Lean Ewes

Sheep135 · Dec 15, 2017

The Welsh draft ewes I bought back in September and October have lost quite a bit of condition recently for some unknown reason. When bought in they were fluked, wormed and bollused before being turned on to a good bite of grass. While they haven't been spoiled since they arrived they haven't been run on no grass with nothing to eat, as a guess is say atleast half were a bit leaner than I'd like them to be while others are as fat as mud or are in good condition. Had the vet out to look at them and took a FEC to see what was wrong with them, the worm egg count came back at nothing and waiting on the results for fluke. Our better bred ewes that have been run on the same ground with a similar amount of grass In front of them are in excellent condition so can't understand what is wrong with the draft ewes. Does any body have any ideas of what could be causing them to be In poor condition?

Yale · Dec 15, 2017

Did you use fasinex?

Could be resistance.

GTB · Dec 15, 2017

TWhist said:
The Welsh draft ewes I bought back in September and October have lost quite a bit of condition recently for some unknown reason. When bought in they were fluked, wormed and bollused before being turned on to a good bite of grass. While they haven't been spoiled since they arrived they haven't been run on no grass with nothing to eat, as a guess is say atleast half were a bit leaner than I'd like them to be while others are as fat as mud or are in good condition. Had the vet out to look at them and took a FEC to see what was wrong with them, the worm egg count came back at nothing and waiting on the results for fluke. Our better bred ewes that have been run on the same ground with a similar amount of grass In front of them are in excellent condition so can't understand what is wrong with the draft ewes. Does any body have any ideas of what could be causing them to be In poor condition?

How wet has it been with you? It's rained since July here and it shows on the stock.

Sheep135 · Dec 15, 2017

GTB said:
How wet has it been with you? It's rained since July here and it shows on the stock.

Pretty dry up until this week, the fact that our better bred ewes are in really good condition is the puzzling part.

shumungus · Dec 15, 2017

Would be worth getting a blood profile done on them and a dose of levafas diamond, nasty stuff but one of the few things that will sort rumen fluke.
What bolus did you give and what fluke treatment did you use?

Coximus · Dec 15, 2017

Check bloods - different breeds - I've found Welsh and swales suffering from copper levels being high on good ground - they'e efficient at getting it because their native environment is poor in it - on good ground they got too much and lost appetite and had liver issues. Thrived when put on acid moorland....

Lean Ewes

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