# Sheep in the spring time



## genuck (Apr 8, 2015)

This is a little bit feed and a little bit disease, but overall a management question so I put it here.

The grass just turned green a day or two ago. Last year I didn't put the sheep out until after it had greened and started to grow. The first day they were out they didn't want their rations, the second day two were down. Then I lost 3 adult sheep and a pygora goat to barberpole worms (most likely, they were down and anemic, one had bottle jaw. others in the same field were completely unaffected). This year I left them in one pasture to nibble and raised the amount I'm feeding in the last week hoping they wouldn't gorge on the green grass. Today they weren't too interested in grain, one ewe and my angora have been laying down a lot and two others look a little hunched (it is also rainy and chilly - they've been sheared recently) and one has diarrhea. I've never has this happen until last year.

Is new spring grass overly rich to cause problems? I always worried with the horses but not the sheep. Does anyone else have problems this time of year? It's warm, it's cold, it's sometimes wet, is it the feed, illness from the temperature change, coccidia or worms from the weather getting warmer? I don't know if I should give the girl with the runs an antibiotic, corid, cydectin or baking soda?


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## norseofcourse (Apr 8, 2015)

I don't know but I'm sure sorry for your losses     Are there other sheep owners in your vicinity that you can ask if they have problems with the spring grass?  Have you checked eyelid colors and/or had fecal tests done lately?


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## promiseacres (Apr 8, 2015)

Yes they will over graze. They need introduced to new pastures over several days when on dry lots, 1-2 hours then increase time. You may be dealing with bloat... I haven't ever had any bloat but know fresh new grass can cause it. I would keep them off the grass, on grass hay only for a day or two then introduce slower. From what you've said I am hoping it's mild.


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## BrownSheep (Apr 8, 2015)

You can also get bloat blocks to help with the bloat. The ones we use are formulated for cows prior to the release on to pasture but we have used them with out issue on our sheep


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## Bossroo (Apr 9, 2015)

Time tested by shepherds all over the world ...   Feed the sheep a full ration of dry older , poorer quality hay first before you turn them out into a fresh green pasture for about 1 /2 hour, then bring them back.  One hour the next day, 1 1/2 hr. the next day and the next 2 days then their guts will be adjusted to the new grass and all will be just fine from there.


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