Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse
Natasha, Glad things are going ok. I have sodium bicarbonate(baking soda) for years to my goats, since 1997. You can get it at the feed store, livestock grade sodium bicarbonate. I also put it out free choice for the Katahdins, since they are ruminants. If I were you, I would not feed molasses. May throw the rumen off. They don't need it. Liz Radi Nubian goats and Katahdin Hair Sheep Nunn, Colorado 970-716-7218 idaralpaca.blogspot.com --- meadowskuv...@gmail.com wrote: From: R. Natasha Baronas meadowskuv...@gmail.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2012 20:40:05 -0700 Today my sheep friend came by again to take a look at my girls, hear my concerns, and allay my fears. Here's the poop: The Katahdin sheep are not ready to go yet by looking at their udders - they have a way to go. The ewe who is prolapsing mildly appears to have multiples by their estimation. I thought she meant twins...no, triplets. She does see this with her ewes who have triplets. I need to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't get worse, make sure she walks around a bit more. She developed a lump on her udder - it felt like a testicle of all things. Her udder is not hot, it may be a gland? She wasn't worried about it. They noticed that my ewes seemed to look a bit bloated and recommended offering baking soda to them, as much as they like, to reduce the gas. I am graining but they thought they looked too full for the amount I am giving. Incidentally, since they have offered it to their goats the milk tastes better and the milk fat concentration has increased. They also recommended offering molasses. This is what has worked for them. I don't need to call a vet but just keep a careful eye on my girlies. I can't imagine them getting any bigger but if they have too much gas from the grain maybe that's why they look so big? Have any of you heard of the baking soda? What were the results? Can I overdo the dry molasses? Thanks for listening and sharing :) Natasha Sent from my iPad ___ 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] Prolapse
Today my sheep friend came by again to take a look at my girls, hear my concerns, and allay my fears. Here's the poop: The Katahdin sheep are not ready to go yet by looking at their udders - they have a way to go. The ewe who is prolapsing mildly appears to have multiples by their estimation. I thought she meant twins...no, triplets. She does see this with her ewes who have triplets. I need to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't get worse, make sure she walks around a bit more. She developed a lump on her udder - it felt like a testicle of all things. Her udder is not hot, it may be a gland? She wasn't worried about it. They noticed that my ewes seemed to look a bit bloated and recommended offering baking soda to them, as much as they like, to reduce the gas. I am graining but they thought they looked too full for the amount I am giving. Incidentally, since they have offered it to their goats the milk tastes better and the milk fat concentration has increased. They also recommended offering molasses. This is what has worked for them. I don't need to call a vet but just keep a careful eye on my girlies. I can't imagine them getting any bigger but if they have too much gas from the grain maybe that's why they look so big? Have any of you heard of the baking soda? What were the results? Can I overdo the dry molasses? Thanks for listening and sharing :) Natasha Sent from my iPad ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
[Blackbelly] Prolapse
Greeting All! I am a pacing, nail biting wreck right now. We keep thinking one of our ewes is going to go but nothing - she's HUGE. My total life experience in lambing is watching one ewe deliver last year, the other did fine on her own without my seeing it. So. Yesterday one ewe was looking like she was having contractions every five minutes, she'd even baaa in pain occasionally. Her belly was tightening, she'd push, look miserable, make faces, the whole nine yards...I took a peek and thought I saw feet. Her water hadn't broken that I'd seen. When I looked closer it wasn't feet but a ping pong ball size veiny thing. I'm thinking that it's her uterus. It comes in and out. A yearling ewe also has the same thing. This yearling looks so tight that she just might explode. I know she's not yet ready to go by looking at her bag and teats. Her vulva makes her look like a baboon in heat! I know I'm over thinking and worrying. We had our own Easter vigil watching these girls with nothing. How worried do I need to be with this mild prolapsing? I am assuming the pressure is so great that is why I can see it. This did not happen last year. Is this normal? Can I stop worrying? Any words of wisdom? Will they be okay? Back to being a nervous Nellie. Thanks for your thoughts and experience, Natasha ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse
Hi Natasha, It's hard to say when to panic with these girls since they seem to like to keep you guessing. That being said, if it appears she is in labor or having contractions and nothing happens within 30 minutes to an hour, you should have her vet checked. I lost one ewe two years ago by waiting to long, and lost one this year that prolapsed after giving birth to a healthy lamb. The one from two years ago had twins in her that were too big for her even though it was not her first birth. I don't mean to add to your worry, but again, I would get her looked at. Good luck. Ray --- On Tue, 4/10/12, Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com wrote: From: Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com Subject: [Blackbelly] Prolapse To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 9:14 AM Greeting All! I am a pacing, nail biting wreck right now. We keep thinking one of our ewes is going to go but nothing - she's HUGE. My total life experience in lambing is watching one ewe deliver last year, the other did fine on her own without my seeing it. So. Yesterday one ewe was looking like she was having contractions every five minutes, she'd even baaa in pain occasionally. Her belly was tightening, she'd