The Sheep Care Toolbox

Sheep care is an aspect of raising sheep that developes along with an eye for spotting a sheep in trouble.

Noticing the first signs of an ill ewe or lamb will go a long way in your management and prevent some headaches. Developing a keen eye is a bit of a learning curve.

Pay attention to the feel of something just not right, even if you cannot put your finger on what it is. Take notice if you see:

• An animal off by itself, sick animals will often fall away from the flock

• An animal not able to keep up with the flock when you are moving

• An animal not eating when the rest are, sick animals will go off feed

• An animal with a hunched or roach back appearance

• Standing with head down and ears drooped even as you approach

• Dull wool with loose pieces or tags

• Runny eyes

• Breathing sounds out of ordinary, rasping or shallow

• obvious limping or injury, lumps or swelling

The Tool Box

Noticing signs is one step, being prepared to help is the another.

Every livestock producer keeps a stock of supplies on hand. There are supplies the producer doesn't like to be without.

Keeping a tool box of regularly needed items on hand will help you with your sheep care. If you are prepared with some essential supplies you are more likely to assist animals in a timely fashion.

As we discovered though, when you are just starting out in sheep you don't know what those regularly needed items are.

So here is a peek at what is in our sheep care tool box to help you start yours. And yes, it's literally a small, black tool box, easy to carry and take where needed.

Items we wouldn't be without

• Syringes (small 3 ml and 6 ml sizes and large 60 ml size)

• Repeatable syringe 50 ml size

• needles (18 gauge and 25 gauge)

• Spray marker (used to mark animals that have been treated, for ease in locating them after)

• gestation calendar (useful for all sorts of production year planning)

• calculator, pencils and notebook

• All Flex tagger

• Ketchum Curl Lock tagger

• Tags (plastic dangle and required Canadian Sheep Identification Program (CSIP) tags)

Useful Items

• Foot shears

• Eye dropper

• Latex gloves

• stomach tube

• ewe restrainer (not used yet)

• lamb puller (also not used)

The extra's we keep on hand:

• Vitamaster (an injectable vitamin mix)

• Thiamine (injectable)

• Selenium (injectable)

• Biomycin (tetracycline based antibiotic registered for use in our area)

• Ivomectin or Valbazen (wormer medication registered for use in our area) now rarely used but hate to be without it

• Frozen colostrum

• Vaccines - purchased as needed due to rapid expiry

Note: The medicines and vaccines producers keep on hand will vary with the region they are ranching in as various medicines will be licensed in various regions. It is not the same across the board.

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