This was me and the hubs 25 years ago yesterday. This is us with our clan today. How time flies. Celebrating love, laughter, and life 25 years together.
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No, I'm not talking about humans. Instead, I'm referring to livestock animals with small ruminants such as my sheep and goat. This is a very common problem amongst flocks and I have learned the hard way the truth in that. Unfortunately, I have lost two of my baby lambs to it and my young billy goat. What is overeating disease? Well I have learned alot about it and I'm sure not nearly enough. Sheep and goats have a wide range of diseases and symptoms that you could write a book on them alone. But I am going to talk about the overeating disease called Enterotoxemia or Pulpy Kidney disease that has affected my herd. This is when large amounts of grain inside the ruminant promote the growth of lactic acidic bacteria, which increases acidity in the rumen and could lead to acidosis. This often occurs when sheep/goat devour too much grain too quickly, over indulge in a too lush pasture (particularly one that has too much alpha), or have a change in diet. Remember when changing feed to be sure to do it gradually or your flock could befall the same fate as mine as their digestive tracts need time to adjust to the change in diet. It can also be caused by a newborn lamb over drinking too much of mother's milk. This is what Teresa, my goat breeder/turn-to-person-when-everything-goes-wrong says, "Overeating disease is also called enterotoxemia or "pulpy kidney disease". Classic symptoms are bloat then scours and death, but you don't always see all these symptoms in every case. It is the toxins that the microorganisms create in the animal's gut that end up killing the animal, sometimes within hours. But it is treatable - you may be advised just to get antitoxin and do your whole sheep herd. Can you call the farmer and find out what their immune status should be? ie. were they and/or their mothers vaccinated and if so for what?" This last part is very important. I had no idea I had to worry about what the mothers of my little herd had been vaccinated with before giving birth. They should be vaccinated with selenium two weeks before birth as it passes down to the fetus. The mothers should also get a pre-kidding vaccination with "Tasvax 8" which protects against many things including enterotoxemia and tetanus. The kids get passive immunity through their mothers and the colostrum. So that is all the medical jargon. And you are thinking what the heck is she talking about?! Let me tell you what had happened to my little flock. It all started with the first little lamb who appeared one day lethargic and didn't rush to the hay feeder when it was dinner time. I kept a close eye on her and noticed she was rather skinny and very weak. Not sure what it was, I separated her immediately and gave her some water, hay and a bowl full of grain. She ignored the hay but consumed the grain. I thought well at least she was eating. But she did not get any better. She continued to loose weight needless of the fact she nibbled now on the grain. We brought her into the house hoping to nurse her back to health but it didn't help. She died a week later all skin and bone. She had simply wasted away. I thought of calling the vet but what I had read was that owning livestock meant owing deadstock and that sheep was one of the most susceptible to diseases and death. So I chalked it off to a loss in our investment. Then another lamb became ill. She started foaming at the mouth and began twitching and convulsing. I immediately separated her from the others and gave her only hay and water. The reason for this was because I was beginning to suspect the grain as just a few short days earlier our little billy goat had gotten very sick after consuming a large amount of grain. To explain, we had put him in with the lambs in a rush after he was getting picked on by the older goats and not being able to access the hay. I had forgotten about the grain until he started devouring it like there was no tomorrow. The feedstore assured me it was safe for him to eat. But he became very sick shortly after this. He got a bad case of scours, runny eyes, became droopy and lethargic and started to loose weight. Then the day after we separated the sick little lamb, she went down on her knees and was unable to get back up. That was when we called in the vet. We couldn`t chance another loss in our investment. I am sad to report that far too many vets are not qualified for sheep or goats, as case in point in my situation. He had no idea what was wrong with them and treated them with what I had thought was wrong. Scary thought. Really, this is my first flock I am a far cry from an experienced farmer, particularly of livestock.
