Dribbling sheep

6 posts
Mon, 03/17/2014 - 22:53 #1

Member for

10 years 9 months
Amican Park
Last seen: 03/24/2014 - 23:12
Joined: 02/17/2014 - 13:06

Dribbling sheep

Hi all ,

I have added feed oats to my sheep's diet and built it up over  the month .  they seem happy and come running when they see me going in the paddock .

 But first it was the ram . He started to salivate heaps and started to shake his head and rear , then I noticed that a couple of ewes and a few weaners  were salivating as well . I put them back on the hay and the came good . Is this  some kind of chemical poisioning ? It has happed three times . As soon as they  start salivating they become stiff in there movement  . After eating the hay they are back to normal . Im only feeding one liter of oats  to seven sheep .After  each attack  of the dribbles  I rest them on hay for a few days and then built up the oats over the next week . I only buy the oats at one fodder store . Im looking at putting them on laucke sheep pellets instead of the oats .

Any input would be great

happy farming  

Mick

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Tue, 03/18/2014 - 14:41 #2
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Mick,

this is very concerning.Where did you get the oats? I suggest not feeding any more of the oats until you find out the cause- it could very well be organophosphate poisoning or perhaps a mycotoxin due to mold in the oats. I would be talking to my local vet about it  at once. Meanwhile, it is a good idea, as you suggested, to swap them over to a good commercial pellet. probably about 150- 200 g of pellets per sheep should be adequate if they have access to some hay or pasture. It's a good thing that you are observant because if it is some form of toxin, then you may have ended up with some dead sheep due to liver or kidney failure or both.

Years ago during the '94 drought her in Qld, I fed my goats peanut shell as there was no other feed available. I lost several very valuable stud animals due to aflatoxin in the shells- this was verified by the laboratory when the samples from the gut, liver and kidneys were analysed. The symptoms were very similar to those of your sheep.

regards,

Barb

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Tue, 03/18/2014 - 22:55 #3
Amican Park
Last seen: 03/24/2014 - 23:12
Joined: 02/17/2014 - 13:06

Hi Barb ,

I brought  the  feed oats from a fodder store here in Moonta SA.  I have  done a Livestock Feeding Record  and the introduced feed record for the  last month  since finding it on the net and I have the Bag no. listed .But with that info I'm not to sure what to do with it as the  oats have been fed out . I have  hunted down some sheep pelletsand nuts  and will give them a go as well as a local farmer  has suggested I give barley and peas a try .

thanks again for your great advice  and I will also have a chat  to  my local vet  about it .

One my ewes is heavy in lamb,  will the pellets ,barley  and hay be enought  for them ?

 

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Wed, 03/19/2014 - 01:39 #4
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Mick,

you can give them a mixture of  the feeds if you wish. it's best not to feed pure lucerne hay to your sheep as the calcium/phophorus balance is wrong. a grassy hay is best.

When feeding out grains, you should start with about 75 g and build up to a full ration of 200g Too much grain introduced too quickly can cause grain poisoning -acidosis. If you are feeding  sheep or goat pellets to them they should also be introduced slowly until you build up to the full ration over a period of around 10 days. Pellets formulated for sheep and goats usually have ingredients added to prevent acidosis but should still be introduced slowly as introducing any new feed too quickly can cause digestive problems as it doesn't allow the ruminal bacteria time to build up to the correct levels to cope with it. Caution, don't be tempted to feed cattle feed to your sheep as it contains too much Urea which can kill them.

Yes, I would have a talk to the vet about the symptoms that occurred when you fed out the oats. I can't be any more specific than what I have already suggested as to the cause as it is impossible to know exactly what the cause is without actually seeing the animals and observing their gait, examining them and so on. I hope you have kept some of the feed for the vet to check out- as their symptoms do sound very odd.

One more thing: if you have given the ewe in advanced pregnancy a calcium or dolomite lick it should be removed from her for the last month of her pregnancy to allow her own body to mobilise calcium from her bones in preparation for delivery and feeding which will help prevent milk fever. After she delivers, you can return the calcium or dolomite to her.  

Please, if you don't mind sharing the results, let everyone on the forum know what the cause of the problem is as I am sure we would all like to know.

kind regards,

Barb

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Mon, 03/24/2014 - 23:09 #5
Amican Park
Last seen: 03/24/2014 - 23:12
Joined: 02/17/2014 - 13:06

 Hi Barb ,

 how do you weigh sheep  to get the right weight  for drenching?

Mick

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Tue, 03/25/2014 - 19:30 #6
barb
Last seen: 09/17/2019 - 18:07
Joined: 11/23/2011 - 09:38

Hi Mick,

I have a weigh crate, but if you don't you could always do what one of my clients did and stand on a set of scales with the sheep in your arms (he was a big bloke) and note the weight, then put it down and weigh yourself. Subtract your weight from the first weight and there you have it.

However seriously, if you don't have a weigh crate, you could use a suspension scale that will take up to 100 kg and put a sling around the sheep and hook the sling onto the scale and get the weight that way. When I didn't have a weigh crate many years ago that is what I used to do.

Cheers,

Barb

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