# Is this normal, or should I be checking?



## peteyfoozer (Jan 31, 2012)

My ewe looks like she is lambing tonite. She was down 3 or 4 times and acted as though she might push. Since then, she has only had goobers and squats frequently as if to pee, but produces nothing. 
She doesn't seem in distress, she is eating. I am only concerned because a book said if they squat like that for more than a couple of hours with nothing happening there might be a malpresentation.

I don't want to sit back and wait on her, if she might be needing help.
What do you think?


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## peteyfoozer (Jan 31, 2012)

o h yeah...she is a dorper or dorperX and this is not her first lambing.


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## bonbean01 (Jan 31, 2012)

I feel for you...hope some more experienced sheep people give you some advice and answers soon!  Worried for a week with one of our sheep and we also worried if we should be doing something to help or if all was progressing normally.  Read everything online I could about problems and that just made me worry all the more.  She is also a dorper cross, and she acted like she was in labour for about a week.  Read that she may be getting more than one lamb in birthing position, and turns out that was right...when she did go into hard labour, she had twins...no problems...full sized lambs and Mom and babies doing great.  She did pee when she squatted though, and often.  She didn't just squat without peeing, so I really don't know!

Hope it all works out for you...this is nerve wracking for sure and hope some more experienced people respond soon!!!  Nothing worse than wondering if there is something you should be doing to help or not!


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## peteyfoozer (Jan 31, 2012)

Well, that makes me feel a lot better. She isn't distressed and she hasn't been pawing or pushing for awhile so maybe thats what she was doing, was just positioning them...heavy emphasis on the 'them'.


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## bonbean01 (Jan 31, 2012)

Our ewe was not distressed either and would take time outs from lying down and making labour sounds of grunts and groans, even curling her lip up which really looked like labour.  These were our first twins since we started with sheep a few years ago.  We had her in and out of that lambing area so many times!

Wishing your ewe and her lamb/s all the best!!!


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## TheSheepGirl (Jan 31, 2012)

I'm sure she's fine. Generally you don't have to worry unless they are in Hard Labor for hours on end. If she doesn't look distressed and hasn't been laying on her side panting and struggling for hours, then I wouldn't worry.

She's probably just taking her sweet time or repositioning the lambs for birthing. 

Just keep an eye on her and see.

Best of luck and here's hoping for triplets!


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## peteyfoozer (Feb 1, 2012)

Well....she finally got distressed. I watched her on the camera trying to push for over an hour. I finally went to see how she was. I checked her while she was down pushing (she had made NO visible progress all nite) and did feel two feet and a head...a really BIG head...so i let her try a while longer, and with no more luck I wound up pulling him. Thank goodness there was baling twine in the shed! I couldn't get any traction on him and it was REALLY hard to deliver him. But he survived, and she is thrilled, and my LGD is doing a great job helping her out! Alls well that ends well.







this afternoon's discomfort...






tonite's results at midnite





introductions by Bruno





Bruno helping clean him up


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## RemudaOne (Feb 1, 2012)

Congratulations on a big beautiful lamb . Was this her first lamb? Nice job


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## greenbean (Feb 1, 2012)

Him and mom are beautiful!  I'm glad you were able to help her and everything turned out good!


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## peteyfoozer (Feb 1, 2012)

No, she had lambed before I got her. No idea how that went tho...she just couldn't deliver him, even though the presentation was normal. I didn't think I was gonna get it done either! I wonder if her first lamb survived tho, as she doesn't want to let him nurse, I have had to jam her against the wall so he could get some colostrum. She doesn't seem too savvy! She does like licking him tho!


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## bonbean01 (Feb 1, 2012)

Whew!!!  Good job!  Mama and baby are beautiful  Glad you were able to help her and hope Mama lets him nurse on her own soon!


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