# The Sheep Shape Shire a Journal of Sorts:  Survival of the Fattest…



## Legamin (Apr 19, 2022)

Jughead is your average lamb.  One of triplets.  Born early in the morning just as we were starting a farm tour (‘Drop EVERYTHING!  Come see the miracle!” ..to a 9 year old ewe who has been a centerpiece of consistency and health..a real anchor for our flock of Leicester Longwools.  Jughead started out with promise.  He was the third lamb born without problems or need for assistance to an exhausted mum who just wanted her 52 hour marathon of labor and pushing to be OVER!  Veronica was too tired to get up an feed right away so we rushed to get colostrum down them much to her disapproval…which stimulated her to rise and clean and make sure that all were accounted for and able to suck.
We already knew that Veronica would not be able to care for triplets so we posted a video cam (So not to disturb the bonding process) and began to watch for the least likely to get adequate nutrition and care from the ewe.  Within a couple hours it was obvious, Jughead was lying down, not sucking, not trying and his mouth had begun to cool…time to rush him to ’The Jug’.. (an indoor orphan pen with installed radiant floor and heat lamps always ready for up to four lambs at a time).  He was not responding well so we pushed 20cc of warmed sterile 40% glucose solution by feeding tube to stimulate rumen, boost the ‘quick energy’ ability of the lamb’s own body to kick in and get him back up to temperature.  Within the hour ‘Jughead’ was bleating for more colostrum and standing on his own. (Small Victory!)

  The third lamb of the season and the second orphan had turned the corner to become a tease wether for the flock!
But as things go on a farm, we were quickly reminded that not all that seems well…is.  A quick review of the bonding pen footage of the previous two hours demonstrated that mom was simply not going to be able to offer adequate nutrition.  The ‘Watch’ was on!  We mixed, warmed and pushed 60cc of colostrum into each lamb to help them gain energy and push harder at mom to take care of them.  Veronica (mum) was definitely willing and strongly bonded with them, EXTREMELY defensive of them and watchful…but her milk was not coming easy.  She had a full udder but it was not ‘open’ (stripping and milking got a few drops but not the stream that is necessary for the lambs to get full nutrition.  We turned on the warming ‘lambp’, tuned into the video camera on our phones and went about our business.  The day came and went and at one point they seemed to be energetic, full-(ish) bellies and aware (good body temp on a cold day) and Veronica (mum) was eager for them to be with her.  But just as we were thinking about ending our work day, at the 11:30pm ‘Last Check’ of the lambing pasture/barn, we checked in with the video feed and noticed a lack of movement in the bonding pen…back to the barn!  As it turned out our 9 year old Veronica, after a very long delivery (without incident or needed interference) was just very tired.  She could not stay on her feet and look after the remaining two lamb’s needs.  Both remaining lambs had become listless and their oral temp was off a bit and reduced suck and rectal temp was about 4F deg. low…too low…everyone got bundled into the thermal recovery pen!  We gave the treatment to all the lambs and still lost one who, oddly, had seemed the very strongest from the start! 
The ways of lambs are strange and diverse and we celebrated that two of three lambs had survived.  Veronica had been so eager to feed her lambs, so very attentive, struggled so very hard but it was all a bit much for her and while she had milk, for some reason it was not coming out fast enough to keep the lambs interested and attached…that…and she was so exhausted that she would have to lie down and rest just as the little ones were most interested in feeding!  I had to overcome my desire to see the ewe/lamb relationship blossom and get them to safety and warmth.  The weather had turned cold for us (as it seemed to for everyone) and normally lambs ignore the cold but not this time.  The first born of the triplets recovered the fastest and within two days was jumping over the 24” walls of ‘The Jug’ and we hoped that the ewe would accept her back…good luck…she did!  We checked for milk and found that she had plenty and even though still tired she seemed strong enough to take back one lamb.  She was certainly eager enough!  Veronica gratefully accepted the one lamb back under her and stood patiently as it nursed and nuzzled it lovingly.  By the time the day was over it all looked like a happy reunion and the lamb’s belly was full and it was 1 o’clock in the morning so we trudged off to bed.  By 6 AM things had taken a tragic turn for the worse…the lamb had crawled out from under the heat lamp and for some mysterious reason, with a belly full of milk, suffered hypothermia and was weakly bleating and barely lifting it’s head.  She was an important ewe for our flock so, despite desperate pleas from mom, we rushed her back to ‘The Jug’, increased the radiant heat, covered her, turned on the heat lamp, coaxed her rumen and energy reserves with 40% sterile glucose solution and 1 fl. oz. of warm lamb’s milk with a bit of colostrum mixed.  This has worked many times for lambs in seemingly worse condition but over the next two hours she simply weakened and went silent and passed.  The only loss of the season and it just seemed so unnecessary.  She seemed so very strong!  There could have been several reasons for the death: birthing trauma, nutritional deprivation or even ’joint ill’ (even though we successfully trimmed and dressed with iodine within two hours of birth)…but my deepest suspicion lies with the one thing that takes most lambs…hypothermia.  The likelihood is that the second bout of cold, out from under the heat lamp in the bonding pen, just overcame her tiny 7lb 4oz system and even with our help she couldn’t recover a second time.
There are a hundred times when we look back and say to ourselves, “I sure wish I would have thought of THAT!”….but if we second guess every decision we will never get through lambing season with sanity intact…or any sleep at all!  Had we left her in ‘The Jug’ she would probably have done fine…but there was no indication at all that she was not the fully energetic healthy lamb that she appeared to be after her first stellar recovery. 
We are grateful for Jughead and his twin sister ‘Dot’ (Dorothy) who is identical in every way except a 3/4” black dot on her neck!  They are happy, healthy little jumping beans and in the orphan pen in the barn and doing GREAT with their elder half-sister who’s mom just couldn’t love TWO!
We are hoping for a few more lambs this season but we would be just as happy to sleep through a night…all night…for the first time in 6 weeks!
Sheep are a wonderful commentary on life.  The care and assistance we give them is reflected in the amazingly calm trust that the Ewe demonstrates when she is ready to deliver and against every animal instinct allows us to walk up to her slowly and participate…assist if necessary…in the miracle of lambing.  I think who our sheep are is a reflection of who we are.  The trust that our animals have while we are around is a mirror for us in which we are able to see how the rest of the world sees us….or maybe I’m anthropomorphizing the heck out of the whole schlepp and it doesn’t mean a thing!  I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way!


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## Baymule (Apr 20, 2022)

A great start to what I hope will be a story with humor, knowledge, joy, and the love you have for your sheep!


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## Ridgetop (May 2, 2022)

What a shame to lose a ewe lamb.  Did you give Vitamin B, glucose, and selenium/E to the mother?  An older ewe, particularly a heavy milker, having trouble letting her milk down can be stimulated with a shot of oxytocin.  Oxy will encourage let down as well as helping with birth contractions or expelling afterbirth in weak ewes.


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