Re: [Blackbelly] Milking
Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful responses. Yesterday I found BamBam, they boy, had a temperature 2 degrees lower than the rest of the lambs. Being new to shepherding, I made an appointment with the vet this morning and brought him in. His temp was back up to normal but he was still resting while everyone was frolicking. The Vet's advice was to add some goat's milk (real, not supplement) to his diet --as he will eat it. His point was: if he takes a bottle at all, he's hungry, especially if he's used to his mother's milk. This Vet is an experienced shepherder as well. Also, we are strongly considering converting our 4 lambs to the bottle soon, anyways, because we would like them tame. We're not raising them for livestock. So I'd like to get the milking thing under my belt. While we can work supplement into the diet, I would like the bottle conversion to start with goat or sheep's milk. I'll check out my ewe as Mark advised, and compare to another ewe in the same nursery pen. From what I remember the bag on both udders felt pliable and water ballon like, but there was some very firm tissue under the entire bag area. (probably normal?) I'll check for a mucous plug as well. I have an experienced goat herder who raises pygmies, coming by this weekend to try to milk some of my ewes, to see if we can get past my barrier with them. _Michael, Perino Ranch Blackbellies. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Milking
Michael, Yes, please keep us informed because I want to make cheese and my sheep are bottle babies and very tame. I also want to raise their offspring by bottle. The sheep are so much easier to handle than goats, who are easier to milk, unfortunately. My bottle lambs were quite the bumpers at the bottle and someone said the bump is what brings the milk down. Hope it helps. My bottle goat didn't bump like the lambs did. Aloha a hui hou kaua! (Goodbye until we meet again) Barbara Heavens POB 1869, Kea`au, Hawaii 96749 (808) 968-0814 ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] milking?
Is the udder hard? If you can feel hardness rather than spongy, she may have mastitis. Sometimes you have to get the natural wax plugs blown out of the teat canal. If you just grasp with 2 fingers at the base of the teat and strip down you should get something. It is very possible that she needs a shot of oxytocin to make her let her milk down, or increase production. The lambs may be getting every drop. I would supplement them and also feed some alfalfa hay to increase milk. Cecil in OKla Michael Smith wrote: trying to milk my American blackbelly ewe with 2-day olds, and having no luck. One lamb is very small, and we are thinking, needs supplemental feeding. I'm new to sheep, but got to practice on a goat with smallish udders yesterday and had plenty of luck milking her. My Ewes udders are no bigger or wide than a man's last digit on the little finger. Her bag felt swollen and very full of liquid. We could not get a drop, and tried for several minutes. We tried imitating the pushing movement the lambs to to get them to let down, etc. Any advice? _Michael Perino Ranch Blackbellies . ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] milking?
What does OPP stand for? Thank you! Onalee -Original Message- From: blackbelly-boun...@lists.blackbellysheep.info [mailto:blackbelly-boun...@lists.blackbellysheep.info] On Behalf Of The Wintermutes Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 9:52 AM To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] milking? Hello Michael, First thing I would do is sit the ewe on her butt and press the udder with my entire hand on the problem side. Look and see if the teat noticeably fills with milk. Assuming it does enlarge look for the wax plug at the teat opening. The plug may only look like a few hairs but pull it out much like you would a splinter. Once the wax plug is out try to get some milk to come out like you did previously. Sometimes the lambs are just too small and weak to get the plug out on their own. If the other teat is working the lambs will just give up on the plugged teat. Two lambs fighting over one teat is going to leave the smaller weaker lamb hungry. I hope the above worked for you... The second thing I would feel the entire bag which should be pliable. It might be helpful to feel a different ewe's udder that you know is OK first for a reference. If the problem ewe's bag is very firm to almost hard it is likely you are dealing with mastitis. Sometimes mastitis is very painful to the ewe. The ewe will stomp her leg on the affected side to prevent the lamb from suckling. Other times the mastitis leaves the udder numb and appears to not bother the ewe at all. Mastitis can affect just one or both sides of the udder at the same time. If you notice one side of a udder is always full... check it to see if it is hard with mastitis not providing any milk. If it is mastitis there are inter-mammary antibiotic treatments available to help stop infection. This may help save the ewe provided the other side of the udder is unaffected. A ewe can raise lambs on only one teat but obviously two teats are better. IF it is mastitis I would raise the lambs as bottle babies. OPP is a virus that sheep get that has no cure. One of the symptoms of OPP is mastitis or what is called Hard Bag. If the lambs do not suckle the OPP positive mother they can be raised free of OPP on a bottle. Good Luck, Mark Wintermute trying to milk my American blackbelly ewe with 2-day olds, and having no luck. One lamb is very small, and we are thinking, needs supplemental feeding. I'm new to sheep, but got to practice on a goat with smallish udders yesterday and had plenty of luck milking her. My Ewes udders are no bigger or wide than a man's last digit on the little finger. Her bag felt swollen and very full of liquid. We could not get a drop, and tried for several minutes. We tried imitating the pushing movement the lambs to to get them to let down, etc. Any advice? _Michael ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] milking?
Mark: Thanks for elaborating. Cecil in OKla The Wintermutes wrote: Hello Michael, First thing I would do is sit the ewe on her butt and press the udder with my entire hand on the problem side. Look and see if the teat noticeably fills with milk. Assuming it does enlarge look for the wax plug at the teat opening. The plug may only look like a few hairs but pull it out much like you would a splinter. Once the wax plug is out try to get some milk to come out like you did previously. Sometimes the lambs are just too small and weak to get the plug out on their own. If the other teat is working the lambs will just give up on the plugged teat. Two lambs fighting over one teat is going to leave the smaller weaker lamb hungry. I hope the above worked for you... The second thing I would feel the entire bag which should be pliable. It might be helpful to feel a different ewe's udder that you know is OK first for a reference. If the problem ewe's bag is very firm to almost hard it is likely you are dealing with mastitis. Sometimes mastitis is very painful to the ewe. The ewe will stomp her leg on the affected side to prevent the lamb from suckling. Other times the mastitis leaves the udder numb and appears to not bother the ewe at all. Mastitis can affect just one or both sides of the udder at the same time. If you notice one side of a udder is always full... check it to see if it is hard with mastitis not providing any milk. If it is mastitis there are inter-mammary antibiotic treatments available to help stop infection. This may help save the ewe provided the other side of the udder is unaffected. A ewe can raise lambs on only one teat but obviously two teats are better. IF it is mastitis I would raise the lambs as bottle babies. OPP is a virus that sheep get that has no cure. One of the symptoms of OPP is mastitis or what is called Hard Bag. If the lambs do not suckle the OPP positive mother they can be raised free of OPP on a bottle. Good Luck, Mark Wintermute trying to milk my American blackbelly ewe with 2-day olds, and having no luck. One lamb is very small, and we are thinking, needs supplemental feeding. I'm new to sheep, but got to practice on a goat with smallish udders yesterday and had plenty of luck milking her. My Ewes udders are no bigger or wide than a man's last digit on the little finger. Her bag felt swollen and very full of liquid. We could not get a drop, and tried for several minutes. We tried imitating the pushing movement the lambs to to get them to let down, etc. Any advice? _Michael ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
