# TRIPLETS! Update w/ Pics



## woodsie (May 10, 2013)

We had our first babies on the farm with our big ewe birthing triplets at 3am this morning. I have her in a stall with the lambs and last night I observed the large black lamb and small white one nurse but did not see the last lamb nurse. She seems to move around a lot and rarely stands still for them to find her teat. 

This morning she was looking nervous when the white one would come close and then I saw her butt her away so I have her inside. I do have colostrum in a bottle but she doesn't seem too interested? I know she got some colostrum last night but how much should be taking per bottle? She did drink a bit but isn't relishing it like or really sucking hard but the bottle tip had milk kind of leaking out, do I need to get a slower flow nipple? Plus with this other lamb that can't seem to get close to the nipple, should I bring her inside too? The mom seems to not hate her but she I haven't seem her nurse....is it better to be cautious and give her a colostrum bottle in case? How can I tell if she is getting what she needs. Oh, I so don't want to screw up and would rather bottle feed them than have them weak.


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## BrownSheep (May 10, 2013)

If there is food in the belly I would leave the other one with mom. Maybe check her udder. Nursing might be painful for hur and her teats need to be milked out a little. Also, I have some ewes that will not let their lambs nurse while I am watching.


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## woodsie (May 10, 2013)

Thanks Brownsheep! I did leave the other small lamb and she is letting her nurse now. We gave a bottle of colostrum and then we held the ewe for her to feed. They are all back in and she still doesn't love the other one but seems to be tolerating her.


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## Four Winds Ranch (May 10, 2013)

Keep us posted!!!


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## woodsie (May 10, 2013)

This is Leland the big boy.




This is LuLu the rejected but now most loved one.




And the smaller lamb is the other little ewe named Leila.

The white one is back in the house...and getting lots of love and attention. And the other two are nursing very well. It is still a big novelty to have a  lamb in the house so we don't really mind...I probably could boot her out with mom but I think it is more stressful on everyone. They are soooo adorable!


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## BrownSheep (May 10, 2013)

I had a ewe do a similar rejection this year. She was pitch black, two of her lambs where pitch black, and the rejected one was white. I wonder if it has anything to do with the momma noticing they are different?


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## purplequeenvt (May 11, 2013)

I think some of them notice. We had a black ewe who had white twins her second year. She tried to reject both of them so we put dark colored jackets (made out of a pair of old leggings) and she took them right away. Next year she had a black and a white and she did the same thing with the white baby.


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## woodsie (May 11, 2013)

very interesting....I wouldn't have thought that it would be the colour but I might just have to try the black legging trick...lol! Mom certainly has enough milk for them all, she has a gigantic udder and teats so it is worth trying to disguise her and slip her under and Lulu wants to be around the other sheep and goats.

Funny thing is the mom is white and the baby looks a LOT like her, but I am pretty sure she had dark babies before I got her. I must admit that I like the black ones too, but Lulu is being such a sweetie, what she lacks in looks she makes up in personality.


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## n8ivetxn (May 13, 2013)

Best of luck! I'll be checking back to see what happens.... My Barbados Blackbelly sheep occasionally have triplets, it worries me! But it would be fun to have one in the house!


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## woodsie (May 13, 2013)

Well the black tights attempt failed...made for a good laugh for everyone though.  My husband said I should buy some black hair dye but I thought that might be taking things a little far. As the other ones have black faces I think she was not fooled by my black belted lamb! Oh well, she's in the house and my girls cannot refrain from carrying her around everywhere. She certainly gets a lot of attention by us, if not by her mom. The other two are doing well with mom and she is being a very good mom with them. 

The weird thing is when we take Lulu outside and she baaas, her mom responds and seems concerned and the call back and forth to eachother...but if we put her up to her mom she pushes her away and then our poor Lulu looks rejected and deflated and so sad. It is heartbreaking to watch. I have resolved to having a bottle baby and stop my attempts to get mom to take her. She seems to be okay with my young male goats but the female goat is very butty with her too. 

The good news is that my female Pyr is being FANTASTIC with the lambs and although is very interested and attentive she is very calm around them, even when they are bounding around....what a relief as she has previously chased the adult sheep and I wasn't sure she had a lot of LGD instincts, but I think she is a nanny type LGD dog. YAY!


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## Bridgemoof (May 13, 2013)

That's so cute, those little bottle babies just steal your heart, don't they? I hate seeing them be rejected by their mom, too. Too bad the tights idea didn't work! I was anxious to see if you could trick her, but nooooo. lol.

Good to hear your Pyr has good nanny instincts! Now is when you need that the most.


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## Sheepshape (May 19, 2013)

I ended up with 8 on the bottle (from 53 lambs) this year. Two rejected by mum, 2 from triplet births and FOUR from the ewe with one teat who decided to have 5 lambs.....Mother Nature has a cruel streak.

I believe that ewes have an inkling as to which lambs are going to cause problems. My Jezza was a massive twin who needed to be dragged out, heavily resuscitated,  incur huge vet fees, then drink 4l of very expensive ewes milk substitute per day to prove he was too much for mum.

I'm a bit tired of the trampling I get from trying to play mum right now.....


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## Ruus (May 20, 2013)

> I ended up with 8 on the bottle (from 53 lambs) this year. Two rejected by mum, 2 from triplet births and FOUR from the ewe with one teat who decided to have 5 lambs.....Mother Nature has a cruel streak.


Eight bottle babies...  you must have the patience of a saint!


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## woodsie (May 20, 2013)

Sheepshape said:
			
		

> I ended up with 8 on the bottle (from 53 lambs) this year. Two rejected by mum, 2 from triplet births and FOUR from the ewe with one teat who decided to have 5 lambs.....Mother Nature has a cruel streak.
> 
> I believe that ewes have an inkling as to which lambs are going to cause problems. My Jezza was a massive twin who needed to be dragged out, heavily resuscitated,  incur huge vet fees, then drink 4l of very expensive ewes milk substitute per day to prove he was too much for mum.
> 
> I'm a bit tired of the trampling I get from trying to play mum right now.....


Wow....what are the chances of that - quints with a one teat mom? Crazy! 

I was bracing myself for a problem baby as I have heard that mom's often know much before we do if there is an issue with the lamb but she appears to be doing really well...hoping, skipping, growing and now thinking she is a dog or a goat or a person...as these are her housemates! I think we are talking ourselves into keeping her as she was a triplet and her mom has an enormous bag and teats, I may just have to put her tameness to use and use her as a milking ewe!


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