# mysunwolf lambing 2016



## mysunwolf (Dec 27, 2014)

We thought we would have our first lambs in 2014, but we were sorely mistaken! The seller was not truthful about the bred status of our girls.

The next misstep to the whole lambing thing was discovering that our ram lamb purchased for fall 2014 breeding was infertile.

After these problems, we finally bought a proven ram, but he turned out to be very aggressive. We are still trying to sell him for pennies as a known aggressive ram, but not having much luck. However, he is a nice looking guy. We may turn him into mutton if he is not sold soon.

We are very excited for the chance to finally have some lambs born on the property in spring 2015. I have four ewe lambs and three ewes. If all went well, lambing will go from the beginning of April to the end of May. We are going to be as hands-off as possible when it comes to the whole process as we are only interested in preserving easy keepers. My neighbors are very knowledgeable (they have been raising a 30-40 head herd of market sheep for 10+ years), and I may be relying on them when the time comes.

Here's the ram:


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## mysunwolf (Dec 27, 2014)

Drusilla and Darla, ewes.


 

 

Spotty, bottle ewe lamb, and Cinnamon, ewe.


 



Helena and Sarah, ewe lambs.


 

 

Cow, ewe lamb.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 27, 2014)

Wow! So sorry for the bad start to things. 
Very glad you got a proven ram, he looks nice too!
Nice looking ladies you got there!


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## Bossroo (Dec 28, 2014)

For best results of meat sheep ... the only one of the bunch worth keeping and breeding is the all white ewe.


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## mysunwolf (Dec 28, 2014)

Thanks Southern and Bossroo! I agree that Darla is the nicest of them, she got fat on pasture with a tiny bit of wheat in the evenings. I think she's got Dorper in her is why she gained so well. The only problem is she has single lambs (or so I've been told), bad hooves, and is extremely skittish  They all have ups and downs. I thought Cow also had potential as a big-framed ewe.

We may be looking into milk production in addition to the meat, so we'll see what their udders look like come spring. I know for a fact that the red ewe has low milk production, but not sure on everyone else.


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## bonbean01 (Dec 28, 2014)

Wishing you beautiful lambs and loved the photos!!!!  Too bad that Ram is not a gentleman as he looks impressive!  A late start....but...better later than never


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## Southern by choice (Dec 29, 2014)

@mysunwolf  I asked a friend to take a look at your ewes. I thought they looked pretty good but I have goats not sheep.... anyway, she is a really great Katahdin breeder with a flock ranging from 200-400...depending on the year. She is very good with this breed... I would say close to an expert...if not one...

She peeked in and this is what she had to say....

_I don't see a darn thing wrong with those sheep, from the pictures
I think they look great, yes I can see the age difference and all but the older and young look
good 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 and I really like that ram and you can tell them if they get him into a small lot or barn
stall and keep him up for a while and go in and flip him over on his butt everyday twice a day for
as long as they can stand it, heck if they have time once a day would be great, flipping him over
on his butt will cause him to learn after some time that he doesn't want anything to do with getting
to close to humans in the future_


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## bonbean01 (Dec 29, 2014)

I am no expert at all....but liked the looks of your pretty gals too...I have a handful of sheep...dorper, katahdin and crosses of the two....Of course, with my thing for pretty markings, my favourite gal was Drusilla   Can't see one ewe in your beautiful flock that I would not breed and expect beautiful babies from!!!!  Good luck!!!


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## mysunwolf (Dec 30, 2014)

@Southern by choice thank you *so* much! That makes me feel a lot better about them to have a large-scale breeder say that 

And thank you bon, I LOVE your sheep and their colors!

I also like this ram a lot and think he has great potential... but sadly I can't flip him. I had him drag me around the barn a few times with me trying to get him on his butt  He smells awful too since it's that time of year.

I can't wait to see the lambs we get. With any luck, we'll be able to keep two of this ram's ram lambs and pick one to use for breeding next fall. 

Sheep are so fun


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## bonbean01 (Dec 30, 2014)

YES!!!!!!  I agree!!!  Sheep are so fun and so loving (well...rams are butt heads) and I love having them so much!!!  Can't wait for your lambs!!!!  And is still want Drusilla    She totally looks like she belongs here....hahahahahahaha!


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## bonbean01 (Dec 30, 2014)

Okay....look at Drusilla's coloring on 


 her back and this baby ewe lamb...do they not look related????


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## Southern by choice (Dec 30, 2014)

I can't say sheep are fun. I don't really like ours.
Maybe some dorpers or Katahdins or BL.... 
but when I think fun....

I 


Think



GOATS!


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## bonbean01 (Dec 30, 2014)

Southern....you need a road trip....to MY house...and you will see just how loveable and fun sheep are!!!  I already know goats are too from feeding our neighbour's sheep and goats....so now you need to get to know sweet sheep....however, before you leave here...I will do a head count as I know you will get to love them and try smuggle one home


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## Southern by choice (Dec 30, 2014)

bonbean01 said:


> Southern....you need a road trip....to MY house...and you will see just how loveable and fun sheep are!!!  I already know goats are too from feeding our neighbour's sheep and goats....so now you need to get to know sweet sheep....however, before you leave here...I will do a head count as I know you will get to love them and try smuggle one home


You are so right Bon!  I know it is the breed we have.  One day though... I haven't given up! But I will always be a goatie!


