Dairy Sheep Nasal Bots

Nasal Bots are the adult stage of the female fly. They lay tiny eggs on the nose of sheep, then the larvae crawl up the nose and into the sinuses where they mature into large larvae. Eight to ten months later the bots come out of the nose, drop to the ground and develop into flies. While in the sinus, the larvae may cause severe irritation. Ivermectin products are most effective against the larvae stage but sheep may be repeatedly affected as new larvae migrate to the sinuses.

Andy Karras - Karras Farm

http://eastfriesiansheep.com
http://awassisheep.com
http://karrasfarm.com
andy@karrasfarm.com

 

Awassi Dairy Sheep - Karras Farm




Coccidiosis - Parasitic disease of the intestinal tract

Coccidiosis is an acute contagious parasitic disease spread between sheep through fecal contamination of feed or water. Strict sanitation and proper arrangement of feed/water containers will greatly reduce the probability of contamination. Lambs must be prevented from tracking manure into feeding areas. Coccidiosis in lambs can be very deadly. This parasite causes severe diarrhea, sometimes bloody, usually dark in color resulting in extreme dehydration or death.

We recommend frequent fecal checks to ensure healthy Coccidiosis free animals. At Karras Farm we feed our East Friesian dairy ewes and lambs pellet feed medicated with Deccox or Bovatec (lasolocid) continually to control Coccidiosis and improve feed efficiency. Ewes should receive this continually from thirty days prior to lambing through shortly after the lambs are weaned.

Have a wonderful Columbus Day and Thanksgiving to all our friends in Canada~

Andy Karras
Karras Farm

andy@karrasfarm.com
http://karrasfarm.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/

http://awassisheep.com/

Benefits of Sheep Milk

Three fat soluble vitamins are found among the so-called fats. The vitamins A, D and E are incorporated in the fats and are easily absorbed by humans. The absence of these crucial vitamins in humans can lead to serious illness or even death. Sheep milk contains a higher concentration of these vitamins when compared to other dairy animals like cows and goats. A higher quantity of medium short chain saturated fatty acids in sheep milk is believed to promote higher lactose absorption which can benefit humans with lactose intolerance. Furthermore, sheep milk is not as high in saturated fatty acid when compared to other types of dairy milk. Forty five percent of fatty acids in sheep milk are Mono or Poly-Saturated fats.

There are scientifically proven benefits and nutritional value of medium chain fatty acids or triglycerides (MCT). Benefits have been studied in a variety of diseases like heart disease, epilepsy in children, cystic fibrosis, gall stones and others due to its unique metabolic ability to supply energy. MCT also limits or inhibits cholesterol deposits; it dissolves cholesterol gall stones and plays an important role in normal development of babies. MCT is unique because it doesn't follow the normal lipid route through the lymph system. It instead goes where it is oxidized into fast available energy for the body. The unique content of approximately 25% MCT in the fat of sheep milk is not yet fully utilized. The daily recommended intake of 15g MTC can be provided by roughly 60grams of sheep butter.

At Karras Farm we drink the milk of our East Friesian dairy sheep and have come to prefer it over cow’s milk.

God Bless~
Andy Karras

Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/

Life Expectancy of Sheep

The life expectancy of sheep is similar to a large dog breed of about ten to twelve years. Some sheep breeds are known to have a longer life cycle such as the Merino. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest sheep lived to be 23yrs. She was a Merino however; the length of a sheeps productive cycle is much shorter. A ewes offspring production is highest between three and six years of age and usually starts to decline after age seven. As a result, most ewes are removed from our flock prior to reaching their natural life expectancy. It is necessary to remove the older ewes in order to make room for the younger animals. As we mature our genetic line of sheep we must provide an adequate environment for the younger sheep to thrive. In harder environments, where forage is sparse, ewes are usually culled at an even younger age due to tooth ware and break down.  It can become difficult for sheep in these conditions to maintain proper body condition and consume enough forage to feed their lambs. It is possible for a ewe to be productive past ten years of age and stay healthy but this is typically the exception to a natural sheep life cycle.

Hope all your lambs are happy and healthy!

Sincerely,

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/

Awassi Lamb Photos

I was looking through some of my Awassi photos from my trip to Australia and wanted to share a couple. The wool texture, coloring and facial features are quite unique. Theses lambs are considered to be the new and improved Awassi sheep breed and have a higher milk production than the traditional Middle Eastern Awassi.

Thanks for looking :-)

Andy Karras

Karras Farm

http://eastfriesiansheep.com/

http://awassisheep.com/

karrasfarm@gmail.com

Awassi Sheep Fecal Samples

It is important to take biannual fecal samples of your dairy sheep to check for parasites. Take samplings of several different sheep to your local veterinarian and have them checked for "egg count". A good time to do this in in early spring and late fall.

Sincerely,

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com
http://eastfriesiansheep.com/
http://awassisheep.com/

Sheep Sense of Smell

The olfactory sense of sheep is highly developed and difficult for humans to relate to. A sheeps heightened olfactory system most likely incorporates olfaction more completely with their interaction of the natural environment.

In spite of humans inability to understand the full scope of a sheeps sense of smell, perhaps we get a hint when an odor triggers a long buried memory or emotion. The sense of smell is mysteriously linked to the core of human and divine sensibilities.

Sheep use sense of smell in numerous ways. One way often observed is when smell is used to identify other sheep, particularly when a ewe uses smell to identify her lamb. Another common use of smell is during mating. The ram moves from ewe to ewe detecting which ewe is in heat (estrus). The classic head raising, lip curling behavior of the ram as he smells estrus females is called Flehmen response. This trait is occasionally noticed in females due to a Vomeronasal organ in the roof of their mouth not found in humans.

Baaaaaa Baaaaa and have a great day!

Andy Karras
Karras Farm
karrasfarm@gmail.com