# Sheep scanned



## Sheepshape (Jan 6, 2018)

So this morning saw my sheep scanned. 

6 sets of triplets, 40 twins, 18 singletons. They are due from 15th March onwards, and I do my best to attend every birth (so mentally write off mid-March to mid-April).Only one mature ewe didn't get pregnant. My hogget in the avatar who weighed well under a pound at birth is expecting a singleton (she's a sturdy and healthy ewe now).

I was particularly pleased that Bill, Blue Faced Leicester ram lamb, has managed to impregnate his 5 girls. Not bad for a young man who went to the ewes aged 6 months. I would not have been surprised if the girls all scanned 'empty', but 3 singletons, 1 twins and 1 triplets mean he will have earned his silage for this year.

Well, there's many a hurdle to jump before the lambs arrive, but, for now ,they are looking good in spite of horrible wet and windy weather.

Please wish me luck......I've mastered the basics on my new camera and will be only too pleased to take pics.


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## Latestarter (Jan 6, 2018)

WOW!  That's fantastic success up to this point!   You'll be buried in new life here in a few months. How are your girls at handling trips? Can you latch the extra off on one of the ewes with a single or will those 6 stay with their moms, or all become BB's? So glad to hear your little "ewelette" is grown, fine, and going to be a mother! I'm sure that has to have you very excited.   She came from such humble beginnings.  So looking forward to the upcoming lambing pics when the time comes. You have beautiful animals.


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## animalmom (Jan 6, 2018)

Now that is a population explosion of the good kind!  May all the birthings happen uneventfully, may your laundry always be done and may the tea kettle always be hot.

Good luck, and pictures, lots, lots, lots of pictures now, tomorrow, during birth, right after birth with the sweet lambies.  You know how we live for pictures.  Please and thank you. 

ps:  did I remember to ask for pictures?  No?  Pictures please and thank you.... even fuzzy ones.


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## Baymule (Jan 6, 2018)

6 sets of triplets?  40 twins as in 20 sets of two or do you mean 40 sets of twins?   And 18 singles? Are you ever gonna be busy!!! 

Soon you'll be up to your armpit turning lambs and sorting out legs.  Then you'll be up to your neck in lambs!


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## Sheepshape (Jan 6, 2018)

Latestarter said:


> Can you latch the extra off on one of the ewes with a single or will those 6 stay with their moms, or all become BB's?


 Thanks, Latestarter....I'll try to get them adopted by a ewe who has lost their own or has a singleton, but this works far better if the 'adoptive' ewe has just given birth....and this usually doesn't happen for me....so likely to be bottle lambs if they survive.


animalmom said:


> Pictures please and thank you.... even fuzzy ones.


...The pleasure will be all mine. I am not the world's best photographer, but I'm very happy to try.Thank you for your good wishes.


Baymule said:


> 40 twins as in 20 sets of two or do you mean 40 sets of twins?


 That would be 40 sets of twins as in 80 lambs, Baymule. You are SO right about the turning....I'm ordering my lambing gloves right now. The multiple births can be really complicated which is why I like to be around if at all possible.However, I've also walked into the shed first thing in the morning to find a ewe who showed no signs of impending labour when I last saw her, standing with 3 healthy lambs all cleanly licked and vigorous.

I never tire of the wonder of new life....even when it arrives in the wee small hours of the morning. I'm also very aware that there will be lamb losses and the 'If only I'd recognised....' etc, but, for now, they are safe.


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## kuwaiti-90 (Jan 7, 2018)

@Sheepshape 

God bless, this is good news and wonderful , I will produce you beautiful and healthy for the most.
This is a sign of your proper nutrition for the sheep. We have an example in Kuwait says ((Give sheep give you))
We are waiting for the pictures with impatience


Congratulations


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## Baymule (Jan 7, 2018)

I have 2 ewes that had twins and 2 more to go that are carrying singles. I love waking up and going to the sheep lot and finding new lambs. So far, I have not had to assist in any lambings. Last year was rough for a small shepherd as myself with the losses that I had, but this year is much better. 

I can't wait to see pictures of lambs! I always love your posts.


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## Mike CHS (Jan 7, 2018)

That is some serious sheep math.


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## Latestarter (Jan 7, 2018)

You'll be there in 2 years time Mike


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## Sheepshape (Jan 7, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> That is some serious sheep math.


Ratio 160%....but that included 8 'big' lambs who are best to wait for another year......I take these figures with a pinch of salt as there can be significant losses at and around the time of birth. I like to think of each new life as a bonus.


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## Alaskan (Jan 8, 2018)

I know zilch about sheep.... but I thought it was interesting that you were thinking of trying to shift some of lambs around. ..

Just because I know goats do well with three kids. .. what can I tell ya, I know zilch about sheep.

So I thought I would look for data etc... differences between sheep and goats etc....

but I found this great article.   Impressive info all about how to get triplet lambs bigger etc.   In case you want to read it too:

http://www.ceresfarm.co.nz/tripletlambing.htm


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## Sheepshape (Jan 8, 2018)

Alaskan said:


> Just because I know goats do well with three kids. .. what can I tell ya, I know zilch about sheep.


