Sheep & goats, constant tooth grinding

[Mrs1885]

I've noticed everyone of our sheep and goats ALWAYS seem to act like they're chewing, even when nothing is in their mouth. They've all always done it, for years now, from the time they're a couple months old.

Never really paid much attention to it until hubby became irrationally attached to Bo Sheep and is refusing to let him go outside with the others (2 month old bottle baby). He's in his bed now grinding away and I'm about to lose my mind. I hate that noise!

Is this normal?

 

[Sheepshape]

If animals grate their teeth...then they are in pain. This is not to be confused with normal rumination

Ruminants...cows, sheep, goats etc take their coarse forage food into a complicated stomach (rumen) or a serious of stomachs. It gets a bit of a 'grinding' there, then comes back up into the mouth, usually accompanied by a belch of methane, for further processing by the teeth. The 'half ground', or cud, material which has come up from the rumen is then ground up again by the teeth to break down the cellulose walls of the forage and to release more nutrients. The cud is then is re-swallowed either into a separate stomach in the case of cows, or a separate compartment of the stomach in sheep.

So ruminants on solids will always eat, digest a bit, regurgitate bringing up food and methane, and then sit there chewing their cud for seemingly hours. Hubby is going to have to get used to It!

 

[babsbag]

And the smell on its way back up But a ruminant chewing its cud always makes me happy as it means that they are "normal" and content. I just don't appreciate the burp in my face.

 

[Mrs1885]

If animals grate their teeth...then they are in pain. This is not to be confused with normal rumination

Ruminants...cows, sheep, goats etc take their coarse forage food into a complicated stomach (rumen) or a serious of stomachs. It gets a bit of a 'grinding' there, then comes back up into the mouth, usually accompanied by a belch of methane, for further processing by the teeth. The 'half ground', or cud, material which has come up from the rumen is then ground up again by the teeth to break down the cellulose walls of the forage and to release more nutrients. The cud is then is re-swallowed either into a separate stomach in the case of cows, or a separate compartment of the stomach in sheep.

So ruminants on solids will always eat, digest a bit, regurgitate bringing up food and methane, and then sit there chewing their cud for seemingly hours. Hubby is going to have to get used to It!

Thank you so much for the info! I guess that's what he's doing. Doesn't bother hubby, but it makes me NUTS! Of course if he would let him live outside..... Lol

 

[Carla D]

I've noticed everyone of our sheep and goats ALWAYS seem to act like they're chewing, even when nothing is in their mouth. They've all always done it, for years now, from the time they're a couple months old.

Never really paid much attention to it until hubby became irrationally attached to Bo Sheep and is refusing to let him go outside with the others (2 month old bottle baby). He's in his bed now grinding away and I'm about to lose my mind. I hate that noise!

Is this normal?

In a sheep bed or your hubbys bed? Because if my hubby wanted to sleep with one of his favorite babies he’d be in his own bed too.

 

[Mrs1885]

In a sheep bed or your hubbys bed? Because if my hubby wanted to sleep with one of his favorite babies he’d be in his own bed too.

Rofl! Sheep was in his bed.

 

[Carla D]

I have to confess something. I’ve slept with either a baby piglet or a baby goat in bed with me at least 5 or 6 times. Especially if they are cold or dying. I have wrapped them up in a couple of towels and held them the entire night. I have also slept with them in a plastic tote on the floor next to my side of the bed. There ARE times when it’s just easier holding them all night. Especially if you have to wake up every hour or so to try and feed them a bottle or feed them with a syringe as often as you can. Thankfully my husband has only said something once to me about it being our bed.

 

[Mike CHS]

I have never had a critter in our bed but I spent quite a few hours with a wild turkey chick sleeping under my chin while I slept in a recliner.

 

[Carla D]

I have never had a critter in our bed but I spent quite a few hours with a wild turkey chick sleeping under my chin while I slept in a recliner.

I have to say that picture you portrayed is an absolutely incredible vision. Where did you find the little turkey chick? Do you think it survived?

 

[Mike CHS]

Our neighbor ran over a nest with his tractor while cutting grass and there wound up being two eggs left intact. We put them in our incubator and one of them hatched. She was a sweet girl and got tempted to go off with a flock of wild ones (which is what we hoped for).