Is pulpy kidney more of a risk for indoor fat lambs?

[Chasingmytail]

Our lamb losses outdoors are very low but now we have the lambs indoors being fed a weighed ration twice a day with haylage.

At first we lost a couple over night, now been in 6 weeks and yesterday lost a couple more both the best fat lambs we had.

Its either gorging or pulpy kidney. I know I need a PM on this to confirm. Would they still blow up with the pulpy kidney?

 

[Al R]

Look to see if their purple on the belly, that’s usually a sign of pulpy kidney but I’ve only lost lambs pre weaning through pulpy kidney.

their no longer going to be sold as organic now then?

 

[neilo]

Our lamb losses outdoors are very low but now we have the lambs indoors being fed a weighed ration twice a day with haylage.

At first we lost a couple over night, now been in 6 weeks and yesterday lost a couple more both the best fat lambs we had.

Its either gorging or pulpy kidney. I know I need a PM on this to confirm. Would they still blow up with the pulpy kidney?

Pulpy Kidney is easy to diagnose with a DIY post mortem, their kidneys do indeed go 'pulpy'. They will still blow up after death, if they have a belly full of food.

Are these lambs vaccinated against clostridial diseases with Heptavac/Bravoxin/Covexin?

 

[Chasingmytail]

Lambs sold to local mart so go as conventional around here. No vaccination programme used so no issues when outside but what Im reading once indoors on carb rich feed the risk is higher. I lost a few last year. All cracking lambs too.

 

[JHT]

Might be urinary calculi if they are male lambs?

 

[andybk]

presume they are weaned ?

 

[Chasingmytail]

presume they are weaned ?

Fat lambs - born april

 

[andybk]

pulpy kidney ,or other clostridial no doubt , sudden rich diet and stress , bravoxin or covexin is cheap insurance , change of diet is always trigger often flush of grass after rain in summer , or moving from old pasture to young ley (or creep) in winter . Get them done next year .My landlord got caught the same in his second year lost a load of lambs