Sheep with bleeding mouths

[CapeCodCubs]

2 of my sheep are all cut up around the nose and mouth. Can't figure out what happened. They have been in the barn during the cold and have food and water. I day they went without water and I'm wondering if they got dehydrated and this is a result of the bleeding. Never had this problem, but never had the winter we are having with the cold and snow. Anyone raise sheep?

[Joe Malinowski]

Chapstick for the sheep.

[Don McCombs]

How about ice in their water supply?

[CapeCodCubs]

How about ice in their water supply?

I think that's it...they have cuts, deep cuts on their snouts. It's just weird after 11 winters and this is a 1st. The barn is fairly warm, usually 25 degrees warmer than outside.
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Any ideas on what to put on their cuts??? I was thinking aloe vera. or udder balm.
I have searched the web for anything like it. Nothing came up. If anyone else has an idea,please share it.
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And Joe from the looks of your avator...YOU could use some chapstick. Ah haha

[daddydip]

udder balm sounds good, not a good deal but it sounds like they were going at the ice pretty hard and that's the results. good thing is that it's cold no insects to inflame the situation. i have heaters in for all of my animals but the cat. floating heater for the cows, the blue heated bucket for the goats and a heated water bowl for jack my dog. i fill the cows water trough on the warmest days and fill the goats bucket out of the cows water from a stainless bucket i keep in the barn for that purpose. animals actually need water more during cold spells then they do in the heat due to dehydration which is very hard to recover from in the cold.if you can find something that will dry out those cuts it would be a good thing. maybe some wound dress, read the indications as far as them consuming it internally what ever you decide to use . good luck

[CapeCodCubs]

Good morning guys and gals,

I have a floating heater but do not use the big Rubbermaid trough anymore. I fill 3 gallon buckets with warm water and maple syrup. I used to add molasses but that isn't available at the grocery anymore. The deep cold we got really froze their buckets over and it really is beginning to appear that they must have cut their faces on jagged ice. Thank God we are in a warm spell...just above freezing. One of the girls is healing up and the other is still ragged but eatin' and drinking. They all seem to be healthy otherwise. My farm vet is close by but it's all another bill I don't need and can't afford.
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Keeping my fingers crossed up in Massachusetts!!! Chris

[daddydip]

chris when it comes to sheep and the vet, you might as well do the geico commercial about the money you could have saved. either they will live or die. it's unfortunate.

[CapeCodCubs]

Michael,
My farm vet is reasonable, how do you weigh it out? I lost a ewe last winter when she had a lamb that we couldn't get out.
Happened before twice and then the vet comes down, cuts the mother open, sews her back up, Vitamin B shots, antiboitics, and other shots twice a day until they ultimately died. If the mother produces 8 lambs over her life...that's $600.00 but deduct food costs and Ivomec bringing a vet in tilts things in the wrong direction. The reason for having sheep in the 1st place is lawn mowing. So if you figure that into the mix...that saves me 14 hours a weekend. I dunno how to balance it out?
Not as easy as growing squash sometimes. I'll keep you all posted and thanks for hanging with me on this one...Chris

[daddydip]

chris ,what's going on with those sheep? should be healed up by now?

[CapeCodCubs]

Michael,

I have been giving them super extra special treatment...apple slices, crushed beet pulp, shepard 16 feed, warm water and maple syrup mix. One is healed up really well and the other has a chunk of dead flesh hanging from her face but she appears to be alert and very healthy. I am convinced it was caused by breaking throught the ice in their buckets and cutting their faces up. Live and learn.
You know two years ago I tried setting up a 300 gallon warm water tank and the ram smashed the pvc pipes that were insulated to their water buckets. I took it apart and figured I'd just fill the buckets inside and that would be how it would be.
I used to have 16 sheep then...trimmed down to 5 now. Should have 4 more lambs mid March. They usually give birth on St Patricks day.
Thanks for asking, how are your cattle holding up this winter?

Chris

[daddydip]

chris glad you got over that hump my bulls are doing great the weather has no effect on them,they are greedy,just trying to see who's who in the pecking order. i use the electric bucket for my goats from tsc. i keep it up high so they have to stand up high to drink from it. the buck goat is ornery so it's hit and miss as far as him butting it but he doesn't want the water on him so lately he's been i'm still trying to deal with his skin problem, old timer told me to paint him with burnt engine oil. i've tried everything else soooo.

[CapeCodCubs]

Michael...don't know to much about goats but what is up with your bucks skin? My place used to be a goat farm. I've had 3 but sold them...they are tough to keep in their pens and pastures. I'd come out in the morning and they'd be on the roof of the livestock barn after hopping from vehicle to vehicle to get high enough to jump onto the roof. Cute but unexceptable behavior. Christ I had the fire department show up when my dog climbed out a 2nd story window and wander around on the farmers porch roof. I'll have to check out tsc to see their heated buckets. Thanks, Chris