Lambing season started in earnest on January 28 with the birth of triplets to one first time ewe and twins to another. We were excited, then the disasters I hope won't happen started. We lost all 5 lambs. They were very small--all under 5 pounds--and their moms did their best. The triplets seem to have succumbed to an udder infection their mom had; they all died with full bellies. It was really strange until we discovered blood in her milk while easing pressure on her full udder by stripping out excess milk and moving towards a gentle weaning that would preserve her bag. We gave her a round of penicillin and the milk cleared; hopefully she will do better next year.
The second ewe just didn't have colostrum the first 36 hours; instead, she had a gluey clear substance. We had colostrum on hand, but we slept through the four am feeding and the lambs died; first one then a few hours later the second. This ewe mourned their loss and protested when we tried to remove the second lamb from the jail. About that time another ewe gave birth to a set of twins. John quickly grabbed the second lamb and took it to the mother who had just lost her last lamb. She eagerly took to the task of cleaning that lamb and made it hers. Her whole body said, HAPPY! It is highly unusual to have a ewe adopt a lamb without the shepherd preforming a few tricks of the trade to fool the ewe into accepting a lamb not her own. A ewe that will eagerly adopt a lamb is worth her weight in gold.
Between that day and now all lambs are thriving and doing well. The older ewes have presented their lambs without problems. We now have 28 lambs, including three sets of triplets, running races and jumping from the hill while their mom's bellow desperately to get their attention every time a hawk flies over, a cat wanders near, or the geese start yelling. The joyful melee makes me smile; I love lambing season despite the occasional trials and dissapointments
The second ewe just didn't have colostrum the first 36 hours; instead, she had a gluey clear substance. We had colostrum on hand, but we slept through the four am feeding and the lambs died; first one then a few hours later the second. This ewe mourned their loss and protested when we tried to remove the second lamb from the jail. About that time another ewe gave birth to a set of twins. John quickly grabbed the second lamb and took it to the mother who had just lost her last lamb. She eagerly took to the task of cleaning that lamb and made it hers. Her whole body said, HAPPY! It is highly unusual to have a ewe adopt a lamb without the shepherd preforming a few tricks of the trade to fool the ewe into accepting a lamb not her own. A ewe that will eagerly adopt a lamb is worth her weight in gold.
Between that day and now all lambs are thriving and doing well. The older ewes have presented their lambs without problems. We now have 28 lambs, including three sets of triplets, running races and jumping from the hill while their mom's bellow desperately to get their attention every time a hawk flies over, a cat wanders near, or the geese start yelling. The joyful melee makes me smile; I love lambing season despite the occasional trials and dissapointments
No comments:
Post a Comment