Two of our American Blackbelly ewes appear to becoming skinnier, and skinnier.

[alsea1]

I would def. have some fecals done by a local sheep savy vet. That will tell you if you have a parasite issue and what they are. It will also tell you if your worming program is effective or not. Trouble with parasites is that some have developed resistance to some of the meds. So if you used xyz wormer and you still have a problem then the vet can help you determine which wormer to use. I have AB's and they are not an overstuffed breed with huge body mass, but none of mine are thin either.

 

[SheepGirl]

May not be an issue with parasites. Could just be they are in late gestation and they aren't getting the nutrition they need. Feeding only hay may not be adequate -- you may need to feed grain.

 

[alsea1]

I have to feed grain as our hay is sub par. My pasture is not that big either. So I supplement with livestock grain and alf pellets.
I get a mineral that is designed for our area as well from my vet.
If two of your sheep are looking bad but the rest look fine I would think two of them have some kind of issue. If all the sheep look thin then after you rule out parasites you could step up on the feed and give it a month or so.

 

[bareback90]

We have experienced a barber pole worm infestation in my area. I tried deworming but it had no effect on them so I turned to diametaceous earth a little in their feed every day took care of them and now I have one of the healthiest flocks in the county . And my husband is using it on the cattle

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Just curious @bareback90 - did you run before and after fecals when using the DE. Also, what wormer did you use before resorting to DE?

Thanks!

 

[bareback90]

Just curious @bareback90 - did you run before and after fecals when using the DE. Also, what wormer did you use before resorting to DE?

Thanks!

Yes. And tried ivomec and safe guard neither worked on the barber pole worm. My sheep had healthy appetite s and yet they continued to lose weight and I lost a few before I turned to the DE. Now I use it daily and follow up with Noromectin on the odd one that might need it for nasal bots or such. And my eyelids and gums are quite rosy now. This year I have 30 lambs on the ground 3 ewes yet to lamb and 3 losses 2 stillborn and 1 ewe proposed

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Thanks!

 

[purplequeenvt]

We have experienced a barber pole worm infestation in my area. I tried deworming but it had no effect on them so I turned to diametaceous earth a little in their feed every day took care of them and now I have one of the healthiest flocks in the county . And my husband is using it on the cattle

Are you using food grade DE?

 

[purplequeenvt]

Yes. And tried ivomec and safe guard neither worked on the barber pole worm. My sheep had healthy appetite s and yet they continued to lose weight and I lost a few before I turned to the DE. Now I use it daily and follow up with Noromectin on the odd one that might need it for nasal bots or such. And my eyelids and gums are quite rosy now. This year I have 30 lambs on the ground 3 ewes yet to lamb and 3 losses 2 stillborn and 1 ewe proposed

Are you sure you had Barber Pole and not tapes?? Normally with BP, they get skinny at first, but then they get wicked anemic and weak. Unless you are able to knock out the worms before they get bad, chances are good the sheep will die.

Tapes will make a sheep skinny, but don't usually kill them.

You may not have been seeing good results with the wormers because you were under-dosing or you had a resistant worm. I routinely double or triple the SafeGuard dose and worm 3 days in a row.

 

[bareback90]

Are you sure you had Barber Pole and not tapes?? Normally with BP, they get skinny at first, but then they get wicked anemic and weak. Unless you are able to knock out the worms before they get bad, chances are good the sheep will die.

Tapes will make a sheep skinny, but don't usually kill them.

You may not have been seeing good results with the wormers because you were under-dosing or you had a resistant worm. I routinely double or triple the SafeGuard dose and worm 3 days in a row.

I definitely had barber pole confirmed by my vet and dewormed as prescribed by my vet .I know my vet does not agree with the DE but I credit it with the success of eliminating the worms .All I a m saying is it worked for me, It will not harm your animals as long as you get the food grade DE, If your out of options it's worth trying