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## bonbean01 (Dec 30, 2014)

LOL Southern....just ask Straw...we can ALL become more well rounded   He told me that years ago!  No need to be a goatie or sheepie...can be both


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## Southern by choice (Dec 30, 2014)

bonbean01 said:


> LOL Southern....just ask Straw...we can ALL become more well rounded   He told me that years ago!  No need to be a goatie or sheepie...can be both


LOL Bon... that was my line... Straw stole it!


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## bonbean01 (Dec 30, 2014)

that stinker!!!


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## mysunwolf (Jan 3, 2015)

I'm a sheep person all the way, but we had some goats this summer and I may have been converted


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## SheepGirl (Jan 4, 2015)

Bossroo said:


> For best results of meat sheep ... the only one of the bunch worth keeping and breeding is the all white ewe.



How do you figure? Comparing her to the rest, she is thin boned and FAT! I was thinking the little last ewe lamb was nice and stocky.


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## mysunwolf (Jan 4, 2015)

@SheepGirl, the last one (Cow) is my favorite too  Just did hoof trimming and hers were some of the best. She has a nice even temperament, very stocky, was a twin, generally healthy. She had some issues this summer with parasites, but when the spring drought broke into heavy summer rain everyone had trouble. 

I think people tend to like the big fat white ewe (Darla) because she is built partially like a low-quality Dorper, which are admired even by sheep people who swear by the classic wooly meat breeds. She is low to the ground and carries a lot of fat, which disguises her poor muscling. We thought she was pregnant all spring and summer because her belly was so full of fat. Her hooves are bad, a bit deformed on the back, get overgrown, and smell like rot quicker than any of the other sheep. Maybe it's because she has stick thin legs and carries so much weight. She is too smart and very hard to catch, and she collapses rather than be flipped. Ugh. She won't even let me touch her when her head's in the grain bucket, unlike all the other sheep. So one more strike and she's out.


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## Sweetened (Jan 4, 2015)

I love your sheep! I have had great success with overpowering goats and putting them on their rear ends to stop aggressive behavior or charging. My ram, aries, only tried it once while being leash trained. I overpower them with a quick hard push to the base of their neck, near the chest, and a pull up on the skin by the thigh on whatever side i can get access too quickly. The neck puts them off balance and the pull on the back end topples them. I worry about pushing them full force in the side (which is silly if you watch them go after another male), so i use balance. I also pin them down, and keep them on their side for 30 seconds or so. It puts you in the position of dominant ram and predator all at once. 

I have to say, i love the white girl. My white ewelamb, nova, has really grown on me the past little while, i sure didnt like her at first by appearence. I also really like cinnamon!

Looking forward to seeing your lambs.


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## mysunwolf (Feb 8, 2015)

I would have had lambs this month, if my first ram had been fertile... but alas, no lambs! So I'll post photos of a few ewes 

Sarah, ewe lamb, side-eyeing me.



 
Cinnamon, ewe, in the tall grass. She didn't produce enough milk for both twins as a yearling, so we're hoping the second time around goes better now that she's older.


 
Drusilla, yearling ewe, lounging in the morning sun. 

 

Only two more months of this waiting thing. Man oh man, I am so worried about the actual lambing time.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 8, 2015)

They look great! These are some nice photos you should consider putting them up for POW!


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## Sweetened (Feb 8, 2015)

Excellent pictures!! I especially love Cinnamon's photo.


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## Southern by choice (Feb 8, 2015)

That is the one I really liked too!


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## mysunwolf (Feb 16, 2015)

Thanks all, that's my favorite picture too! She is such a sweet sheep, comes up to me in the field and asks for chin scratches. You can see her notched ears from when she was a cull sheep, and she's still on the list of possible culls here. Someone mistook her for a GOAT on my farm page  I'm still offended that anyone would think that face belonged to a goat!

Here's some more photos, since the first lamb won't show up until mid-April... boy, you think my lambing thread was early or what?

We're having a "blizzard" here today. I'm from IL so it's funny to hear everyone so concerned over 8+ inches of snow. But it does make feeding and watering more difficult. And the chickens are terrified to touch the stuff. The sheep, on the other hand, had to be coaxed into the barn with fresh hay. All the animals are dry and sorta warm and being lazy in their houses. I'm baking and cooking in my house like crazy.



 

 

I love seeing the layer of snow on their backs, somehow makes me happy every time


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## Southern by choice (Feb 16, 2015)

I know how they confused her.. she has such a pretty face they naturally thought she was a goat!    

She has a very pretty head. Is she a Katahdin?

Um 8+ " of snow here would cause a whole state of emergency and shut down. Actually the sight of a flurry does that. 

Why is she a possible cull?


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## mysunwolf (Mar 17, 2015)

Southern by choice said:


> ...Why is she a possible cull?



Well, we found out one reason yesterday  She had a uterine prolapse. We are keeping her up in the barn. Have tried some home-made harnesses that have not worked. The Premier harness should come tomorrow, hoping to keep her insides in until she lambs in May. Not sure it's worth the effort, though, and may go ahead and butcher her. Depends on how she does. We thought the reason she was a cull was because she didn't produce enough milk for twins... but it makes me wonder.

The others are doing fine so far. I'm hoping for at least ONE ewe to have a normal, easy lambing... or at least just to survive. We'll be trying to purchase some more ewes of various breeds this summer and fall, hopefully with better genetics. We have a dairy ram lamb right now who should sire our flock in the future.

I'll keep you all updated and hopefully have more photos. In the meantime, I will mostly lurk.


