My Sheep Journal~ I'm a grandma! Black Betty had twins!!!

[goodhors]

Couple questions here. It sounds like UB has a long tail. Could this be a possible problem, with constant irritation or source of infection by covering the vulva? Maybe tail is in the way of ram trying to breed her? The only sheep tails I remember are fat and heavy, storage areas to keep sheep going in lean grazing.

She might have gotten some dirt internally, when being bred by the ram. Being in a state of low-grade infection, could be preventing breeding or coming back into heat. I have seen that happen before with horses.

For commercial herds, tails are removed so they don't harbor nasty stuff or inhibit breeding. The tail can catch fluids, hold moist dirt that is a breeding ground for maggots after lambing. Real easy to introduce infection into the ewe with a dirty tail.

So these were thoughts I had when reading UB did not get bred.

Are you selenium poor in your local area? We are here in MI, so added selenium is a must for good breeding and cycling of the reproduction systems. My main experience is with horses, and lack of selenium with Vit E, can cause MANY issues, one of which is the reproduction cycle. I have made sure my heifer got extra selenium in her handful of grain, because the grazing and locally grown hay will not provide it to her. Sheep around here get the White Muscle disease shots to ensure the bodies contain enough Selenium to survive lambing. Lambs get WM shots after birth to prevent the problems happening.

Horses require the added Vit E to absorb the selenium, so my heifer and our market lambs get that kind of selenium. Not sure if they really need the Vit E as well, never thought to check up on it!

Anyway, some ideas for you to contemplate regarding her barren state.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a pic of the ewe:

And here's the little cougher, Doolley:

We are not in a selenium poor area and I give them BOSS every now and again, plenty of minerals and also I give sea kelp/salt as their loose minerals.

Her tail is not very long, nor is it full... she actually has a scrunty little tail compared to her flock mates. Hair sheep tails aren't like woollies...they are very slender and mobile...sort of like a goat's. These gals hold their tails up when they are bred, nice and away from the area. Their tails don't have wool so there isn't much in the way of soiled areas there.

You could be right, though, about the infection....she hasn't really been holding her weight like normal since her breeding. She is usually my very fat one but right now I would give her a 2-3 on condition.

She also has been having bouts of loose stool when no other sheep has....I examined her stool and it appeared to have tiny red seeds in it. She'll go a few days of normal stool and then she will have runny...I don't know if she is getting a certain weed or what. She has never had loose stool before but has been having it this summer off and on.

Her eyelids do not show any anemia issues and she has received the same regimen as the rest of my flock. She has only changed since the breeding, so you could very well be correct on the infection.

Either way, she is gone. I want only strong sheep with good immune systems and hardy constitutions.

Even with the drought, the rest of my flock are sleek and fat...all except her.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Goodhors, this is a hair sheep and most hair sheep breeders do not dock. Their tails won't cause issues when breeding, and like Bee said, they're not wooly like non-hair sheep tails so they don't cause infection or any unsanitary conditions.

I boarded a katahdin ewe and ram last fall and hadn't had a sheep with a tail before those two. It was funny to see them run because their tails would whirl around in the air behind them.

 

[Beekissed]

Aggie, they also lift and shake their tails when they poop. I always laugh at it and wonder if this makes the sprinkles come out easier?

After seeing how often these gals shoo flies with their tails, I often wonder how docked sheep get rid of flies?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Aggie, they also lift and shake their tails when they poop. I always laugh at it and wonder if this makes the sprinkles come out easier?

After seeing how often these gals shoo flies with their tails, I often wonder how docked sheep get rid of flies?

Their tails absolutely help them get manure away from their bodies! In fact, that's one huge reason why ultra-short docks are so bad (in addition to many other problems). The caudal tail fold (the "web" of skin that goes from the tail to the body) helps direct manure away from the body.

I took some pictures at the county fair a few weeks ago....ultra short docked lambs. I'm going to start a thread about it...

 

[Beekissed]

I've read that short docking can cause damage to the sacral plexus resulting in more chance of uterine prolapse and birthing difficulties.

That is one of the reasons I really liked how hair sheep are traditionally left uncut but I also know people who cut them anyway....they say they get better prices at the market when they do.

 

[ALANB]

BackBetty will loose some of her wool in the Summer , A good thing !! Buy yourself a purebred Kathadin Ram and you'r off to a good start . I've had sheep for 30 years , with the hard ship of having to shear , the expense being more than the price of wool (imported from China) . Hair sheep are excellent meat animals and the lambs hit the gound running !! I have had nothing but Hair sheep now for the past 8 years and they bring more mony at the sale also ............... ALANB.

 

[Beekissed]

Alan, I really like the Katahdins more than the St. Croix and the Dorpers. I like their gentle nature, their motherliness, their wool/hair quality, their milkiness and their hardiness.

If I breed again, it will definitely be a Katahdin ram. Black Betty is bred to a pure Katahdin and will be lambing in Sept.

I don't really like the squattiness of the Dorpers and I can't see where they have more meat than the Kats unless it would be near the shoulders.

I agree that the lambs hit the ground running...I will post a more recent pic of my little Kat/St. Croix wether. He is gentle, meaty, leggy and has a beautiful coat. I wish now I hadn't banded him as I think he would have made someone a great ram.

 

[Beekissed]

Here's a pic of my pumpkin harvest, small that it was. It will definitely help the gals have a variety of high sugar content supplement when they are needing it the most this winter, not to mention the deworming effect of the seeds.

My sheep eat pumpkins like women love chocolate! Like crack cocaine for sheep, I tell ya!

 

[Royd Wood]

My sheep eat pumpkins like women love chocolate! Like crack cocaine for sheep, I tell ya!

Will try feeding mine - didnt know about the seed for worms - thanks for that