# anyone with photos of ewe carrying twins?



## bonbean01 (Jan 8, 2012)

One of our ewes is getting huge on both sides, yet her udder is not that large.  Just wondering if anyone has photos of a very pregnant ewe before having twins?  Another ewe has a huge udder, but just really large on one side.  Perhaps we just have to wait and see?


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## SheepGirl (Jan 8, 2012)

I searched through my folders, and I found five pictures. These are all of the same ewe, my matriarch, #44. (The ewe in my avatar.) 

The first two pictures are from 2009, about two weeks from having twins.












The next three pictures are from 2010, about one month from having another set of twins. (Notice how she bagged up earlier and heavier than the previous year, even though she's carrying the same number of babies.)






The second ewe on the right is her. The ewe on the far right is a PB Babydoll Southdown who only had one lamb, after having a single and two sets of twins the previous three years. (I can't remember exactly when she lambed in 2010, but my ewe popped before her.)


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## zzGypsy (Jan 8, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> One of our ewes is getting huge on both sides, yet her udder is not that large.  Just wondering if anyone has photos of a very pregnant ewe before having twins?  Another ewe has a huge udder, but just really large on one side.  Perhaps we just have to wait and see?


varies from sheep to sheep.  I've got some that can hide triplets!  you don't know she's lambing until you hear the lambs...
I have had a couple that bagged up so early that you had to milk them or risk mastitis long before they lambed, but that's unusual.  most bag up in the last week.  if they're twinning or more, some will look double or tripple wide when they lay down, and like bursting when they stand up.  our longer legged sheep carry more underneath than some of our shorter legged ones, and older ewes show more than younger tight-bodies.

some sheep do bag late, and I've got one who didn't really come in milk for a week after lambing the first time. we bottle fed the lambs but kept them with her and by week 2 or so she had picked up production.

if you don't know breeding dates, watch the size, watch the udder, watch for changes in the vulva (enlarging, puffing up), watch for changes in behavior (up and down a lot, pawing, circling, separating from the flock)


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## bonbean01 (Jan 8, 2012)

Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble!!!  I still can't tell from looking at my one ewe, and I would post a photo if I could figure out how to do on here...it took me forever to get a photo for my avatar to load on here...LOLOL!  

Your sheep are adorable!!!  Of course I love mine too, but being Dorper/Katadins they do not have that "teddy bear" look yours do.

Thank you again!!!!
Bonnie


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## bonbean01 (Jan 8, 2012)

Thanks to you also Gypsy!  Our girls all bagged up and had the angry swollen back ends before Christmas, and still no lambs.  None in the past have gone off their feed or gone off on their own either.  Our girls eat right up until labour and one ewe calls loudly until we get out there before she gets down to hard labour.  We take our chairs into the birthing area with the lambing kit ( a cooler with everything in it...and a place for hot coffee or tea or hot chocolate to set on, and then we wait.)  We only have a handful of sheep and one ram and have never used a ram marker system, but that may not be a bad idea for next year.  Would save weeks of sleepless nights!

So far we have had to only help one young ewe...head first and no feet...was so glad that I'd read everything I could about all possible problems and knew what to do and both were fine.  The "twisted lamb" drawings look daunting and I hope we are spared that!  

We're dead tired here and the ewe we had to help last year is the one that we're wondering may have twins this time, so a good night's sleep will have to wait.

I appreciate this forum and all you wonderful people that respond!!!  So very helpful, supportive, and I wish I'd found this forum when we first started with our first two little sheep!  
Bonnie


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## zzGypsy (Jan 8, 2012)

I've had sheep puff up as much as two weeks before, and one of my goats sometimes puffs more than 3 weeks in advance. it's mostly about getting to know your sheep.

on your hard-to-lamb girl, twins are often easier for them to manage than singles, so hope for twins   and trouble with first-lamb doesn't mean trouble the second year, but it's good you're attentive, just in case.

I've had to pull or help with head-only, head and one foot, front-feet-only, breach, and 3-front feet presented (twins trying to get out at the same time). as well as normal babies on an older ewe that couldn't get them up in the birth canal.  the first one I had to do with my vet coaching me over the phone because he was on another emergency. it gets easier with practice, but you hope not to have to.  we always give antibiotics if we have to go in after them because no matter how much you scrub up, you are in a barn not a surgery and infection will ensue.

most of ours wait until we're not looking to lamb - if you're up all night in the barn, they'll lay down and pop out triplets while you're in the bathroom...


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## bonbean01 (Jan 8, 2012)

Wow Gypsy...you've done it all!!!  Wish you were my next door neighbour!!  And this is the first year that we've had antibiotics on hand just in case.  This is our 4th year with sheep having lambs and every year we learn something new!


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## zzGypsy (Jan 8, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> Wow Gypsy...you've done it all!!!  Wish you were my next door neighbour!!  And this is the first year that we've had antibiotics on hand just in case.  This is our 4th year with sheep having lambs and every year we learn something new!


probably not all yet... I'm sure my sheep have surprises left 
12 years with sheep, 5 with goats - max headcount at one time between the two about 60... 
this lambing thing is an exciting time. 

I'm right next door, electronically speaking, pop in for a cup of sugar or some lambing talk any time


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## SheepGirl (Jan 9, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble!!!  I still can't tell from looking at my one ewe, and I would post a photo if I could figure out how to do on here...it took me forever to get a photo for my avatar to load on here...LOLOL!
> 
> Your sheep are adorable!!!  Of course I love mine too, but being Dorper/Katadins they do not have that "teddy bear" look yours do.
> 
> ...


No problem  I enjoy showing off my sheep! They are Montadale/Babydoll Southdown crosses, so that explains the teddy bear-ness  But I love Katahdins (and Dorpers) and really want some so you are lucky you have them!

But to get photos on here, click on "Uploads" (on the blue bar, to the left of the "Logout" button). Click browse, find your picture, and click ok. Then press Submit. When your picture's uploaded, it will give you two lines of text below your picture, thumb and image. You want the image text. So copy/paste it onto your reply and ta-da! You have a picture


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## boykin2010 (Jan 9, 2012)

Here is a picture of my katahdin mix ewe about 1 week before giving birth to twins. 
Hope this helps


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