 Thanks,Alaskan.  It is sometimes possible for a ewe to raise triplets, but, if they are good sized lambs, the milk supply may well not be enough. Of course, with 2 teats, one lamb has to wait. If that one (as often is), is a smaller triplet, they can fail to thrive.

Here's an example of marked size discrepancy in twins







 My practice, therefore is to leave two approximately equal sized lambs (ideally the same sex, too), with mum. Usually any attempts I might make to get them adopted don't work as there is no ewe who has just given birth/gave birth to a dead lamb. Though I'm happy enough to skin a dead lamb and make it into a jacket for a lamb I'd like to get adopted, I won't tie the ewe up etc to force her to accept.

Those of my ewes who are having two or more lambs get more solid feed in the run up to birth, too.....usually ensuring that they avoid toxaemia and produce reasonable sized lambs.

Nature always has a way of surprising me, though!


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## Alaskan (Jan 8, 2018)

Sheepshape said:


> Thanks,Alaskan.  It is sometimes possible for a ewe to raise triplets, but, if they are good sized lambs, the milk supply may well not be enough. Of course, with 2 teats, one lamb has to wait. If that one (as often is), is a smaller triplet, they can fail to thrive.
> 
> Here's an example of marked size discrepancy in twinsView attachment 42057
> 
> ...


goats can also have a huge size discrepancy with multiple kids.  However it was interesting to read how ewes and the lambs just have more trouble with triplets than goats.

The article I linked went over a number of factors, very interesting.   Even the height of the grass that the ewe of triplets was on was very important.  

Just a very different critter than goats.


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 10, 2018)

I find it pretty amazing they will scan sheep on your farm there, here most vets dont have scanners and if they do it is reserved for the money making animals(aka cows or horses). I asked the vet last year about doing preg checks on our goats(because of them not having kids like they should) she said she could draw blood(to verify pregnant) or i could bring the goats in to be scanned(check for number of kids) later in pregnancy......bring the goats in....

This was the same vet place who wanted me to bring in all 37 goats we had so they could do blood draws and run fecals....


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## Alaskan (Jan 10, 2018)

misfitmorgan said:


> I find it pretty amazing they will scan sheep on your farm there, here most vets dont have scanners and if they do it is reserved for the money making animals(aka cows or horses). I asked the vet last year about doing preg checks on our goats(because of them not having kids like they should) she said she could draw blood(to verify pregnant) or i could bring the goats in to be scanned(check for number of kids) later in pregnancy......bring the goats in....
> 
> This was the same vet place who wanted me to bring in all 37 goats we had so they could do blood draws and run fecals....


that is so crazy. 

I am amazed that they didn't realize how crazy that request was.  They knew you had more than 2 goats?


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 10, 2018)

Yes i told them we had 37 goats, they said well you could bring them in in batches......oh yes delightful idea your an hour away one way and the ND are all pregnant atm. I don't go there anymore unless it is an emergency.

There is a vet locally I so want to be my vet....but she is full up on clients and has a waiting list. Probly be 10yrs before we can see her but she knows about goats and sheep and owns some!!


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## Alaskan (Jan 10, 2018)

wow!   mind blown!


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## Sheepshape (Jan 10, 2018)

misfitmorgan said:


> I find it pretty amazing they will scan sheep on your farm there


 It's pretty routine around here......and not vets, but trained farmers who have their own scanning trailer. It's costs less than £1 per animal and is done on site. The guy we have is very accurate, too. He likes to do the scans between about 40-80 days of pregnancy.



misfitmorgan said:


> This was the same vet place who wanted me to bring in all 37 goat


 Any other vets in the area? That vet doesn't want the work/ is too rich!

Our vet practice does on farm visits for quite reasonable fees.....still they do admit to being a farm animal practice.


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 10, 2018)

Sheepshape said:


> It's pretty routine around here......and not vets, but trained farmers who have their own scanning trailer. It's costs less than £1 per animal and is done on site. The guy we have is very accurate, too. He likes to do the scans between about 40-80 days of pregnancy.
> 
> Any other vets in the area? That vet doesn't want the work/ is too rich!
> 
> Our vet practice does on farm visits for quite reasonable fees.....still they do admit to being a farm animal practice.



Not really any close enough to do farm visits reasonable it seems. We had old man vet for awhile but he retired, he was great. The large animal/farm vet that was in the next town up got brain cancer and died a few years back and no one has replaced him. Everyone else around is a small animal/pet vet. When our lamb got a broken leg i had to call 6 or 7 different vet places to find one that would accept a lamb. Thats why the few vets who do farm calls and large animals are to busy for new clients..i believe there are 3 farm vets within 1hr of me but wont do farm calls because i'm to far away. I mean i cant really blame them because they are full up with local to them clients already. 