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## Southern by choice (Mar 17, 2015)

Sorry to hear this.
Very strange year. I know quite a few people with very large flocks of sheep and there have been so many prolapses. 
I have been wondering why? Why so many? Is it from eating only hay and grass and then they are grained the last month and lambs getting to big? Is it a breeding program issue? It seems many of these flocks are purebreds. I wonder if having some crosses in there might help.
Just thinking out loud. It is strange though. 

We have some odd things in kidding this year, nothing major but a little odd. 

Your sheep are beautiful and I am hoping for good things for you.


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## norseofcourse (Mar 17, 2015)

Wow, sorry about the ewe... I hope most of yours have nice easy lambings.  Culling has got to be one of the hardest decisions...


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## mysunwolf (Mar 17, 2015)

Thank you, you all are so wonderful 

Southern, I've also noticed the large number of prolapses this year, but likened it to me being more connected to the online shepherd community. I was thinking management too, but it always leads back to genetics when, say, 10% of the stock had a problem but all the rest were fine. So in short... 

And we actually decided against investing in pure East Friesians for that very reason: that purebreds seem to have more issues. I think it's mostly the fault of producers not culling hard enough when dealing with pure, potentially expensive stock. 

About 70% of my herd has genetics from one local farm (I did this by accident by not sourcing far away enough), and I think they have some problem sheep in their flock and don't keep close enough records to know. But that may be my inexperience talking. 

Going to have to eat one of my best friends though  Shouldn't have gotten that close, but sheep are so sweet.


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## Sweetened (Mar 17, 2015)

There have been many prolapses here as well that i have heard of, and bloated, dead lambs that must be cut out. It is strange indeed.


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## mysunwolf (Mar 18, 2015)

We went ahead and butchered her today, nice clean kill and she had a lot of meat on her for a 120# Katahdin. She had twin fetuses that definitely still had two months to go, a white and a roan, both died with the ewe so I was glad. I'm going to miss my favorite blonde "dog sheep." I am a big baby and have cried all day


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## Hens and Roos (Mar 18, 2015)




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## norseofcourse (Mar 18, 2015)

So sorry


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## Southern by choice (Mar 18, 2015)

I am sorry. 

Sometimes I don't think we say it enough to one another but I would like to tell you that you did a selfless act for your ewe. Ultimately, as hard as it was to do, you cared enough to end what would have been a long and painful ordeal. You put the well being of your ewe above your own emotional needs. These are the things that makes a good shepherd an even better one.


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## mysunwolf (Mar 19, 2015)

Southern by choice said:


> I am sorry.
> 
> Sometimes I don't think we say it enough to one another but I would like to tell you that you did a selfless act for your ewe. Ultimately, as hard as it was to do, you cared enough to end what would have been a long and painful ordeal. You put the well being of your ewe above your own emotional needs. These are the things that makes a good shepherd an even better one.



This means so much to me  I am always trying to be a better farmer, tending to the whole and loving the individual... or something like that. Including culling. 

I feel better after having finished the job. Our friends and neighbors are sharing in the meat. And now I am looking for more sheep, of course  I just continue to hope that this was not a management issue.


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## mysunwolf (Apr 15, 2015)

I am finally getting over putting down our ewe. Now that I know how cheap the vet is, I will probably be in there multiple times each month. If we had known before, we might have tried to save the ewe and her lambs, but it was definitely a learning experience. Geez, since I started homesteading/farming in 2012 with no previous experience, there have been quite a few learning experiences!

So back to the reason you're all here: our first possible due date for lambs was Monday at 145 days. Today we are at *Day 147 *for Dru and still nothing. Her sides have sunk, baby (babies?) is in place, she is not grazing much, tail a little raised, bag is fairly big, and she is standing a little apart from the flock. It has been pouring rain since Tuesday and is supposed to rain until next Tuesday, so I've been putting the whole flock in the barn at night. Someone here on BYH who I can't remember had a floor idea that I finally implemented in my barn: pallets and plywood. We put gravel down, then pallets, then OSB and have ourselves a nifty floor so everyone can stay dry and hoof rot-free. 

The creeks are high and my animals in pens look like someone dumped buckets of mud over their heads. The pigs are all nightmares, and my poor baby goat and ram look pathetic, but still cute. See the sass? 




 

The cooped up chickens and the girls on pasture all look much nicer, though my pregnant girls are sopping wet. (You can see Dru off to the right, the black and white sheep, feeling a little weird.)



 



We adopted these two bottle babies (in the photo below) a few weeks ago just to get our lamb fix in, since we are so late this year. They're Cheviot ewes and are currently living in the creep stall in the barn. They are scared of the ewes but the ewes don't seem to mind them at all and have been very sweet rather than aggressive. I'm in love  They will hopefully be kept in the flock as potential milkers or just baby-makers. And they're wooly!!


 

I think that's about it for an update for now. We have five ewes possibly due in the next week, so I'm hoping for at least a few success stories. Spring is coming on full force and we are so glad. Stay tuned!


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## bonbean01 (Apr 15, 2015)

Loved all the photos and update    And Dru should come here as she would not feel out of place at all


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## Queen Mum (Apr 15, 2015)

The aggressive ram thingy is a dominance behavior and can be managed.  While I'm not a sheep person,  I do have experience with bad boy rams and bad boy bucks.  

You can throw him by grabbing his head, leaning on the shoulder while kicking his front feet out from under him, then lay on top of him till he cries uncle. DO NOT let him up till he stops struggling and cries a baby cry.  If you can't  get him down, get a sturdy young man to throw him and you get on top and slap him in the face (not hard) and yell at him.  After he gets up, (with your helper watching closely) turn your back on him and walk away.  If he tries to ram you then you keep throwing him till he follows you when you walk away.

