# Help new sheep owner.. brown watery poop



## Mellyb (Mar 7, 2020)

New with sheep! I have had them for three days.  Have them on same pellets and corn mix that previous owner was giving them.  Have only been giving it to them once a day.  This morning my husband went out and noticed watery brown poop in pen area?  He also noticed they didn’t finish eating the corn mix from yesterday.  Could it be the new grass making them not feel good?   I have salt lick I pen also with them.  I’m afraid they might not be drinking enough water?  Any ideas? All three have been wormed.


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## purplequeenvt (Mar 7, 2020)

It’s likely stress related. I would start by cutting their grain ration back for a week or so and then slowly bring it back up to the desired amount.

Were they on pasture or hay when you got them? If they were on hay and you put them straight onto grass, that is sure to upset their digestive systems. Try offering them some hay, preferably for an hour or 2 before going out to graze. Only leave them out for a short while at a time to allow them to adjust to the change in feed. You can leave them on grass a bit longer each day.


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## Mellyb (Mar 7, 2020)

purplequeenvt said:


> It’s likely stress related. I would start by cutting their grain ration back for a week or so and then slowly bring it back up to the desired amount.
> 
> Were they on pasture or hay when you got them? If they were on hay and you put them straight onto grass, that is sure to upset their digestive systems. Try offering them some hay, preferably for an hour or 2 before going out to graze. Only leave them out for a short while at a time to allow them to adjust to the change in feed. You can leave them on grass a bit longer each day.


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## Mellyb (Mar 7, 2020)

Will do!  Thank you sooo much for the input and help!!


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## Mellyb (Mar 7, 2020)

They were mostly on pasture hay.  Once in awhile he would give them pellets. And had some coastal hay in the barn.


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## purplequeenvt (Mar 7, 2020)

Mellyb said:


> They were mostly on pasture hay.  Once in awhile he would give them pellets. And had some coastal hay in the barn.



If he was only giving them pellets once in a while, then the issue is probably that they are eating more grain then they are used to. Knowing this, I’d cut out all grain for a couple days to let them adjust to new hay/pasture. After a couple days, add the grain back in, but only a cup or so each. Give them a few days on that and then slowly start increasing.

How old are they?


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## Mellyb (Mar 7, 2020)

purplequeenvt said:


> If he was only giving them pellets once in a while, then the issue is probably that they are eating more grain then they are used to. Knowing this, I’d cut out all grain for a couple days to let them adjust to new hay/pasture. After a couple days, add the grain back in, but only a cup or so each. Give them a few days on that and then slowly start increasing.
> 
> How old are they?


Two of them are about two, the other is only 16 weeks


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## Grant (Mar 7, 2020)

Stress, new water supply, more grain, different grass. Lots of things it can be.  Go straight hay and water only for a couple of days.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 9, 2020)

Mellyb said:


> New with sheep! I have had them for three days.  Have them on same pellets and corn mix that previous owner was giving them.  Have only been giving it to them once a day.  This morning my husband went out and noticed watery brown poop in pen area?  He also noticed they didn’t finish eating the corn mix from yesterday.  Could it be the new grass making them not feel good?   I have salt lick I pen also with them.  I’m afraid they might not be drinking enough water?  Any ideas? All three have been wormed.


Diarrhea, Pretty much sound like it. You better move fast and deal with that. That's one of the killer sicknesses in almost all farm animals.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 20, 2020)

Mellyb said:


> New with sheep! I have had them for three days.  Have them on same pellets and corn mix that previous owner was giving them.  Have only been giving it to them once a day.  This morning my husband went out and noticed watery brown poop in pen area?  He also noticed they didn’t finish eating the corn mix from yesterday.  Could it be the new grass making them not feel good?   I have salt lick I pen also with them.  I’m afraid they might not be drinking enough water?  Any ideas? All three have been wormed.


Well. All I can say is, they are really a handful for impatient people. So better stretch your patience for them.


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## YourRabbitGirl (Mar 23, 2020)

Mellyb said:


> New with sheep! I have had them for three days.  Have them on same pellets and corn mix that previous owner was giving them.  Have only been giving it to them once a day.  This morning my husband went out and noticed watery brown poop in pen area?  He also noticed they didn’t finish eating the corn mix from yesterday.  Could it be the new grass making them not feel good?   I have salt lick I pen also with them.  I’m afraid they might not be drinking enough water?  Any ideas? All three have been wormed.


Sulfa drugs (sulfadimethoxine sulfamethazine) such as Albon ® and Sulmet ® are most effective in the early stages of acute infections when coccidia is rapidly multiplying. Sulfa drugs can not cure coccidiosis but are often administered to infected goats to avoid secondary infections such as bacterial enteritis.


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