# First Katahdin lamb might arrive today



## carolinagirl (Mar 14, 2012)

I noticed one of my ewes was getting a nice udder on Saturday.  This morning, her belly was lower and she was hollow in front of her hips.  Today might be the day!  I did move the LGDs out of that pasture....I don't think they are mature enough to handle lambing correctly yet.


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## bonbean01 (Mar 14, 2012)

Good luck to you and wishing you an uncomplicating birthing


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## Hillsvale (Mar 14, 2012)

well don't hold your breath... I have been stalking one of mine for 19 days! lol

Good luck.


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## TexasShepherdess (Mar 14, 2012)

see, now thats youve done all that prep, she will cross her legs and look blankly at you when you check on her like "what?"

I swear its a mass munity among ewes to see who can hold out and freak the humans out the longest..


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## carolinagirl (Mar 14, 2012)

well, we are building her a nice stock panel pen today.  She will get to stay there until she has her lamb and bonds with it.  So if she ever wants to see that yummy green pasture again, she better not try to hold out on me!


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## carolinagirl (Mar 15, 2012)

hmmmm....still waiting.


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## Hillsvale (Mar 15, 2012)

carolinagirl said:
			
		

> hmmmm....still waiting.


Ya... well I've been waiting for 19 days... mine had better go first or I will be  

We need a smiley whole head explodes please....


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## carolinagirl (Mar 15, 2012)

did yours bag up 19 days ago??? Man I hope I don't have to keep her confined that long!


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## Hillsvale (Mar 15, 2012)

she did... she was even doing braxton hicks on Tuesday... I may just die but I do have a set of twins on hoof


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## carolinagirl (Mar 15, 2012)

well hopefully my ewe will not drag things out as long as your ewe has.  We got a nice little shed roof built in the paddock and a small hay rack so she will be comfortable in there as long as it takes.  Lets see now....she's the first....there are 5 more to go after her.  And then in June, this all begins again with five Barbados Blackbelly sheep ewes.


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## theawesomefowl (Mar 15, 2012)




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## Cornish Heritage (Mar 15, 2012)

> did yours bag up 19 days ago???


I've had one bagged up for at least 3 weeks! Some seem to do that & then others deliver when they hardly have any bag at all. I've given up worrying as I would turn gray. One did lamb last night but the big one is still hanging on. I'm hoping that means she'll have twins & not one HUGE lamb!

Liz


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## Hillsvale (Mar 15, 2012)

last year this lady had a 15.5 pound ram lamb that dressed out at 6 months to 45 pounds so a big lamb isn't the end of the earth... its the waiting! lol, last year we didn't know these girls lambing date just a rough date... the ewe that just had pure twin katahdins had twin dorper cross last year one of which was still born. This year they are in lovely condition (we got them last Febuary and not so good condition) and the ewe we are waiting on... must be soon.

even our tam sow who we looked at and thought (at 9 months) gee look at her teats... we moved her  that night and the next morning she had 8 piglets on her first litter ( we were set to breed her the following week!) lol

We live and learn... she can go out tomorrow, temp will be up to 5 celcius not not terrible.... perhaps the last 2 days snow will go away.


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## Cornish Heritage (Mar 15, 2012)

> temp will be up to 5 celcius not not terrible.... perhaps the last 2 days snow will go away.


Sending you my sympathy It was 80 here today & then cooled down into the 70's.

Stay warm, 

Liz


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## Cornish Heritage (Mar 15, 2012)

Well I just heard a "baa" so got the flashlight out & lo and behold one of the ewes (not the one that has been bagged up for weeks) but one of the first timers is lambing. Has the sac hanging out so we will give it a few minutes & then check again. We have all the ewes up close to the house at night & because of the warm weather the windows are open so we can hear what is going on.

Liz


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## Remuda1 (Mar 15, 2012)

Any news yet?


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## Cornish Heritage (Mar 15, 2012)

Ended up having to pull out a rather big ewe lamb. The ewe pushed & pushed for ages but just couldn't get the head out. So I came back up to the house for some gloves & on the next contraction pulled. 