So he gave them a shot of penicillin and a vitamin deficiency injection and left me a couple of syringes full for a follow up in the next few days. The next day I found the little lamb close to death in a pool of her own diarrhea. And no change in the baby billy. I immediately called the vet. He had no idea what was wrong with them but advised me to give them some pepto bismol and some pedialyte as follow up in the afternoon. I went out and administered the pepto to both. Later in the afternoon, I went out to administer the pedialyte and found the little lamb dead in another pile of her own diarrhea. I was devastated and went back into the house to inform Farm Girl of the bad news. We decided not to contact the vet as there really was nothing he could do at this point. The next morning we found the billy goat on his last breath. We decided to give him the second penicillin injection and crossed our fingers. Remarkably it worked! He started to show vast improvements. He began eating and drinking and regaining his weight. His eyes had cleared and the diarrhea eventually went away and he was back to regular pebble droppings. However, goat polio had taken over and he was unable to stand or eventually sit. Complete and utter paralysis had taken over the poor thing until eventually reaching his lungs and he died a painful death. He had been such a fighter and held on for so many weeks, we were really rooting for him but the disease (or the toxins left from the disease) eventually took his life. It was during the last few days of my little billy's life that I contacted my goat breeder friend in a desperate cry for help as my vet had no idea what my little billy had when paralysis had taken over. It was through my own research that I discovered goat polio. She immediately recognized the symptoms of Enterotoxemia and advised me on how to treat the rest of the flock before the same fate befell any more. What had happened? Why had this occurred in my flock? I had been completely baffled by this disease that took 3 of my little kids. It was nothing I was prepared for and unfortunately the old saying you learn from experience was my lesson. My first mistake was not asking the breeder what the lambs were vaccinated for and secondly what diet they were on before moving them to our farm. If I had done that, I would have done a gradual introduction into the grain instead of assuming there was only the one type of lamb grower. This also applies to hay. Be sure to feed them the same cut of hay or if not then to buy some from the breeder and slowly introduce the new cut into their diet. However, you can still do everything right and enterotoxemia could still hit your flock. Sheep out on pasture are often found the next day dead in the field with bloated stomachs. It strikes quickly with deadly results. So keep a vigilant eye on your flock. If you suspect anything wrong, begin decreasing/eliminating feed or exposure to pasture immediately. Treat scours with pepto bismol and if that doesn't work purchase some Neorease and always have some on hand. It works wonders. If you notice your lamb or goat appears bloated, feed them a mineral oil from the kitchen. I use vegetable oil because that is what I have on hand. Bloat is caused by the gases in the stomach unable to break up and begin to accumulate in the stomach. If not treated, the results are deadly. The vegetable oil helps break up the gases. Separate the lamb from the others without any excess to feed or water for 20-30 minutes. She should begin belching on her own but if not then contact a vet asap. There is a procedure called stomach tubing but I don't recommend this if you don't know what you are doing. Lastly, if possible, try to ensure a feeding rack or tray that enables everyone to get an even share of the grain. This is what really hurt my flock. I gave their grain in one open tray and the stronger, dominant lambs ate more than their share while the lesser dominant lambs did not get nearly enough. We feed each lamb and kid goat an individual feeding every day twice a day. It's time consuming but at least we know everyone gets the same amount of grain. However, I have a small flock so that is doable. If we had any more I would have to come up with a better feeding system. It's been a frustrating and disheartening experience and I won't lie when I tell you had I contemplated bailing out and selling the remaining lambs but I put aside my fears and feelings of failure and asked for help. The number one lesson I learned. Never be afraid to ask for help. Hopefully, your vet will be able to steer you in the right direction but if like me, you have a vet that is as green to small ruminant livestock as you are, then find someone who has lots of years and experience in raising them. Thankfully, I had Teresa, a goat breeder of 40 plus years. She was a lifesaver and without her help and valuable knowledge, I could have lost a lot more sheep or goats. Unfortunately, we had to rehome Ella. She was a wonderful dog and makes a wonderful pet, but we were looking for more than just a pet. We were looking for a working dog on top of that, and truthfully, we just don`t have the room to keep every dog we fall in love with. So we went back on the hunt and came across another border collie. This time I was smarter and looked for a registered dog ensuring it's purebred. We had looked at a dog named Marnie earlier and decided against her because she appeared aggressive toward Emma whom we had brought along to see how well socialized she was with other dogs. Even though I knew it was probably because they had met on her own territory, in her own house, playing with her toys, I turned her down. Then I decided to reconsider her and went for another visit after rehoming Ella. The main thing going for her was that she was slim, athletic, and registered. I recognized some of the names in her bloodlines and knew she came from herding stock. The bad against her was of course that she was aggressive, a bit older than I had wanted at 2 1/2, and came from a home where she controlled the owner. On a second visit we decided to take her for a walk. The owner wanted us to put on a guard around her mouth because she was unable to walk her properly without having her shoulder dislodged. I went against using the guard and discovered exactly what she meant. The dog had zero respect for the human walking her and dragged and pulled ignoring any demands or corrections I tried to give her. I could almost hear my instructor groaning at me. She thought Ty was bad on a leash!! This dog would need work. Lots of it. Needless I decided to take a chance on her. Upon bringing her home, she was excited, nervous, apprehensive, but greeted all the dogs wonderfully! Two days after bringing her home, she and Emma are the best of friends unlike Ella who took 3 weeks before she bonded with Emma. Ty, of course, everyone loves at first meet because he such a laid back quiet unassuming type of dog. Then the following morning I decided to begin working on correcting her on a leash---something I was not looking forward to. A couple weeks before I had made this piece of homemade training tool as per my instructor`s advice. The goal is to teach the dog to walk behind you by swinging the tool like a pendulum back and forth in front of you. Hopefully, the tassles on the one end is sufficient enough to scare any dog from passing, but a stubborn naughty dog may have to get the other end which holds a stick. Marnie was a good girl and respected the tassles. Amazing really considering just the day before she was walking us! She is such a smart little girl! That's why I love this breed so much! What can take days, weeks for some, a border collie can pick up in a few short lessons. There intelligence is remarkable. And Marnie is living up to her breed. Let's just hope her instinct test goes well. I'm very nervous about that, she doesn't show as much eye as Ty but hopefully that won't effect her natural herding ability. But even if she doesn't pass her test, she is extremely athletic and Farm Girl has signed her up for agility classes. She just needs to build some more muscle up and this girl will go far I'm sure.
