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March 09, 2025
Swayback in lambs and other issues to be addressed
Copper and /or Vitamen D deficiency
By: Bethany Crowley
If a ewe is copper deficient in the middle of her pregnancy her lambs can be born with a problem called Swayback. Most the time the symptoms do not present themselves until after the lamb is weaned. As the lamb tries to run her butt will swing to one side especially if she makes a turn to the right or left. She will be weak in the back end and prone to falling back on her haunches. It does not go away with any treatment given to the lamb. Other signs of copper deficiency in your flock are brittle cracking chipping away horns, black wool fading to brown, poor wool quality(like wire), low resistance to worms, and poor body condition. Swiss Valais Blacknose sheep need more copper than some other breeds of sheep. If you don’t have these issues in your flock you may only need to offer Redmond mineral salt. You can give a copper bolus every 6 months to help to control worms. It is suggested 2 to 4 grams for an adult sheep. I’m doing the low end of the spectrum- 1 to 2 grams per sheep. Also some people are providing a mineral buffet for their sheep to choose which minerals they need by eating the ones that taste good to them. Then there is no worry of them getting a toxic dose. It is recommended that you get a soil test of your pasture and hay field to determine if your soil is depleted of copper first, before dosing copper. I know my hayfield is low. Some breeders have had issues with brittle bones in their lambs and being prone to broken legs or they develop rickets at 4 to 7 months of age. Vitamen D deficiency can be a problem in these sheep because they have long wool covering their eyes not permitting sun to reach the eye enough. Either trim their faces or tie it up in a ponytail on the top of the head. Kick them out of the barn and force them to get in the sunshine. Your back will thank you later when you don’t have so much barn clean out to do as well. I hope this is helpful in your journey raising Valais Blacknose sheep.
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