Joined
·
10 Posts
I am still fairly new to sheep so would appreciate any insight.
I have a small flock of sheep and recently moved them to a new pasture (3 days ago). They had previously been receiving mostly hay with access to a small amount of grass and I would feed them about 0.75-1 lb of grain each in the morning. Since moving them, I had increased the grain slightly - just a small amount at night to help corral them into the barn. Everyone had been doing fine.
This morning, though, one of my more friendly sheep was acting... off? She usually baas at us and runs to greet us when we approach the paddock and she also tends to bully the other sheep for their grain (each sheep has their own bucket for the grain to try to make sure everyone gets their fair share and i am also terrified of bloat/acidosis). But this morning, she was completely uninterested in the grain and went straight for the water after being released from the barn. Even after drinking a good amount, she was uninterested in the grain. Which actually, while the flock tends to fight over the last bit of the grain, so far today, no one has finished the grain.
She does not look or feel bloated to my inexperienced hands. No signs of anemia that i can tell. Her eyes just look like she is a little out of it (half closed and somewhat distanced). She usually is a little more distant from the flock but has been moving with them closer than she normally does. She isn't listless, she is lying down but she will also get up and sort of trot away with the flock if they're moving, but didn't approach me like she normally does. She's been like this for 12 hours now without much change (for the good or for the worse).
Am I overthinking things? Or should I try doing something? Or should I just wait til the morning and see if this is just an off day?
I have a small flock of sheep and recently moved them to a new pasture (3 days ago). They had previously been receiving mostly hay with access to a small amount of grass and I would feed them about 0.75-1 lb of grain each in the morning. Since moving them, I had increased the grain slightly - just a small amount at night to help corral them into the barn. Everyone had been doing fine.
This morning, though, one of my more friendly sheep was acting... off? She usually baas at us and runs to greet us when we approach the paddock and she also tends to bully the other sheep for their grain (each sheep has their own bucket for the grain to try to make sure everyone gets their fair share and i am also terrified of bloat/acidosis). But this morning, she was completely uninterested in the grain and went straight for the water after being released from the barn. Even after drinking a good amount, she was uninterested in the grain. Which actually, while the flock tends to fight over the last bit of the grain, so far today, no one has finished the grain.
She does not look or feel bloated to my inexperienced hands. No signs of anemia that i can tell. Her eyes just look like she is a little out of it (half closed and somewhat distanced). She usually is a little more distant from the flock but has been moving with them closer than she normally does. She isn't listless, she is lying down but she will also get up and sort of trot away with the flock if they're moving, but didn't approach me like she normally does. She's been like this for 12 hours now without much change (for the good or for the worse).
Am I overthinking things? Or should I try doing something? Or should I just wait til the morning and see if this is just an off day?
. But yes such a sudden switch isn’t good for them.
