Post by finallyfarming on Jan 12, 2014 16:58:54 GMT -5
So today, Sunday, we slaughtered a sheep that was sick. She got out, along with the other sheep, on Friday. They ate all my strawberries, kale, irises, and noshed on a rhododendron bush in the front yard. Saturday morning Greedy Girl wasn't eating, although she would get up and drank some water I offered her. In the afternoon she had some froth on her mouth so I gave her baking soda, although I could not tell if she was bloating or not through her fleece and fat. She would not get up at that point. This morning she was worse so we decided to put her out of her misery as well as try to salvage the meat for dog food. I went through all her organs and the lungs were the only things that look off. Everything else looked good. Lots of fat, good liver, but her intestines were full from pellets at the back end to a full rumen at the other end. She still had Rhody leaves and barley in her rumen so she had not cudded at all. I read up on Rhody poisoning and is sounds like she might have aspirated vomit and developed pneumonia. Seems mighty fast for that to have happened but she did not have the other symptoms such as diarrhea and l never saw her vomit and there are no signs in her pasture that she did. Although it has been raining nonstop. So my question for wiser more experienced minds: Do you think this meat would be OK for dog food? And am I on the right track for what caused this? Greedy Girl had earned her name and was an older ewe, the other sheep seem to fine so far.
This was the second sheep we have butchered this month, the other was a ram lamb who is quite tasty! Sheep really do not need grain, they both had so much fat it was ridiculous!
This was the second sheep we have butchered this month, the other was a ram lamb who is quite tasty! Sheep really do not need grain, they both had so much fat it was ridiculous!