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    WATCH | Young farmer collides with villagers over developments on her farm

    Jay Jay Farming co-owners Mzimasi Jalisa and Siphe Singasezulu Joyi are overjoyed by the results of their work. Photo: Supplied

    Youth-led farm celebrates soybean harvest in Eastern Cape

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    Photo for illustrative purposes: Lourens van der Linde

    Fuel prices: Budget speech lowers possible decrease

    Cynthia Matome Mokgobu is a well-known young smallholder potato and vegetable farmer in Limpopo. She has immense potential and has demonstrated hard work and resilience to achieve her current success. Photo: Supplied

    Young female farmer facing challenges in expanding her farm on communal land

    22 May | Vox Weather Forecast

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    WATCH | Khomotso Mashiloane talks traceability as a key priority of RMIS

    A flock of Dorpers with lambs. Photo: Roelof Bezuidenhout

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    Sarnia Ladylike, the highest priced cow, was sold for R90 000.

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    Severe weather causes Sclerotinia to flare up again

    The Opperman brothers harvested part of their soybeans with three handheld cutters. Photo: Charl van Rooyen

    FARMER’S PLAN | Brothers harvest soybeans with bush cutters

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    Michris Janse van Rensburg founded Backsaver Farming Equipment in 2010 and has worked with small-scale farmers in South Africa and across the African continent with his inventions. Photo: Lebogang Mashala

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    FARMER’S PLAN | Brothers harvest soybeans with bush cutters

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Home Farm Health Animal Health

Ask the experts: Bloating in young lambs

8 November 2024
in Animal Health, Ask The Experts, Sheep
Reading Time: 2 mins read

Question:

We farm with Dorper sheep in the Koffiefontein district. We are in our summer lambing season (the pasture is nice and green but slightly wilted). We’re experiencing a problem where some lambs die from bloating at two to three days. The ewes are in very good condition and have plenty of milk. They were vaccinated against enterotoxemia (pulpy kidney) and dewormed before the lambing season. Could the ewes’ milk be too rich for the lambs? When we cut open the abomasum (milk stomach), it looks like the milk has fermented. Could Clostridia or Lactobacillus play a role here, and how can we help the bloated lambs?

Answer:

Bloating in lambs is not the same as bloating in adult sheep. It results from abnormal fermentation, especially in the abomasum (milk stomach). It is accompanied by a very low pH, meaning excessive acidity. These two factors cause the lamb to die quickly – often, the abomasum ruptures. Bacterial germs are held responsible, but the underlying cause has been using the wrong artificial milk, especially milk powder intended for calves. It could also possibly be linked to incorrect creep feed. Were the lambs not exposed to this? Or did they perhaps gain access to other concentrated feed? There is no evidence that it can be attributed to too much or too rich ewe’s milk. This case requires further careful investigation.

Treatment is usually too late because the animals bloat and die so quickly. In theory, oral administration of antibiotics should stop the fermentation process. However, the usual solution is to provide the correct artificial milk at the right times. Alternatively, an antibiotic can be mixed with the artificial milk as a temporary solution. In this case, however, the underlying factors causing the bloat must first be determined.

The disease is briefly discussed in the book Sheep and Goat Diseases*. It is a rare phenomenon.

*Written on 2 May 2007 by Prof. Gareth Bath, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria.

More advice: Vet’s Advice to Farmers is a useful A5-sized manual with contributions by veterinarians published in Farming SA. Readers’ questions were answered by Dr Danie Odendaal (livestock), Prof. Gareth Bath (small stock), Dr Mary-Louise Penrith (pigs), and Dr Mick Versfeld (pigs) and compiled in this useful booklet. It contains more than 100 questions and answers. The book is available here.

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