[Jacob-list] Jacob-list Digest, Vol 41, Issue 8

[Victoria da Roza]

I get ground kelp...the food kind, not the plant kind
and give the sheep free access to it...also free
access to mineralized sheep salt.  It has to be the
kind for sheep as the regular mineralized salt usually
has too much copper and that is toxic to sheep.  I
think free access is especially important if you are
feeding any grain and if the sheep is pregnant.  I
would have let the ewe skip a year of breeding cause
the nursing is the part that really takes it out of
the girls. But then my flock is a hobby flock so I can
afford to do it. Just one opinion.  Victoria
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> Today's Topics:

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>    1. Grass Tetany or Magnesium Deficiency (Leigh

> Nelson)

> 

> 

>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

> 

> Message: 1

> Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 11:13:53 -0500

> From: "Leigh Nelson" <shmee1 at mail.com>

> Subject: [Jacob-list] Grass Tetany or Magnesium

> Deficiency

> To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com

> Message-ID:

> <20080121161354.57473478088 at ws1-5.us4.outblaze.com>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> 

> Yesterday apparently healthy 3 year old ewe died

> from unknown causes.  I

> was hoping to get some feedback from the group about

> similar situations

> and any opinions on things to do differently in the

> future.  I am new to

> farming and started with sheep about 2 years ago. 

> Two weeks prior to

> lambing all ewes are given an annual vaccination

> (Glanvac-6), E-sel, &

> dewormed (Safe-guard).  I also deworm again in the

> fall twice, spaced out

> 14-days.  Hay is fed twice a day outside on the

> ground.  Grain (with

> trace selenium) is fed in the morning only, this

> year we did not flush

> but just gave a little bit to help keep there weight

> up for lambing. 

> Salt licks are readily available.  Water is given

> through an automatic

> waterer, so fresh clean water is always available. 

> In the winter the

> sheep are kept close to the barn in a small

> sacrifice area, they can

> chose to go inside or outside as they like. The ewe

> in question lambed

> last year in July, thus teaching me that Jacobs can

> breed in March.  I

> was trying to not breed her with the ram at the time

> because they both

> had the same sire.  She had one lamb with no

> assistance and was a great

> mother.  The lamb was weaned early to mid October. 

> This year she was

> exposed to my new ram mid November, giving her time

> to recover from the

> last lamb.  All was going well until last Tuesday

> when we happened to

> notice that she was in the far side of the sacrifice

> area outside.  I was

> concerned that she might be aborting so we went to

> check her out. 

> Everything thing seemed fine so we just chalked it

> up to sheep being

> sheep.  Now, I have to mention this girl was always

> a bit flighty and

> didn't miggle well with the flock since the day we

> got her, basically her

> normal was abnormal.  On Friday morning I noticed

> that she wasn't eating

> grain, so I isolated her from the rest of the flock

> and then had to leave

> to go to work.  At night I did a complete inspection

> of her and found a

> bump under her chin, thinking this was bottle jaw, I

> immediately dewormed

> with 3 cc Safe-guard given orally.  At this time I

> also noticed that she

> was stiff in the back end and was leaning against

> the wall for support. 

> Although her symptoms didn't indicate a selenium

> defficiency I gave her a

> shot of E-sel because I thought it couldn't hurt. 

> In addition her

> breathing was a bit laboured, making a loud noise

> every time she

> exhaled.  I stayed out in the barn with her for

> about 3 hours that night

> and didn't see any change.  Saturday morning she was

> sleeping comfortably

> but still stiff and having trouble breathing. 

> Finally I phoned the vet,

> he told me that stiffness indicates mineral

> difficiency.  He suggested

> that we get some Epsom salts from the grocery store

> and dissolve it in

> water.  This would give her some magnesium.  By the

> time we started to

> give her this she was on her side and convulsing. 

> We didn't see any

> improvement and she died soon after. My question to

> the group is did her

> symptoms indicate a magnesium difficiency?  Were we

> just too late giving

> her the epsom salts?  Should anything have been done

> differently?  I

> purchased some mineral supplements last year but

> just haven't gotten

> around to figuring out the dosage and was planning

> on mixing it with the

> grain.  Is this how most people do it or do some

> people just give the

> sheep unlimited access? Any input would be greatly

> appreciated.  Leigh

> 

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> End of Jacob-list Digest, Vol 41, Issue 8

> *****************************************

> 



Victoria
Castle Rock Farm
Jacob Sheep & Nigerian Dwarf Goats
www.castlerockfarm.net


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