The idea is to teach him "You are not the boss of me.  I am the boss of you.  I AM YOUR MAMMA, TREAT ME WITH RESPECT OR I WILL SPANK YOU."  

Then get a shepherd's cane and if he ever  again  approaches you aggressively, hook his front feet and pull them right out from under him.  Whenever he approaches you respectfully, give him an animal cracker and a chin scratchy.


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## Queen Mum (Apr 15, 2015)

Poor Dru. She looks miserable.   I bet she will lamb when it is raining really really hard, at 3 am.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 16, 2015)

mysunwolf said:


> I am finally getting over putting down our ewe. Now that I know how cheap the vet is, I will probably be in there multiple times each month. If we had known before, we might have tried to save the ewe and her lambs, but it was definitely a learning experience. Geez, since I started homesteading/farming in 2012 with no previous experience, there have been quite a few learning experiences!
> 
> So back to the reason you're all here: our first possible due date for lambs was Monday at 145 days. Today we are at *Day 147 *for Dru and still nothing. Her sides have sunk, baby (babies?) is in place, she is not grazing much, tail a little raised, bag is fairly big, and she is standing a little apart from the flock. It has been pouring rain since Tuesday and is supposed to rain until next Tuesday, so I've been putting the whole flock in the barn at night. Someone here on BYH who I can't remember had a floor idea that I finally implemented in my barn: pallets and plywood. We put gravel down, then pallets, then OSB and have ourselves a nifty floor so everyone can stay dry and hoof rot-free.
> 
> ...


Sorry you had to put your ewe down @mysunwolf!  I agree with Southern that you did a selfless act by putting her needs before yours! I can't imagine what that must feel like though!  
Congrats on the two ewe lambs!! 
Prayers that everything goes well with the girls at lambing time!!


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## mysunwolf (Apr 16, 2015)

We put all the ewes in the barn because the rain has been really chilly, about 40˚F and steady, and Dru would not go in by herself. She was still acting odd and was off feed, but no other signs. At 3am we woke up to feed the bottle pigs and went out to check on her and see if she was in labor and/or needed some help. Guess what I found?




 

 
Of course, they're twin ram lambs  It's my excuse to purchase a few replacement ewes this summer/fall. 

Now to just hope everything is okay! At 3am I kicked all the other sheep out of the barn so it's just Dru and her babies in the barn and my bottle babies in the creep pen. Both of Dru's babies nursed. One baby was shivering just a little this morning so I cleaned all the old straw out and replaced it with fresh, dry straw. I found some blood in the bedding that could have been the afterbirth but I haven't found any actual placenta pieces.

Dru has bonded to her lambs fiercely, beating up the other ewes before I got there, and this morning trying to headbutt the bottle babies through the wire. I will have to weigh Dru's lambs, I think they're pretty big critters. She got a little molasses feed with extra molasses and some good hay this morning, but she really wants to take the babies outside. When is okay to let her out with the flock? It's supposed to stop raining Saturday, but I have more ewes due tomorrow. I think I might have to build a few lambing jugs very quickly...

I'm going to give Dru some Bo-Se and dewormer over the next few days. Anything else I should be on the lookout for? I'm a worry-wart so I'll be on the lookout for toxemia and other issues, but keep feeling like I should be doing more.


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## mysunwolf (Apr 16, 2015)

Just weighed the boys, they are at 9lbs and 10lbs  No wonder she was so big.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 16, 2015)

Congrats on the healthy twin rams!!  Very cute!


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## SheepGirl (Apr 16, 2015)

My ewes lamb with the flock and raise their babies with the flock. I don't do any separation. I dip navels and give momma feed, but I don't deworm or give nutritional supplements like BoSe or anything else. Mommas are good at taking care of things themselves for the most part


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## mysunwolf (Apr 16, 2015)

SheepGirl said:


> My ewes lamb with the flock and raise their babies with the flock. I don't do any separation. I dip navels and give momma feed, but I don't deworm or give nutritional supplements like BoSe or anything else. Mommas are good at taking care of things themselves for the most part



The main reason we are jugging is for predator protection as I have no LGD. We usually put all the ewes in the barn at night, but my barn is too small for all the ewes and all their lambs to be locked up all night together (I'm scared of "lamb soup"). We plan to jug moms individually for safety's sake until we can get our "barnyard" built, a small drylot area surrounding the barn that is fenced tight to the ground with cattle panels. Then I can lock them in the barnyard at night, and everyone can have plenty of room to escape protective moms. 

Very good to know that you can get away with not doing any supplements or anything! I would like to lamb on pasture in the future, just with a trustworthy LGD. I am convinced that they all need my help of course... wish you all could have seen the shock on my face when I went out to check on Dru and she had already taken care of EVERYTHING


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## norseofcourse (Apr 16, 2015)

Congrats - woohoo for Dru!


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## goatgurl (Apr 16, 2015)

mysunwolf, congrats on the new twin rams.  and the new cheviot ewelings are just adorable.  to me cheviots always look like someone just surprised them, with their bright eyes and standie up ears.   keep the pictures coming.


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## bonbean01 (Apr 16, 2015)

Awwwww...Congrats to you and Dru!!!  Beautiful lambies   Wish they'd been ewe lambies, but happy the birthing went without problem and that you have two adorable boy lambies!  Congrats!!!! 

