her to grass again and again. It got to the point where she could tolerate thirty minutes up to three times a day. Often she would look poorly after the third outing to grass.
I decided that Polar Bear would have to go to auction as a "cull" but that first she needed to get her twins well launched. Over time they have lagged somewhat. At the end Polar Bear likely had little milk to give to her lambs. If a sheep could be pale she was terribly so.
As Polar Bear was noticeably sliding downhill, Libby suddenly did not look well. Libby is my special purchase sheep with the coloured fleece. She too had twins. Libby was not going out with the flock but lying down in the barnyard. I brought her in. She was thin as she was not eating. She ate hay well. After a few days I moved her in with Polar Bear as it was easier to have them all together in the one barn.
On the Friday I took fecal samples of each to the Vet. The results were expected over the weekend if not on Monday. I was disappointed that I had the weekend and no idea what to do with these sheep.
On Saturday Polar Bear fell down trying to get up. The others went outside and I left Polar Bear in the pen. I had to go. I went to Guelph to fetch son for a visit, returning the next day. Hubby emailed that Polar Bear died that morning. He buried her.
When I got home Sunday I worried about Libby. She looked worse and was eating less. I knew she was anaemic and it might be parasites but I had de-wormed the flock exactly one month previous and five weeks before that.
On the Monday afternoon the Vet called with the fecal results. The parasite load was high for both sheep indicating drug resistance to the internal parasite mediation. Yet I was also a bit confused since no animals had been on the field the sheep were on for years previous, and often a heavy parasite load is from pasture. It was the drug resistance that was the problem and so the parasites continued to be prolific. With the recent weather conditions the parasite population increased and the medication did not hold it in check.
Polar Bear was already compromised health-wise and the internal parasites were just too much for her. Libby lambed late and she too would have a compromised system, as I read in my research. A strong sheep, it was shocking to see Libby fail and so rapidly. The Vet had some medication for me to pick up the next day along with a different worming medication for all members of the flock.
Libby was dead the next morning. I cried a lot, then, and later. My neighbour was shocked as she had come over on Saturday evening and Sunday morning to give Libby a supplement. She was chewing her cud happily on Sunday morning and dead on Tuesday morning.
I tried over three days to get Libby's lambs to take formula in a bottle. They were five weeks old, too young to be weaned. They just would not take the bottle.
Son was here and helped with the drenching or de-worming. The sheep were wet from rain. It was hot and humid. It was a mucky, messy job and it got done in good time.
And then I madly set about to set up new pasture. I needed to get the sheep off the current field after a few days to pass the nasty parasites. In two weeks time I will change the pasture again. The parasite life cycle is about fourteen days. So, if I can change pasture every fourteen days I can break the cylce and make a dent in the population.
Son helped me set up the electric fence in the field. The next morning, before letting out the sheep, I rearranged another electric fence to make a corridor for the sheep to access the new field. I got the final electric power to the fencing the next day, one day after I put the sheep out there.
I have been struggling with what I could have done differently. Not much. This drug resistance is new to me and was not a concern [
My neighbour has had the same issue and also lost a favourite ewe. She listened to me cry. What a great neighbour!
Son's visit
He said he wasn't bored even though there was only one day of fishing. Son arrived on the Sunday and left by train on the Friday. He was a huge help with the fence, drenching, moving stuff. He checked the coyote trap each day too. And when the neighbour borrowed the trap he went out to the field with him to fetch it.
On the way to the train station I said, "I hope you weren't too bored".
"No", he said. "Your place is really peaceful. The farm is nice. It's a lot of work."
He was good company while hubby was away. It was good to spend some time with him. He will get very busy again in the fall when he begins Grad school.
Trixie
She is the ewe with the gangrenous mastitis. It is especially gross as the affected half of the udder sloughs away. Trixie has bounced back in an amazing way. She continues to raise her lamb, Bambi, who nurses on the unaffected side of the udder.
I recently learned that iodine is good for fly control. The flies have been really awful this year. So, following daily Epsom salts bath treatments, I applied an antiseptic to the affected part of the udder and abdomen. Then, I began to spray with iodine. The iodine sprayer keeps getting plugged up so yesterday with sister holding Trixie, I heavily swabbed the lesions with the iodine solution.
Today there is some weeping from the wound but the fly control is excellent. In addition, Trixie is now outside as much as possible all day. This keeps her out of the dirty and fly filled barn. Fresh air and green grass is very healthy. It's better eating for her and her lamb too.
Orphan Lambs
Polar Bear's lambs, "Rosie" and "Rosie's Brother", are now out in the flock. Rosie steals milk whenever she can. This was stress that Trixie did not need. These twins are older too, born May 30th. I tried to get them on to a bottle and was not successful. I put little bells on each of them and put them out in the flock. For a few days they hung around the barn and got through the fence and back with Trixie. They no longer do that. They seem quite content in the flock. Rosie still tries to steal milk.
Libby's twins remain with Trixie. And today it seemed that Trixie was behaving as a true Auntie and cried out for about ten minutes looking for these lambs. They were behind the house out of earshot. When they found each other they were all happy to be together again. These lambs are not trying to steal milk either. The four of them are a nice little happy family that graze around the house.
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Trixie with her lamb, Bambi, who is standing, and Libby's orphaned twins. |
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