push, look miserable, make faces, the whole nine yards...I took a peek and thought I saw feet. Her water hadn't broken that I'd seen. When I looked closer it wasn't feet but a ping pong ball size veiny thing. I'm thinking that it's her uterus. It comes in and out. A yearling ewe also has the same thing. This yearling looks so tight that she just might explode. I know she's not yet ready to go by looking at her bag and teats. Her vulva makes her look like a baboon in heat! I know I'm over thinking and worrying. We had our own Easter vigil watching these girls with nothing. How worried do I need to be with this mild prolapsing? I am assuming the pressure is so great that is why I can see it. This did not happen last year. Is this normal? Can I stop worrying? Any words of wisdom? Will they be okay? Back to being a nervous Nellie. Thanks for your thoughts and experience, Natasha ___ 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] Prolapse
Thanks Ray, The woman who sold me the one ewe came out to look at her. She didn't think she was ready to lamb yet. She didn't know why she appeared to be having contractions yesterday - do sheep get Braxton Hicks? She didn't think her udder was big enough and it didn't look like she had dropped. Although last year, I couldn't tell if she had dropped or not. My ewe is happily eating and nothing is happening with her today. I haven't seen any prolapse today at all. My friend figures she's going to have triplets and she has also seen with her sheep slight prolapses a day or two before lambing. I guess I wait with bated breath and see what happens. That said, I have no hesitation to call the vet if I need to. She didn't think I needed to call the vet yet. I just don't have all the experience under my belt to know when to panic and when to mellow out. I would hate to lose her as she's such a lovely, friendly, gentle creature. Thanks for your reply. Natasha It's hard to say when to panic with these girls since they seem to like to keep you guessing. That being said, if it appears she is in labor or having contractions and nothing happens within 30 minutes to an hour, you should have her vet checked. I lost one ewe two years ago by waiting to long, and lost one this year that prolapsed after giving birth to a healthy lamb. The one from two years ago had twins in her that were too big for her even though it was not her first birth. I don't mean to add to your worry, but again, I would get her looked at. Good luck. ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse (or maybe not)
I am a rank novice, having only watched lambing this year. When one of my ewes had that ping-pong ball thing, it was a lamb trying to be born who was stuck. The ping-pong ball is the fluid sac around the lamb. The ewe had one live lamb and one dead lamb when I went out to the barn. The ping-pong ball was the third lamb, also dead. I ended up calling the vet and she was able to get that lamb out; it was sideways. What I learned was that you need to wash, put on gloves, lube up, and stick your hand/arm in to see if you can feel feet and a head trying to come out. Or, you can call the vet. If this happened again I would not hesitate to stick my arm in. I hope other much more experienced shepherds will advise you. Good luck! Eileen -Original Message- From: blackbelly-boun...@lists.blackbellysheep.info [mailto:blackbelly-boun...@lists.blackbellysheep.info]On Behalf Of blackbelly-requ...@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 3:08 PM To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Blackbelly Digest, Vol 8, Issue 36 Send Blackbelly mailing list submissions to blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.blackbellysheep.info/listinfo.cgi/blackbelly-blackbellysheep.i nfo or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to blackbelly-requ...@lists.blackbellysheep.info You can reach the person managing the list at blackbelly-ow...@lists.blackbellysheep.info When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than Re: Contents of Blackbelly digest... Today's Topics: 1. Prolapse (Natasha) 2. Re: Prolapse (RAY DE SA) 3. Re: Prolapse (Natasha) -- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2012 09:14:01 -0700 From: Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: [Blackbelly] Prolapse Message-ID: calze0a1qnkdtrr19ssnfra+3ebn6oarhqzilstiq4tucsuw...@mail.gmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Greeting All! I am a pacing, nail biting wreck right now. We keep thinking one of our ewes is going to go but nothing - she's HUGE. My total life experience in lambing is watching one ewe deliver last year, the other did fine on her own without my seeing it. So. Yesterday one ewe was looking like she was having contractions every five minutes, she'd even baaa in pain occasionally. Her belly was tightening, she'd push, look miserable, make faces, the whole nine yards...I took a peek and thought I saw feet. Her water hadn't broken that I'd seen. When I looked closer it wasn't feet but a ping pong ball size veiny thing. I'm thinking that it's her uterus. It comes in and out. A yearling ewe also has the same thing. This yearling looks so tight that she just might explode. I know she's not yet ready to go by looking at her bag and teats. Her vulva makes her look like a baboon in heat! I know I'm over thinking and worrying. We had our own Easter vigil watching these girls with nothing. How worried do I need to be with this mild prolapsing? I am assuming the pressure is so great that is why I can see it. This did not happen last year. Is this normal? Can I stop worrying? Any words of wisdom? Will they be okay? Back to being a nervous Nellie. Thanks for your thoughts and experience, Natasha -- Message: 2 Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:00:10 -0700 (PDT) From: RAY DE SA ray.d...@sbcglobal.net To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse Message-ID: 1334080810.17656.yahoomailclas...@web181313.mail.ne1.yahoo.