Vet says my sheep are overweight *Update post #29!!!!

kfacres

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boykin2010 said:
Your sheep are not fat! Are those Dorpers? Does your vet know that the dorpers are a very meaty breed to start with? They are supposed to be big. I have sheep much bigger than yours but they are not fat either. Some may have had a single lamb this year and didnt lose much weight, or they just gain weight better. I don't think your sheep being overweight had anything to do with the prolapse. Sometimes things just happen. I have heard that sheep with their tails docked close have a higher chance of getting a prolapse. I do not dock any of mines tails but I see yours are docked. Maybe that is something to look into?
all sheep unless a hair sheep require tails docked.. dorpers since a shedder-- and not a full hair sheep-- need tails docked.

overweight sheep are more prone to prolapse, but it's more so a genetic cause. the tail thing is bogus.
 

Rvrfshr

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bonbean01 said:
They don't look fat to me either...they look in good health. Our sheep are not svelte, but they are healthy, no problem lambing and no prolapses. I'm no expert, but your sheep look good to me.
Your sheep look healthy to me.

What was your vet's advice on trimming them down?
 

SheepGirl

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Body condition score them...if they are between 2.5 to 3.5 then they are in fine condition and not fat. A fat sheep will score a four or a five. You really can't tell by looking at the sheep with wool, however, the ones that are more shed out look fine to me.

BCS_1.jpg
 

Southdown

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SheepGirl, you read my mind. I was thinking of the sheep scoring chart that's in one of my books. They look healthy and definitely not overweight. Mine are on the lower end of scoring right now and I need to fatten them up. Giving birth seems to drop their scores a lot. I'd be a little weary of your vet because they are not fat.
 

PotterWatch

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Thanks everyone for confirming what I was thinking. If the vet had gotten her hands on them and done a body score, I wouldn't have been so skeptical. But like you guys only saw pictures, all she did was look at them through the fence. We don't have many vets to choose from around here so I will still keep her number for emergencies, but I'm definitely not going to take her up on her offer to look over the whole place.
 

PotterWatch

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ShadyAcres said:
On your ewe that you butchered, how old was she? Have you eaten any of the meat yet? I have only eaten our lambs that were less than 1 year old. I had never eaten lamb before we started raising sheep so Dorper meat is the only lamb that I am familiar with and absolutely love it! I ask as I have a ewe that is 2 that will not get bred and I am trying to decide if I should butcher her or haul her to the market when we sell our lambs.
Well, I saw ewe, but she was really still a lamb. We bought her to use as a breeding ewe though so I got used to saying ewe. She was only born in November 2011 (off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure she was one of the younger ones we got... it's possible though that she was one of the ones born in July 2011). We haven't eaten any of the meat yet, but I have a leg earmarked for a meal this week!

kfacres said:
I'd question them though-- typically the ones with a good mineral program-- should easily be shedded out by now-- no matter what location in the country.
Thanks for the information. What should I look for or add to their diet do you think? They have access to an all-stock Redmond conditioner block, but I don't have loose minerals out for them.
 

Remuda1

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I have dorpers as well and think yours look great. What about the one you processed? I'm sure the meat looked fine and wasn't covered with and marbled out with huge amounts of fat. It's a shame that we have to be on our guard even with those people that we depend on to do right by our animals. A good vet will not only look out for the welfare of your animals, but your entire operation as well. Part of that is not recommending frivolous and costly services and procedures.
 

kfacres

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PotterWatch said:
ShadyAcres said:
On your ewe that you butchered, how old was she? Have you eaten any of the meat yet? I have only eaten our lambs that were less than 1 year old. I had never eaten lamb before we started raising sheep so Dorper meat is the only lamb that I am familiar with and absolutely love it! I ask as I have a ewe that is 2 that will not get bred and I am trying to decide if I should butcher her or haul her to the market when we sell our lambs.
Well, I saw ewe, but she was really still a lamb. We bought her to use as a breeding ewe though so I got used to saying ewe. She was only born in November 2011 (off the top of my head, I'm pretty sure she was one of the younger ones we got... it's possible though that she was one of the ones born in July 2011). We haven't eaten any of the meat yet, but I have a leg earmarked for a meal this week!

kfacres said:
I'd question them though-- typically the ones with a good mineral program-- should easily be shedded out by now-- no matter what location in the country.
Thanks for the information. What should I look for or add to their diet do you think? They have access to an all-stock Redmond conditioner block, but I don't have loose minerals out for them.
by conditioner, what do you mean? Typically 'conditioner' leads me to believe it also acts as a protein block. If that's the case-- then your sheep are not on grass soley.

blocks are hard on teeth- loose is the way to go. Most typically all- stock blocks are also high in Cu, and they are not sufficient for sheep.

We follow Pipestone's mineral program, and have for over a year now. Since switching from commerical minerals- we have not had a single case of footrot-- and very minor cases of scald. Research shows it's from the iodine injection.
 

PotterWatch

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It's a Redmond Natural mineral/salt block. The conditioner is what is in our chicken feed. I get them mixed up when referring to them. I'll see if I can get loose minerals instead. Thanks!
 

Gracie9205

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I give my lactating ewes a sheep block made by Producer's Pride. It is a much softer block than the kind cow/horse kind, and is formulated specifically for sheep/goats. My girls really seem to enjoy them. This is the only thing I supplement their diet with, and they are about a 3.5 in body condition right now while nursing month old lambs.
 
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