# Are we there yet



## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 5, 2020)

Sorry for the backside photo but this is my first time lambing. She’s so large and yesterday bagged out full. I can’t tell if there is any swelling. She was so wild when we got her she won’t let me much closer. Do you think within the week? Maybe twins? Very hopefull. And a little nervous. Thank you.


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## Sheepshape (Apr 6, 2020)

That looks like a pretty ' lamb-ready' udder. I'm assuming she has lambed in previous year/s ? Her 'lady parts' also look a bit swollen, there appears to be 'dropping' around the tail and she has a good sized belly.

If I had to place a bet on it I'd says twins within 2 days.However, I do 'being inaccurate' on a competitive basis.....so I could be way out.

Look out for a mucus discharge, her to go off her food, and to start scratching the ground. Then get out your lambing gloves.


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## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 6, 2020)

Sheepshape said:


> That looks like a pretty ' lamb-ready' udder. I'm assuming she has lambed in previous year/s ? Her 'lady parts' also look a bit swollen, there appears to be 'dropping' around the tail and she has a good sized belly.
> 
> If I had to place a bet on it I'd says twins within 2 days.However, I do 'being inaccurate' on a competitive basis.....so I could be way out.
> 
> Look out for a mucus discharge, her to go off her food, and to start scratching the ground. Then get out your lambing gloves.


This is our first year but not hers. She had a single ram last year. Thank you for your response. We are very excited. We love her so much and I just want the best for her so I’ll keep the lambing bag close and keep an eye on her. Thank you!


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## Baymule (Apr 6, 2020)

Mine will bag up like a dairy goat and stay that way for several weeks. She has done this before, take a deep breath, it will be ok.


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## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 6, 2020)

Thank you. Yes we are breathing lol. Just excited. Her first set of twins (if it is) so that’s the part that made me nervous. Lol been reading to many what ifs on how they can get mixed up trying to come out. Lol. She ate a little breakfast and is up and down. Her face is dirty like she may have been pushing some hay around in the dirt that she has chosen to see as a spot to lay down. No discharge yet but she does look swollen today. Sorry I was a doula and gross stuff doesn’t bother me but may other people. I guess I’m just fighting the urge to be a doula to her 😂


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## thistlebloom (Apr 6, 2020)

Believe me, you can't gross this crowd out .
Welcome to the forum! I like your user name, and hope to see some lamb pics soon.


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## Ridgetop (Apr 8, 2020)

Twins are usually easier for a ewe than  huge singe.  The only trouble I had with twins was with very unusual circumstances that rarely occur - (second tie I 30 years!)  Usually trouble with multiples is in goats that have 3 or 4 at a time and can get clogged up.  Most sets of twins are easy births.  Relax and enjoy.  

By the way, if this ewe is wild and hard to handle, as soon as the lambs are dropped, grab them and using them to coax her after you move them and her into a small pen.  She will follow after her lamb as you carry it down low where she can see, hear and smell it.  By keeping her in a small pen for several days you can make sure that everything is fine, and do any shots, etc. easily.  The lambs will learn fro mama to be wild and you don't want to run after all of them in a large field to give shots, ear tag, or castrate.  Bad fir them and bad for you.  Lamb can run really fast aafter only a couple of days!


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## Baymule (Apr 9, 2020)

thistlebloom said:


> Believe me, you can't gross this crowd out .



You got that right!


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## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 9, 2020)

😉😂


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## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 12, 2020)

Still no baby/babies! Waiting impatiently lol.


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## Ridgetop (Apr 13, 2020)

Second time lambing could be any time from now to another month.  LOL  First timers, particularly if young ewes, often only have singles, then increase to 2 the next year and so on.  However, since she is carrying some fleece, the fleece could be putting up to 6" of girth on her.  Even Dorpers that shed out carry fleece  during the winter.  I have had enormous ewes that give birth to singles and tiny ewes that produce huge twins!  If you have a barn or shed where you can confine her, it will make it easier on you, but she will probably lamb just fine.  They usually give birth just before dawn which is the safest time from predators, allowing the newborn a full 10-12 hours of daylight to get on its legs, nurse, and follow mam back into the flock.  Daylight lambings and kiddings can be influenced by when you give the grain feed.  My sheep used to lamb during the afternoon if I grained the ewes during the mid morning hours.  Now we grain them at night when they come into the barn and we do the night feeds and they tend to lamb in the pre-dawn hours.  Most of my daytime or afternoon lambings have been when I have to pull lambs from a mama who has probably been in labor since early morning.  Ewes have been known to stop their labor for an hour or so if they have a problem, or are disturbed.

Since she won't go into a shed, or small pen, she will lamb in the pasture without any trouble,  The only problem you might have is if it is pouring rain and she lambs in a deep puddle, the lamb could drown.  Your grass looks good though, and will provide a clean lambing area for her.  The best time to try to catch her quietly is right after she ambs since the baby cant run too fast.  Don't catch her, catch the lamb and carry it slowly into the place you want to confine her.  She will follow the lamb.  If she twins, make sure you catch and carry both into the pen or she will stay with the other one.  Unless she had trouble with the last lamb she shouldn't have any trouble with this  lambing.  

Don't let the numerous posts about difficult lambings and kiddings worry you.  I have pulled hundreds of lambs and kids BUT it is because I have had an enormous number of lambings and kiddings with a lot of species IN OVER  30 YEARS.  As a 4-H leader everyone in the neighborhood called me to help them with difficult births since getting the vet for that was often too time consuming.  I even had to pull a foal for my neighbor one year!  

RELAX and look forward to the morning when you come out and see one or two lambs nursing happily and wagging their tails as they do!


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## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 18, 2020)

Help! Lol we only have the two sheep. He won’t leave her side and she has finally started labor. Lost her plug. Do I need to separate them? He is being very close and protective of her.


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## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 18, 2020)




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## Ridgetop (Apr 18, 2020)

Yes separate them immediately.  I assume the other one is a ram?  If so, the birthing smell can mimic estrus and he might want to breed her or try to push away the lamb.  In any event, he will be in the way!  Especially if she needs help.   He can rejoin her when the lamb is about 2 weeks to a month old if he doesn't bother the lamb.  Can't wait to see pix of babies!


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## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 18, 2020)

We have 2 healthy lambs! A ram and a ewe! So excited thank you for all your help guys!


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## Ridgetop (Apr 18, 2020)

Congratulations!  You are now an official Sheep Mom!


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## Baymule (Apr 18, 2020)

Aww.... that's great! Congratulations!


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## thistlebloom (Apr 18, 2020)

Happy day! Congratulations.


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## Ewesosillyfarmstead (Apr 19, 2020)

Ok now I have been trying to figure out for months what vaccines to give these little lambs. What should I give them?


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## purplequeenvt (Apr 19, 2020)

CD&T is all I do unless sheep are going to a show or exhibition and then they also get rabies shots. 

CD&T is a series of 2 shots 21-28 days apart.


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