Entropion

[Orkneyboy]

Having a few lambs with turned-in eye lids this year, has never happened here before and is getting annoying as it is such a needless problem.

All of the afflicted lambs are out of home-bred lleyn x ewes (with no family history of it), and sired by two home-bred rams.
The rams are 2 twin brother beltex x Lairg type cheviot shearlings and it is their first crop of lambs. Is it their fault and should they go?
Their cheviot mother was bought in, so she might have had it as a lamb. But I had her for a few years and none of her other offspring had it.
Their beltex sire is still here after 3 seasons, none of his lambs have ever had it.
Seems strange to me.

 

[Sussex Martin]

I have always been led to believe it is from the ram.

 

[neilo]

I have always been led to believe it is from the ram.

It can be from either, the result of a recessive gene. If the op's ewes have never thrown it before it would suggest a ram problem though.

 

[Blod]

Ram or ewes, one or t'other. Easier to change the ram though especially as you know the ewes were ok before...

 

[Poorbuthappy]

If, as I've always understood, it's a recessive gene, it requires both ewes and rams to be at least carriers.
However, as stated, the ram is the easiest element to change, and if keeping your own replacements, his status will obviously influence how many carriers amongst the ewes.

 

[Blod]

And if we all kept individual records we could trace back which animals brought it into the gene pool of our flocks There may be a case for EID after all.