I'm hoping this spring i can get the local vet to do a farm call so at least i can get her to give us a script if one is needed and i have a local place to drop off fecals. They run fecals on site for $4.50/sample or a pool of up to 5 animals for $9....very reasonable.

$1(i know its a pound...i dont have that symbol and dont remember how to pull up the special symbol thingy atm) is very cheap. When the vet offered it was $30 for the office visit and $20 per scan unless you did more then 10 animals then it was only $15/scan


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 10, 2018)

OMG.....i went to check that vets site again...you know to dream of using her for my vet!! She brought in another vet.....so maybe if i call after work i can get them to agree to a farm visit next month!! I think the vet i really wanted is doing the farm calls now and the new vet is doing the clinic stuff.


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## Mike CHS (Jan 10, 2018)

Our vet is one of those who trained under an old school vet (his dad) and makes it known that he has always wanted to run his clinic like his dad did.  We live about 15 miles from his office and he charges a $45 fee to make a farm call and that includes bringing his Vet Tech with him.


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## Sheepshape (Jan 10, 2018)

misfitmorgan said:


> When the vet offered it was $30 for the office visit and $20 per scan unless you did more then 10 animals then it was only $15/scan


Cripes.....that's expensive!  Our guy did over 70 animals for £50 (that won't be far off $50 with the state of the £!) and charged £50 plus VAT which we can claim back. It took him about 45 minutes. (He brings his own equipment and a helper and we have them lined up one-by-one with help from our neighbours , hurdles and a race.

With regards to broken legs, you can probably manage them yourself if you have a supply of painkiller (I keep Metacam). If the fracture involves the hip or the bone has broken through the skin the animal should be euthanised. If not, give the painkiller, allow it time to take effect, then straighten out the bone (usually easy with a lamb).Then apply splints either side of the break.....wooden tongue depressors are good. Over that wrap wool padding and then that sticky bandage (VetBand or similar) that comes in many colours, the 3-4 inch wide stuff is best.The bandage needs to be firm but not too tight as the site will swell. Give the lamb regular pain killers over the first 10 days or so.Usually you'll find the lamb running around quite well on 3-legs  an hour or two after treating them and easily able to go to mum to be fed. Change the bandages about once a week. The fracture takes about 5 weeks to heal. In young animals the bone remodels quite quickly and usually it's impossible to tell who had a problem after a few months.


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 11, 2018)

Mike CHS said:


> Our vet is one of those who trained under an old school vet (his dad) and makes it known that he has always wanted to run his clinic like his dad did.  We live about 15 miles from his office and he charges a $45 fee to make a farm call and that includes bringing his Vet Tech with him.



No Local vets her bring helpers, your the helper. A normal farm call fee is $30-45 i think thats pretty standard throughout the US.



Sheepshape said:


> Cripes.....that's expensive!  Our guy did over 70 animals for £50 (that won't be far off $50 with the state of the £!) and charged £50 plus VAT which we can claim back. It took him about 45 minutes. (He brings his own equipment and a helper and we have them lined up one-by-one with help from our neighbours , hurdles and a race.
> 
> With regards to broken legs, you can probably manage them yourself if you have a supply of painkiller (I keep Metacam). If the fracture involves the hip or the bone has broken through the skin the animal should be euthanised. If not, give the painkiller, allow it time to take effect, then straighten out the bone (usually easy with a lamb).Then apply splints either side of the break.....wooden tongue depressors are good. Over that wrap wool padding and then that sticky bandage (VetBand or similar) that comes in many colours, the 3-4 inch wide stuff is best.The bandage needs to be firm but not too tight as the site will swell. Give the lamb regular pain killers over the first 10 days or so.Usually you'll find the lamb running around quite well on 3-legs  an hour or two after treating them and easily able to go to mum to be fed. Change the bandages about once a week. The fracture takes about 5 weeks to heal. In young animals the bone remodels quite quickly and usually it's impossible to tell who had a problem after a few months.



The lamb we took in for a broken leg had been stepped on by her mother(first time mother) and her leg was broken so far up that DH couldnt set it so off to the vet she went. I talked to the vets office i want to use and with the new vet on staff they said accepting us as patients shouldnt be a problem. So Yay!! And the new vet specializes in small ruminants.


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## Baymule (Jan 11, 2018)

Farm calls here are $75. The vet does  lot of farm calls for LGD's because their owners did not socialize them. All our dogs will load up in the truck back seat and go to the vet. We take Parker and Trip (males) and then take Paris (female). Paris is a bitch in more than just being a female dog......


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## misfitmorgan (Jan 11, 2018)

Baymule said:


> Farm calls here are $75. The vet does  lot of farm calls for LGD's because their owners did not socialize them. All our dogs will load up in the truck back seat and go to the vet. We take Parker and Trip (males) and then take Paris (female). Paris is a bitch in more than just being a female dog......




Alright then...apparently farm calls can be a lot more. Luckily Rose did excellent in the car, esp for only being her second time in a car.


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