I'm in talks about bringing this beauty home. She is a lesson horse currently being used as a therapeutic riding horse for people with disabilities. The riding facility that owns her have decided to retire her from their program as she suffered two bowed tendons back in the fall and even though she has healed and is sound for light riding, the workload at the facility is too demanding. Out of the huge load of interest in her, me and my little hobby farm was selected. I`m super excited to meet her and crossing my fingers for a good match and that if all goes well, she`ll be coming home in just a few short weeks.
First the good, our snowy call duck Daisy`s eggs finally hatched! Ty passes his natural instinct test and is given the go ahead to begin training. The bad, Ella fails her natural instinct test. The ugly, enterotoxemia and goat polio hit the barn and I loose two lambs and a goat. None of these posts should be fly-by posts (especially the last one) and I will write a more detailed blog entry for each. But for now, wanted to update my blog about the newest events occurring at the farm. I would have wrote about the above event sooner but to be truthful, my blog was the last thing on my mind. But I will be writing a post about my experience if not for anything else then to help educate and perhaps save a lamb or goats life.
The ugly side to livestock farming is this. Not only is it ugly but it is smelly, messy, and you can't seem to keep your dogs out of it. But if well maintained, it can create some of the best fertilizer for fields and gardens. Even if you don't have any fields you can spray it over your pastures, or there are plenty of farmers happy to take it off your hands. Manure is considered to be like gold. Especially horse manure. It can break down quickly and contains valuable nutrients. The key is proper maintenance. When starting up a farm, be it a hobby or working farm, you will need to decide what you want to do with your manure and then how you plan on managing it and eventually disposing of it. The first thing you will look at is the proper location for it. You will need to take into consideration the distance from the closest water source either above or below surface as well as any drains that empty into those water sources. Check your government regulations in your area for exact distance requirements. It's imperative that you follow these rules as the bacteria contained in the runoff in the feces and urine matter are toxic and can be very harmful if entered into the human digestive system. Next, make sure the ground beneath your manure pile is clay soil or even better, a concrete slab, and is easily accessible for any vehicles needing excess to it. You can leave your compost pile alone, however it will take longer to decompose. Stirring it often creates more oxygen, hence more heat, and breaks down matter quicker. That heat, however, can be a fire hazard as it contains high level of methane gas. Be sure to choose your storage location far from anything that can create a spark and ignite your pile. Needless to say, also refrain from lighting a match, smoking, or setting off bonfire's nearby. Because of their high levels of methane gas, they can also spontaneously com-bust particularly in high temperatures. Good ventilation is imperative. If you can, store your manure pile outside at a distance far from the barn or outbuildings or anything really that can catch fire and make an already bad manure fire worse. If you are unable or choose not to store your manure pile outside, make sure whatever storage building you choose to store it in is well ventilated. Keep a dry pile no higher than five to seven feet tall. The key word here is "dry". Since I have no covering for my manure pile, I ensure a dry pile by drying out my manure before it is piled. After I drag out my wheelbarrow of wet manure and straw, I lay the pile separately on the concrete to dry. You can see a ton of little piles scattered around the base of the manure pile in the photos above. After several days, it has dried out sufficiently and then can be added to the bigger pile. Then, just a few months later, you get this. Rich wonderful soil for your gardens or fields. And it didn't cost you a cent! Composting is a great way to manage your horse manure and return it to the earth.
Becoming a shepherd of a flock of sheep, I knew I needed a herd dog. But I know nothing about herd dogs. The only thing I did know, was that the border collie was the number #1 choice in shepherds. So I went on the hunt for a BC and found a four year old male named Ty. He`s a real sweetheart and gets along with my son splendidly, but when I contacted the woman who would train both me and my dog to herd, she had doubts that Ty would be able to herd because of his age. He has spent too much of his life not working. We plan to still bring him in for an instinct testing and will cross our fingers. He certainly has the eye. He can sit and stare at our rabbits for hours on end. So much so that we have locked him in the barn on numerous occasions because we did not notice him sitting silently watching the rabbits. He did come unneutered however, so all is not lost. We plan on using him for a stud to produce our own little herd of border collies.
Meanwhile, we went back on the hunt for another dog. And came across Ella. She is only 19 months old and comes from working parents. We really have our fingers crossed for this gal. Unlike Ty, she has a natural instinct to herd anything she can, including my chickens. I can`t wait to begin lessons and getting her working with the sheep. |