Still think Dru belongs here...her coloring would fit in wonderfully


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## mysunwolf (Apr 17, 2015)

Thanks norse, goatgurl, and bon! We are so thrilled! And @bonbean01, I know you have some beautiful black and whites over there... I think instead you should just send some of them over here so Dru can have some company! And @goatgurl, I always refer to Cheviots at "the bunny sheep" because their ears are just so perky. I am so curious to see what they look like as adults.

Today I found Helena going into labor at 11:00am, so called all the sheep to the barn and popped her into a jug. Then I kicked all the other sheep out and went to do some chores while I gave Helena an hour to try lambing on her own. I checked on her at 11:30 and she had already birthed a big single white ewe lamb  Helena is about 13 months old and doing amazing for a first timer, licked off the lamb, nickering at her, and letting her nurse. We're hoping she passes the placenta soon. The lamb is walking on her pasterns right now so we're going to give 1/4cc Bo-Se and hope she perks up once she gets to walking around instead of being all squished in a womb.

Here are some bad photos of Helena and her lamb (the lighting in the barn stinks):


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 17, 2015)

AWW! CUTE!! Congrats!! Glad both Momma and baby are doing well!


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## Queen Mum (Apr 17, 2015)

Lambs are SO adorable.  Dru knew when to have her babies.  What cute little lambs.


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## bonbean01 (Apr 17, 2015)

Congrats!!!  Nice big looking lamb


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## mysunwolf (Apr 18, 2015)

Okay, we knew this was coming, but it still breaks my heart  Cow was due today, saw some signs of possible labor so put her up in the barn this morning. Had to run some furniture over to the in laws, so checked on Cow before we left and of course no progress, not in labor. We're gone for a few hours, come back, and Cow has had brown spotted twins, one boy up and trying to nurse, one girl dead in the amniotic fluid. Cow is the sheep I really wanted a ewe lamb from, of course. I do what I can trying to revive the ewe lamb but she has clearly been dead a while. She either came out second and momma forgot to lick her, or she breathed fluid as she was coming out and so momma didn't lick her as she knew she was dead. Cow is a first-time mom so we expected that something might happen. And Cow's twin died in a similar way when she was a lamb. But I am still kicking myself that I somehow managed to miss the birth, AGAIN. And feel like if I had been here I could have saved her. Ugh. This sheep thing is hard. I hate getting so attached.

The little ram lamb that is alive has found the teats and is nursing. Cow has a little too much milk so I may have to help milk her out for a few days, one side of her bag is pretty swollen. I am somewhere between  and .


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## norseofcourse (Apr 18, 2015)

I'm so sorry     Even if you were there you may not have been able to do anything... little comfort but glad the little ram is doing well, and I'll wish for twin ewes for her for next year.

And I agree, getting attached can be very hard


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## Queen Mum (Apr 18, 2015)

Sorry to hear about the loss.  It is so hard when you miss it.  Don't beat yourself up though. The herd females have a behavior that is quite confounding.  They don't realize that it's a bad idea sometimes, silly girls.   With goats, we call it doe code and I guess with sheep it's ewe code.  Have the kids/lambs when no one is looking.  You have to watch them like a hawk and they still manage to slip one by you.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 18, 2015)

Sorry for your loss @mysunwolf!   I agree with Norseofcourse and Queen Mum... don't beat yourself up about it! You checked on her and she wasn't in labor... you did what you could! And like Queen Mum said, I've read many times when the mom has had her babies when the human wasn't around, even though you're keeping a close eye on her!


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## mysunwolf (Apr 19, 2015)

Thank you all, it's amazing to have people who understand the ups and downs of sheep! I am still not sure exactly what happened and still haven't found the afterbirth but I think I'm going to give Cow and myself a break since it was both of our first times. A little worried about her but she has always been a mellow sheep so not sure how calm is too calm. Cow is being an okay mom. The little ram lamb sort of mewls instead of baaing, which is a little weird for everyone involved and confusing for Cow. I am not too sure she remembers him most of the time, and he acts spacey. His belly if full though, and I have seen him nurse quite a few times. He's really beautiful. Got to get some pics!


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## Queen Mum (Apr 19, 2015)

Um, uh, the afterbirth, she probably ate it.  They usually do.  Pics, pics, pics!  We like pics.  And as for spacey, he probably is spacey from all that extra milk!


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## mysunwolf (Apr 20, 2015)

Queen Mum said:


> Um, uh, the afterbirth, she probably ate it.  They usually do.  Pics, pics, pics!  We like pics.  And as for spacey, he probably is spacey from all that extra milk!



So far none have eaten the afterbirth except her, all the others just sort of nibbled at the bloody hay but left the big mess for the dogs. So it was a little weird.

Did someone say pics? 

We let everyone outside today. Our county has major flooding, bridges disappearing, fields turned into lakes, but we live on a big hill. Not so nice during a drought, but perfect in flooding. First it rained for a week, then over 2 inches recorded just yesterday. The lambs and moms are happy to see sunshine! They had a little trouble figuring out who belonged to who but I noticed that the jugs had done their jobs and the sheep sorted everything out pretty quickly.

Stud Muffin and goat friend moved into the main field but were quickly separated to their own field as Stud tried to mount all the moms and lambs alike. Now poor goat friend gets all the fun. 



 
Helena and the ewe lamb. The lamb is still walking a little on the pasterns so we will not be keeping her.


 
Cow and the little ram lamb, he's a trooper.