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Hi Natasha, It's hard to say when to panic with these girls since they seem to like to keep you guessing. That being said, if it appears she is in labor or having contractions and nothing happens within 30 minutes to an hour, you should have her vet checked. I lost one ewe two years ago by waiting to long, and lost one this year that prolapsed after giving birth to a healthy lamb. The one from two years ago had twins in her that were too big for her even though it was not her first birth. I don't mean to add to your worry, but again, I would get her looked at. Good luck. Ray --- On Tue, 4/10/12, Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com wrote: From: Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com Subject: [Blackbelly] Prolapse To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 9:14 AM Greeting All! I am a pacing, nail biting wreck right now.? We keep thinking one of our ewes is going to go but nothing - she's HUGE.? My total life experience in lambing is watching one ewe deliver last year, the other did fine on her own without my seeing it.? So.? Yesterday one ewe was looking like she was having contractions every five minutes, she'd even baaa in pain occasionally.? Her belly was tightening, she'd push, look
Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse
Weve been raising them for a few years now and I still have a lot to learn. I've been a cattleman all my life and they are still a little easier for me to read than the Blackbellies. Calling the vet is usually my last resort, but the problem with these Blackbellies is by then it can be too late. Glad she's looking OK now and hope you can relax a bit. Keep us posted on how she's doing. Ray --- On Tue, 4/10/12, Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com wrote: From: Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 12:54 PM Thanks Ray, The woman who sold me the one ewe came out to look at her. She didn't think she was ready to lamb yet. She didn't know why she appeared to be having contractions yesterday - do sheep get Braxton Hicks? She didn't think her udder was big enough and it didn't look like she had dropped. Although last year, I couldn't tell if she had dropped or not. My ewe is happily eating and nothing is happening with her today. I haven't seen any prolapse today at all. My friend figures she's going to have triplets and she has also seen with her sheep slight prolapses a day or two before lambing. I guess I wait with bated breath and see what happens. That said, I have no hesitation to call the vet if I need to. She didn't think I needed to call the vet yet. I just don't have all the experience under my belt to know when to panic and when to mellow out. I would hate to lose her as she's such a lovely, friendly, gentle creature. Thanks for your reply. Natasha It's hard to say when to panic with these girls since they seem to like to keep you guessing. That being said, if it appears she is in labor or having contractions and nothing happens within 30 minutes to an hour, you should have her vet checked. I lost one ewe two years ago by waiting to long, and lost one this year that prolapsed after giving birth to a healthy lamb. The one from two years ago had twins in her that were too big for her even though it was not her first birth. I don't mean to add to your worry, but again, I would get her looked at. Good luck. ___ 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] Prolapse
Hi Natasha, I'm pretty new with lambing also. This year was so much better for me. I kept track of the days my ewes went i with the rams. I calculated the dates when they could start giving birth. I have found that once they start filling up with milk it is between one and two weeks until they give birth. Do you bring your ewes into an enclosed or smaller paddock when they are going to give birth? I bring my ewes into a smaller paddock (half of my back yard) where I can keep a closer eye on them. I am like you, I am waiting with total excitement, I can't wait for the births and I have been lucky enough to have seen most of them being born. This year, I saw twins by cesarian (a first--mama developed toxemia), another set of twins naturally, and then my very first pure-bred American Blackbelly (I didn't see), when I thought mama still had a while, I went inside at 10:00 to do something for an hour and when I went back out, I heard her making the (pig) sounds they make to their babies and I knew she had that baby when I went inside. Darn! Have a camera ready! Nancy L. Johnson imgr8a...@comcast.net cell: 301 440 4808 - Original Message - From: Natasha meadowskuv...@gmail.com To: blackbelly@lists.blackbellysheep.info Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2012 3:54:43 PM Subject: Re: [Blackbelly] Prolapse Thanks Ray, The woman who sold me the one ewe came out to look at her. She didn't think she was ready to lamb yet. She didn't know why she appeared to be having contractions yesterday - do sheep get Braxton Hicks? She didn't think her udder was big enough and it didn't look like she had dropped. Although last year, I couldn't tell if she had dropped or not. My ewe is happily eating and nothing is happening with her today. I haven't seen any prolapse today at all. My friend figures she's going to have triplets and she has also seen with her sheep slight prolapses a day or two before lambing. I guess I wait with bated breath and see what happens. That said, I have no hesitation to call the vet if I need to. She didn't think I needed to call the vet yet. I just don't have all the experience under my belt to know when to panic and when to mellow out. I would hate to lose her as she's such a lovely, friendly, gentle creature. Thanks for your reply. Natasha It's hard to say when to panic with these girls since they seem to like to keep you guessing. That being said, if it appears she is in labor or having contractions and nothing happens within 30 minutes to an hour, you should have her vet checked. I lost one ewe two years ago by waiting to long, and lost one this year that prolapsed after giving birth to a healthy lamb. The one from two years ago had twins in her that were too big for her even though it was not her first birth. I don't mean to add to your worry, but again, I would get her looked at. Good luck. ___ 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