All seems fine - left her cleaning off her baby. 

This is only the second time this year we have had to pull lambs & the other one was a large ewe lamb too.

Liz


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## bonbean01 (Mar 15, 2012)

Good job Liz!!!  And congratulations))

In four years of having sheep lamb, only once have I had to glove and lube and help with a nose presented but no feet...seems those lambs that needed help being born become favourites and such a joy to see them thrive

Now get some sleep!  You deserve it


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## Remuda1 (Mar 16, 2012)

Well rats, I fell asleep before checking back last night  and today has been a busy one.  Congratulations Liz, belatedly.  You ARE gonna post pics right???  LOL, we've got to see the late arrival .  Congrats again on a big, healthy baby.

Kristi


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## Cornish Heritage (Mar 16, 2012)

> Congratulations Liz, belatedly.  You ARE gonna post pics right???


Thanks folks! It's been a busy day here so have yet to take a picture of the new ewe but her & her mama are doing really well. The little lamb & mama have been out with the others today. 

Sadly though we lost a ewe today  A first timer lambed the night before last & was real skittish. Yesterday she spent all day in the shelter with her lamb (ram) & we just thought she was protecting him as the ewes will often go off by themselves for the first few hours. HOWEVER as soon as we got up this morning we knew something was wrong. The lamb was pretty lethargic although still drinking but mama looked awful. We quickly gave her a Nutri Drench & repeated it later & for a while she was up. We then gave her some molasses water but noticed that she was really anemic. We had to go to town late this afternoon & when we came home she was dead. Blood was dripping out her back end so now we are thinking that something must have gone wrong inside after the birth & she was bleeding internally. Just one of those unfortunate things. 

As for the little fella, he got his first bottle & drank heartily so he was hungry. We have all agreed that he cannot stay here. The kids are loving him to bits but although we do our own butchering & have no problem eating lambs, a pet lamb is totally different so if he survives the night we will sell him as a bum lamb tomorrow. If he had been a ewe that would be different.

Liz


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## carolinagirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Aw, sorry you lost the ewe Liz!  that's always so hard.  I remember those days from goats.  It's never easy with these animals.  

Still no lambs here.  I finally had enough of her constant hollering to be with the rest of the sheep and turned her loose.  I moved my LGD pups out of the pasture because they are too young to handle lambing correctly and I didn't want anything bad to happen.  so the dogs are back with the rams and the ewes are on their own to have their lambs whenever they decide to.  I am checking them all 3 times a day.  Hopefully that will be enough.  Grrrrrrrrr..........  why can't these critters do anything by the book???


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## bonbean01 (Mar 17, 2012)

So sorry about the ewe


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## SheepGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

carolinagirl said:
			
		

> Aw, sorry you lost the ewe Liz!  that's always so hard.  I remember those days from goats.  It's never easy with these animals.
> 
> Still no lambs here.  I finally had enough of her constant hollering to be with the rest of the sheep and turned her loose.  I moved my LGD pups out of the pasture because they are too young to handle lambing correctly and I didn't want anything bad to happen.  so the dogs are back with the rams and the ewes are on their own to have their lambs whenever they decide to.  I am checking them all 3 times a day.  Hopefully that will be enough.  Grrrrrrrrr..........  why can't these critters do anything by the book???


'Cause they didn't read it


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## Remuda1 (Mar 17, 2012)

Sorry to hear about your ewe. But very glad that the lamb took the bottle so willingly.


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## Cornish Heritage (Mar 17, 2012)

Thanks everyone. The ram lamb is guzzling his bottle down each time & is doing well. Here is a pic of him this morning:







He is headed to his new home tomorrow so that will save us money & time. We are going to make him a wether before he leaves here. Another job to do tomorrow!

As for the ewe lamb that we pulled on Thursday evening both mama & daughter are doing great. Here they are this morning also out enjoying the nice fresh grass:






Liz


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