 
Dru and twin ram lambs.


 
The little bottle-fed Cheviot ewes. Tails have finally fallen off and they are almost weaned (another week or two).


 
Bottle babies exploring.


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 20, 2015)

Thanks @mysunwolf for the pictures! So cute!!!  I like Dru and Helena's coloring!!


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## goatgurl (Apr 20, 2015)

@mysunwolf love the pix's.  don't feel to bad about the little ewe you lost.  i had almost the same thing happen with one of my favorite does.  for the past 3 years she has given me bucks.  twins, triplets and a giant single... all bucks.  this year she was in the barn, ligs gone but no signs of labor.  went to town to get a few things, was only gone about an hour and a half.  came back to find mom still laying down, a giant buck clean but not up and a doe about half his size still in her birth sack between mom's hind legs.  i cleaned, suctioned  pumped and nothing worked.  dead baby girl.  bet you didn't say anything to yourself that i didn't say to myself.  the fact is that feces occur.


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## Queen Mum (Apr 20, 2015)

What a beautiful bunch of babies.   I lost two the same way this year.  It happens and you can't prevent it.   But the remaining babies are beautiful...!


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## mysunwolf (Apr 21, 2015)

So good to know that it's a fairly common experience. I got Katahdins because I am a novice and wanted my sheep to have the best shot at life despite my inexperience  But of course things will still go wrong with all living animals because that's the way it works.

@goatgurl... "feces occur"? Is that a variation on a different phrase? 

@BlessedWithGoats, no idea where you're located but we will probably be selling Helena this fall


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 21, 2015)

mysunwolf said:


> So good to know that it's a fairly common experience. I got Katahdins because I am a novice and wanted my sheep to have the best shot at life despite my inexperience  But of course things will still go wrong with all living animals because that's the way it works.
> 
> @goatgurl... "feces occur"? Is that a variation on a different phrase?
> 
> @BlessedWithGoats, no idea where you're located but we will probably be selling Helena this fall


Aww!  I live in Upper Michigan.


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## mysunwolf (Apr 21, 2015)

BlessedWithGoats said:


> Aww!  I live in Upper Michigan.



I was mostly joking anyways... _mostly_


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 21, 2015)

mysunwolf said:


> I was mostly joking anyways... _mostly_


 Lol!   Well, if you were going to sell her and we lived closer, I'd probably consider buying her from you!


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## bonbean01 (Apr 21, 2015)

Love, love, love the pics!!!!  So sorry about the lost baby ewe...and don't be giving up on that little one with weak pasterns...has not been that long!!!  With twins, I would have lost several last year and one this year if I'd not been there...the mama ewes get involved with the first born and sometimes don't realize they had another one after....just happens...and unless you are there, it happens.  Never beat yourself up, as life happens and we can't ALWAYS be there...also, never regret being attached as it makes you a good animal keeper...just how it goes.  We just all do our best....as you are   You are doing great!!!


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## bonbean01 (Apr 21, 2015)

Oh....forgot to add....never did find Dixie's after birth and just assumed she'd eaten it...until our LGD Keera came dragging out "something" from under the bedding...huh??????  Took a close look...yup...there was the dried out leathery afterbirth....LOL


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## mysunwolf (Apr 22, 2015)

Yeah, @bonbean01, we all must love sheep too much to deal with so much loss and still want to keep going. Or we're all just crazy...

Mommas and lambs:





Dru's boys. They are already trouble and only a week old. 


 
Today is Day 149 for Darla. She showed no signs Day 147 and 148, but she has been acting "off" all afternoon today: lying down and standing up again, taking herself into the barn, not grazing much. She looks pretty dropped to me. The babies are kicking. And she's developing a pretty nice udder. I'm thinking really big twins are in there, I think she had a single last time which was her first time. Finally got her jugged and now just to do barn checks. Arg.


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## goatgurl (Apr 22, 2015)

that my dear is one pregger sheep!


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## mysunwolf (Apr 23, 2015)

She had the babies last night! I had almost given up that it was going to be this week at all. I checked at 10pm and she was not in labor, not even a little bit. Checked this morning and the babies were dry, had already nursed quite a bit, and were very active.

...and they're twin ram lambs, of course  It's the curse of the small flock owner. They're almost identical to Dru's twins. Scale said 8lbs and 10lbs, so not really big enough to match Darla's enormous size. Maybe with all her milk they'll get bigger quickly!


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 23, 2015)

Aww! Congrats!! Very cute! Glad everyone is doing great!


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## norseofcourse (Apr 23, 2015)

Congrats!!


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## mysunwolf (Apr 24, 2015)

Thanks all, we found another baby this morning  Basically walked out into the barnyard and said "Where the heck did you come from?" and her momma Spotty walked up to stand beside her. I'll make sure to get a photo. No signs of labor at all from her! And she's doing a great job, no jug required. Her respiratory issues are much worse, though. When we deworm we are going to use Ivermectin on her in the hopes that it's just nasal bots (and not something like Progressive Pneumonia). 

Only one more ewe to go and that's Sarah. She's looking like twins so I'm feeling extra cautious about trying to monitor her. She had a potential due date yesterday but is not looking close at all, so I think it will be her second date of May 8th. As usual, stay tuned


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 24, 2015)

Aww! Congrats!! Did Spotty have a ewe or ram lamb?
Staying Tuned!


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## mysunwolf (Apr 25, 2015)

BlessedWithGoats said:


> Aww! Congrats!! Did Spotty have a ewe or ram lamb?
> Staying Tuned!



