sheepandakom Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 I have a ewe that has started to prolapse. I called the vet this morning and she suggested that I take her off hay for the most part and up her grain. She said that the ewe had probably run out of space. I'm not surprised since she's a little cheviot ewe and is as wide as a house. I am wondering now if it's a bad idea to feed free choice hay to pregnant ewes. I've used round bales before and never had any problems. They're horse quality orchard grass and have been stored inside. I also ordered a prolapse harness to be shipped overnight. The folks at Sheepman Supply are great. They're only a state away, so the package should arrive quickly. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gail Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Hi Emily, Rather than wait and let her strain, you may want to use a twine- harness until the other harness arrives. Ron Parker's Sheep Book has instructions & it is available on-line: http://hem.bredband.net/ronpar/tsb.html The book also has instructions for replacing a prolapse if you need to. Even though she may not be fully prolapsing now, she easily could before tomorrow. I also would not take her completely off hay & would be vary careful about increasing grain dramatically. You still have to be concerned about acidosis. Is she fat? Feeding free-choice is only a problem if they are fat/get fat from the hay. Good luck with her, Gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mona Howard Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Emily, I have a ewe prolapse. The sooner it's "fixed" the better. People will tell you the spoon is worthless but it worked for me. It should be used in addition to a harness. If you don't have a harness, which I didn't, you can keep it in place with twine. Rob Parker describes this in his online book. It must be tight enough that she can't strain anymore but not so tight that she can't lay down or get up. I washed the prolapse and disinfected it and then stood the ewe so her hind end was elevated about 8 inches. The prolapse was the size of a grapefriut and it mostly slid back in. Feel the spoon and make sure it doesn't have any rough edges you need to file/smooth down. After she is properly "trussed" you can let her go about her business. It's said that they can lamb right past the spoon but this was not my experience. I had to remove it. I let her bond a few minutes with the lamb and then trussed her back up. After the lamb was old enough to wean she went for slaughter. The lamb was a ewe lamb and when big enough also went for slaughter. I gave my ewe shots of penicillian after she lambed for a few days. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaBluez Tess Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Here are pixs of my prolapse baling twine/duct tape harness....worked great http://deltabluez.com/story4.html Diane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Often with a minor prolapse all that's necessary is a replacement. As far as feeding free choice hay, a lot of that is going to depend on the hay. If it's highly palatable but relatively low in energy, sheep will consume a great deal. Then go get a drink of water. Then it expands, and something's gotta give. Mature orchard grass hay often fits this bill to a T. You'll seldom have this problem with balage, because there isn't the imperative to drink, and you won't have it with high-energy hay (less mature) because they don't need to over-consume to get their blood sugar feeling right. The few times I've tried spoons they were more trouble than they were worth. I think you're better off replacing the vagina by hand (this means putting you hand up in there and making sure it's properly replaced) and then holding it all in place with the external harness, which they can lamb past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluzinnias Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Here are pixs of my prolapse baling twine/duct tape harness....worked great http://deltabluez.com/story4.html Diane Oh, my god!!! I just read your story and tears were flowing from my eyes at work. I was trying to hold back my chuckles and sent myself into a rage of hiccups!!!! Being city folk, I gotta ask....what was the sugar for? Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepandakom Posted March 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Here are pixs of my prolapse baling twine/duct tape harness....worked great http://deltabluez.com/story4.html Diane Wonderful! Thanks! I was having trouble deciding what to do from the article. Duct tape solves everything! Off to have the pregnant dog checked by the vet. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Michelle, Sugar reduces swelling. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluzinnias Posted March 7, 2008 Report Share Posted March 7, 2008 Michelle,Sugar reduces swelling. J. Thanks Julie! I never knew that. PS Got my VBCA newsletter yesterday - congratulations on your award and great book review! Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepandakom Posted March 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 Good News! I replaced the ewe's prolapse and took her off hay for the weekend per my vet's instructions. The harness didn't come yesterday, but I am thinking it will come tomorrow. I was prepared to implement the duct tape harness if necessary. I went to a flyball tournament and left my mom in charge of the sheep. She's had livestock her entire life and would know what to do if something went wrong. The ewe didn't prolapse a second time and delivered a very LARGE, healthy black ram lamb about 3pm today. Mom and baby are doing well. The rest of the lambs should be arriving shortly. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca, Irena Farm Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 Yay! Glad everything went well. I just happened to think, if you get that custom feed made, that I'd like to go in together with you and get some - I'd probably get half a ton. I'd like to feed something more concentrated around lambing for these little girls with giant lambs, as I try to get my frame size up in my ewe flock. I'm scared of prolapse, too. Can't wait to see your lambs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepandakom Posted March 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 Yay! Glad everything went well. I just happened to think, if you get that custom feed made, that I'd like to go in together with you and get some - I'd probably get half a ton. I'd like to feed something more concentrated around lambing for these little girls with giant lambs, as I try to get my frame size up in my ewe flock. I'm scared of prolapse, too. Can't wait to see your lambs! I had another lamb this morning. A Border Leicester ewe lamb. I will probably get a 16% feed mixed. I generally feed growing lambs a 19% feed but since I have to order 2 tons at a time, it will be easier to mix in a little of the sheep pellets into what I feed the lambs than it will be to keep 4 tons of feed around. I'm thinking corn, oats, a little wheat bran and the supplement pellets. I just need to sit down and calculate values to figure out how much of each. Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted March 10, 2008 Report Share Posted March 10, 2008 Hold onto your wallet. The ag school that's feeding my lambs just got a quote of $387.50 per ton for a 16 percent lamb pellet, delivered in bulk in a 3-ton load. Corn recently closed on the CBOT at an all-time high of $5.67/bu, and I've heard that wheat has topped $10/bu. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepandakom Posted March 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2008 Hold onto your wallet. The ag school that's feeding my lambs just got a quote of $387.50 per ton for a 16 percent lamb pellet, delivered in bulk in a 3-ton load. You weren't kidding! I got a call back from the guy at the mill. They want $450 a ton and I've got to buy in 2 ton batches. I'm currently paying about $360 a ton buying feed in two different places and hand mixing the 36% protein pellet with a 12% sweet feed. The guy at the mill also insisted that I needed at least 8% molasses. Yikes! Emily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenajo Posted March 14, 2008 Report Share Posted March 14, 2008 I had another lamb this morning. A Border Leicester ewe lamb. I will probably get a 16% feed mixed. I generally feed growing lambs a 19% feed but since I have to order 2 tons at a time, it will be easier to mix in a little of the sheep pellets into what I feed the lambs than it will be to keep 4 tons of feed around. I'm thinking corn, oats, a little wheat bran and the supplement pellets. I just need to sit down and calculate values to figure out how much of each. Emily we use the Pipestone Vet recipes with good success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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