Spotty had a ewe lamb but I am just not sure about keeping her at all. We'll see. Her name is Patches because of the spot on her right eye.



 

 

This morning Sarah went into labor! I couldn't leave her in the jug or the barn as she was going NUTS trying to get out, so we let her lamb on pasture. A single large black lamb  which is good because her udder was only full enough for one. I haven't gotten a close look but I'm pretty sure it's a ram! 



 

 

And that's it! We're done! Unless Stud can become fertile before 5 months of age, we're not planning on any more 2015 lambs. Whew.

I only had 7 ewes to deal with, and now I have 6 ewes and 8 lambs. We would really like an 150% lamb crop next year with no ewe losses--maybe wishful thinking? Can't even imagine what it would have been like to have more than twenty or so ewes...


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## bonbean01 (Apr 25, 2015)

Congrats on all the babies!!!!  And you got a black one!  I hope to get a black one next year   Beautiful babies!!!!

Hoping Spotty's issues can be cleared up and you can keep her!


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## BlessedWithGoats (Apr 25, 2015)

Congrats!! Cute lambs!


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## goatgurl (Apr 28, 2015)

doesn't it feel good to know that your done for the year?  as much as i love lambing and kidding i also love knowing that we're done and everyone is ok.  congrats on the new babies.  is the black lamb a ram or a ewe?


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## mysunwolf (Apr 29, 2015)

goatgurl said:


> doesn't it feel good to know that your done for the year?  as much as i love lambing and kidding i also love knowing that we're done and everyone is ok.  congrats on the new babies.  is the black lamb a ram or a ewe?



It is such a relief. Of course, now comes all the other problems... like, Drusilla's lambs have soremouth; my bottle baby has some little pimples on her behind that I've never seen on a sheep before; and the parasites are sure to rear their ugly heads soon. Plenty of the sheep have mushy poo from the rich forage. And I still have Spotty's weird nose to deal with. Yikes.

And the black lamb was a ram... of course!  2 ewe lambs and 6 ram lambs from the batch. So not awful, just have the ewe lambs from the wrong ewes!

If all goes well, I will start attempting to milk in a few weeks. The girls have not been trained to anything yet, that is my big worry, but they are trained to stand calm while they eat grain and I touch their udders, so I have a few picked out that will be easier. Darla has the biggest udder but she jumps straight up in the air when I touch her udder so it might be more like a rodeo than a milking session. But that will be a different thread


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## Mike CHS (Apr 29, 2015)

We would all appreciate it if you set up a camera for the rodea session.


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## mysunwolf (May 10, 2015)

Okay, there has been no milking yet... so no video!  The lambs have not figured out the creep feeder at all, so I'm having trouble separating them out. I may have to come up with a more creative creep feeder than a gap in fencing that leads into the barn. They don't seem to want to go into a solid structure since there isn't a way out at the other end... dang clever sheep.

We banded some of the boys this morning, Darla's twins and Sarah's lamb. Dru's boys weren't quite descended yet, even though they're 3.5 weeks old, so they'll have to wait. Cow's boy we are waiting on to see what he grows into, because SPOTS! We will probably band him at 3 months if he doesn't look nice (might have to get the calf bander), and if so we are planning to keep him as a companion for our ram. Not quite sure about all of it yet. If he does look like a breeder, we'll try to sell him.

This is Dru being the designated babysitter.


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## Parsnip (May 17, 2015)

Your lambs are SO cute


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## mysunwolf (May 18, 2015)

Thanks Parsnip, I am in love with all of them  The best part is watching the lamb races when the moms decide to join in.

Sheep party in their favorite field:


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## mysunwolf (Jun 29, 2015)

The lambs are growing very well. That ram made some beautiful babies, and I really wish there had been more ewe lambs from the group. The boys are going to make some fine lamb.

This is Helena's ewe lamb, almost as tall as her mother, ~60lbs at 70 days. Nice long body, solid bone structure, and very hardy like her mom. Plus I think she will be an excellent shedder. 


 
Spotty's lamb is not quite as nice, but Spotty is also my smallest ewe and was pregnant at 8 months so I am forgiving her. Still a very solid bone structure and long body, plus is growing well. She was ~50lbs at 63 days.


 
Both the ewe lambs are singles since the mommas were pregnant so young, so we'll see how the moms do next spring and how the ewe lambs do next summer with more lambs!

Also, sheep butts:


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## mysunwolf (Oct 11, 2015)

I'm going to use the same thread over and over again for our lambings  Because it's that time again...

First wanted to post some pics of our little ram lamb all grown up. Stud Muffin is out with the ladies and has already bred a few.

He's 8 months old and already taller than the yearling dairy ewes.


 

 
He's certainly overly-friendly too, but look at that cute little face!


 

And might as well throw in a pic of our LGD pup, Puff, eating sheep minerals  He wants to do everything the sheep do.


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## mysunwolf (Nov 10, 2015)

At this point, we are really hoping that the ewes are bred! It's been a month since we've thrown the ram in with them. I went out the other day and got some great November photos of the flock.







 

Here's Stud. He's got an odd hump at the end of the back, but his father and mother do too. Dairy breeders seem more inattentive to conformation and more focused on milk production, which makes sense but certainly makes me wary when I look at what's happened to the cattle industry.


 

 
Puff the GP/Toli is doing great and is honestly such a good dog.


 
This is an updated shot of our keeper ewe lamb. She's 7 months and well over 100lbs. If she lambs well she may completely replace one or more of my older ewes.


 
The two dairy lines, side-by-side. They balance each other quite nicely and I'm curious to see what they produce together.


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## Latestarter (Dec 2, 2015)

You have beautiful animals, beautiful views, and together they make beautiful pictures.  Hope the breeding went well and that they've all settled. Hope you get more ewes than rams this birthing season! Since you're using this young ram for sire duties, I'm assuming that the original "mean" ram became chops? What ever happened to him? he was a good looking ram. Also, just curious as I know nothing about sheep (but after reading all the various folks input on them, may need to get a few after I get my land next summer), some of them have long tails, and some of them don't... Is it a breed thing or do you band them to remove them? Are they a good thing to have or bad? Looking forward to reading all about your lambing this coming spring.


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## mysunwolf (Dec 2, 2015)

Latestarter said:


> You have beautiful animals, beautiful views, and together they make beautiful pictures.  Hope the breeding went well and that they've all settled. Hope you get more ewes than rams this birthing season! Since you're using this young ram for sire duties, I'm assuming that the original "mean" ram became chops? What ever happened to him? he was a good looking ram. Also, just curious as I know nothing about sheep (but after reading all the various folks input on them, may need to get a few after I get my land next summer), some of them have long tails, and some of them don't... Is it a breed thing or do you band them to remove them? Are they a good thing to have or bad? Looking forward to reading all about your lambing this coming spring.



Thank you  Our fields could use a little work, we are interested in trying intensive grazing with long periods of rest on our small acreage--see where that gets us after a few seasons.

We had one ewe that didn't settle so we tried one of my neighbors' Dorset rams and he took care of her within a few days. Long story short, my wethers were guarding the ewe, breeding her, and not letting my ram breed her. If I had separated the wethers, my dairy ram would have bred her no problem. Not sure if it's because he was similar in age to them or if it's just something that will happen, but lesson learned--have to separate out wethers during breeding.

I think I made a bad call on the mean ram--offered him for sale as an aggressive ram and was able to sell him to an experienced shepherd who was used to dealing with aggressive rams. Still not comfortable with that decision.

I don't know much about sheep either, except that they are wormy while still being fun to have around 

Most hair sheep breeds are typically left with long tails because, without true wool, there is very little manure buildup (the exception is the Dorper, where farmers more commonly still dock out of habit or for the "look" of a sheep, especially when showing). Many dairy breeds are also left with tails because they have "rat tails" that don't have a lot of wool on them. Fine wooled breeds get their tails docked. Though my neighbor has some Suffolk/Dorset ewes with huge long wooly tails that came from a year where they missed docking... pretty neat looking critters


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## mysunwolf (Jan 4, 2016)

More flock photos. 

*First lambs due:* end of January, out of the two new dairy ewes.
*Second lambs due:* end of February, from the rest of the flock.

Here's Stud with his flock.




 

Two dairy ewes and Drusilla hanging out around the barn.

 

Puff is becoming a real guardian 


 
More of the hair sheep girls.


 
The two new dairy ewes


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## norseofcourse (Jan 4, 2016)

So exciting!  Will you be milking them?


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## mysunwolf (Jan 4, 2016)

norseofcourse said:


> So exciting!  Will you be milking them?



I really hope so! Not sure if they are trained to milk but they are super friendly and the higher percentage EF ewe has a very nice looking udder even right now. This brings us to 5 East Friesian cross ewes and 4 Katahdin ewes (3 of which I have milked before). Since I work mornings, I'm planning to separate lambs during the day, milk in the evening, and put the lambs back on the dams at night. I may only milk a few depending on what production looks like! I'm so excited but my hands hurt already


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## Latestarter (Jan 4, 2016)

Can't you get one of the smaller hand held milking machines? I know several folks have posted in the past that they've used them and said it was a real help for their hands.


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## Goatgirl47 (Jan 4, 2016)

@mysunwolf, your sheep are beautiful!  Especially the two new ewes.   I am following, and I am excited to see the new lambs!


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## mysunwolf (Jan 4, 2016)

Latestarter said:


> Can't you get one of the smaller hand held milking machines? I know several folks have posted in the past that they've used them and said it was a real help for their hands.



I'm young enough I figure I can stand a little more hand milking  If I get more free time and/or more ewes I'd consider it, but hand milking 1-3 gallons per day is not too bad.


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## Southern by choice (Jan 4, 2016)

mysunwolf said:


> I'm young enough I figure I can stand a little more hand milking  If I get more free time and/or more ewes I'd consider it, but hand milking 1-3 gallons per day is not too bad.



That is exactly what we think when we are young.
I did show & specialty grooming for years- hand scissoring- now my hands are completely arthritic and crippled.
I cannot hand milk because of it. My DD milks by hand but as her mom I know what can happen... she milked alot of goats last year and a lot of gallons I saw her wrists start bothering her from time to time and that was it- I said NO WAY!  We have been on a quest for sometime now.
The Lord has answered prayers! We just purchased a used Caprine System One 2goat milker with a really fancy schmancy bucket- it is huge! 
We have to replace the tubing and inflations and clean her up but she will be good to go.

Just think about MSW- you don't need to end up having carpel tunnel surgery in 2 years or arthritis for life. I hear the udderly EZ is pretty good on the hands even though you pump it.

BTW- Puff is beautiful!


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## mysunwolf (Feb 25, 2016)

I'm posting lambing updates in my journal thread for the sake of having it all in one place!


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