# Sheep aborted a lamb



## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

A week ago today, we noticed our one ewe (My favorite ewe none the less) had blood all down her back end. So we of course thought, "Oh crap! She had her babies premature!" (our lambing season starts March 26th) So we looked all around the sheeps pen, and found nothing. So we thought, maybe she just had a bloody poop or something. We've watched her very carefully since that day and there has been no more blood or anything and she's eating like normal, shes the same personality and everything. So we thought maybe it was nothing.

Welp. Today while doing some stuff in their pasture, a gate was left open. The beagle ran in and ran straight to their shelter and pulled out a little tiny lamb that was hidden under the dirt. 
It broke my heart to see! It was so small and clearly not finished being formed, as its face was a little off. But as it was being picked up, Minnie came over and started sniffing it all over. (Minnie is the mother) GAWWWWHHH!!! 


Anyway, I'm not just hear to share a sad story, 

I'm wondering, Is it possible she only aborted one sickly lamb, and kept the rest? because she still have a bag and looks pregnant (although with her, it is hard to tell because she's a piggy girl, always has been) And I know that she can have lambs, as last year was her first year and she had twins. So it would be odd if she only had one? Although it is possible that she has another lamb or two hidden in the shelter somewhere and we just didn't find them. (I want to go look for more right now, but the ram scares me and no one is available right now to watch my back if he attacks) 

I know its likely she lost all her lambs, but I'm hopeful. It would be so sad for her during lambing season this year if she didn't have any. She loved her little ones last year so much. And i know when we had an infertile pig a while back, it was so hard for her to watch all the other pigs have piglets.


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## bonbean01 (Mar 9, 2014)

So sorry about the little lambie.  I would check carefully for any other lambs and also the placenta...you want to be sure it was passed and not still inside her. 
You mentioned your ram not being safe for you...could that ram have rammed your ewe hard in the side to cause this?  We always separate our ram the last two months before they are due...for some reason, the smell of hormones or something makes him start side slamming them?


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## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

bonbean01 said:


> So sorry about the little lambie.  I would check carefully for any other lambs and also the placenta...you want to be sure it was passed and not still inside her.
> You mentioned your ram not being safe for you...could that ram have rammed your ewe hard in the side to cause this?  We always separate our ram the last two months before they are due...for some reason, the smell of hormones or something makes him start side slamming them?



Thanks  I've talked to my dad and when he's got a moment he's going to go in with me and watch my back. I'll update when i check the dirt again. Sorry, we're you saying that she wouldn't be pregnant anymore or she is? ^^; 

Oh, the ram is very good with the ewes. He's very protective of them, and that's why its dangerous for me to be in there. He used to be the SWEETEST ram he'd come for the occasional pat and loved cheek scratches. Last year starting when the ewes had their lambs, he started getting very aggressive with us. He didn't like us around the ewes or lambs and became very aggressive with us. Since the lambs have been gone, he's been better and hasn't rammed us. But he isn't the same sweet lamb he used to be, and i still don't trust him. 

Although we will keep him being potentially aggressive with them in mind. They're going to be separated soon anyways, once the jugs are ready, so they're used to the area. (this is also our last breeding year with the ram, we have a young ram for next year, and we will sell the older ram)


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## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

I went in there and looked at Minnie, her bag is mostly dried up and her stomach is also back to normal. (I had thought she was rounder and baggier) I also found another lamb hidden in the dirt near where the first one was. So she's not pregnant  poor girl


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## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

Oh, and the new lamb i found had placenta frozen all around it.

So at least she passed it, and it isn't still inside her.

How long do you think it'll be until she goes into heat again?

She's with some rams (One is her son from last year) and i don't want her to be bred out of season, but we have no where to put her just yet


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## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

Oh, and the new lamb i found had placenta frozen all around it.

So at least she passed it, and it isn't still inside her.

How long do you think it'll be until she goes into heat again?

She's with some rams (One is her son from last year) and i don't want her to be bred out of season, but we have no where to put her just yet


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## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

Oh, and the new lamb i found had placenta frozen all around it.

So at least she passed it, and it isn't still inside her.

How long do you think it'll be until she goes into heat again?

She's with some rams (One is her son from last year) and i don't want her to be bred out of season, but we have no where to put her just yet


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## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

...Wowzers I'm sorry for how many times that posted


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## bonbean01 (Mar 9, 2014)

So sorry...always that hope that maybe there is one alive in there   Glad you found the placenta and don't have to worry about it being retained and your ewe going septic.  I have no idea when it is best to rebreed her...having carried the babies this long would have taken much out of her...I am no expert, but if it was me...I would wait awhile before rebreeding her and let her get her reserves up again.
Hope someone with more experience posts with advice on that!


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## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

bonbean01 said:


> So sorry...always that hope that maybe there is one alive in there   Glad you found the placenta and don't have to worry about it being retained and your ewe going septic.  I have no idea when it is best to rebreed her...having carried the babies this long would have taken much out of her...I am no expert, but if it was me...I would wait awhile before rebreeding her and let her get her reserves up again.
> Hope someone with more experience posts with advice on that!



Thanks for the sympathy  For her sake i hope that maybe theres one left.

Oh, Don't worry! We wont purposely breed her until next year, but I'm concerned about her being bred out of season as she is in with the rams right now, and at the moment we don't have any place to move her or the rams to. Where the ewes will be moved probably wont be ready until just before they lamb


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## newgirl97 (Mar 9, 2014)

Semi gross update: the lamb we found later was a ram, the first one we couldn't tell... because.. uh, The dog chewed its back end a bit before we realized what it had. 

Last  year Minnie had twin boys, and this year she had at least one boy.  Hopefully this year we won't have a lot of boys


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## Hickory Hollow Farms (Mar 20, 2014)

I would isolate her from the flock and have her checked by a vet. I've had rams in with my ewes through their whole pregnancy and have not had any of them abort. But, there are several infectious agents that can cause late term abortions and it can spread through your flock very quickly if it's not identified and contained.  (It could be fighting with the ram/normal, but because it also could be infectious and spread to the rest of your flock, I would have her checked out by a vet.)  See this link for more info  http://www.sheepandgoat.com/articles/abortion.html


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## ErikaW (Mar 21, 2014)

I'm so sorry about your lamb loss.  And I hate to jump in on your conversation like this, it feels sort of rude, so forgive me.

But I had my first ewe abortion this morning and I'm trying to put the pieces together.  When you say the lamb had the placenta all around it, what does that mean?

The lamb I found was still inside the sac.  Ignorant question but: is that sac the actual placenta?  The ewe that aborted seems fine, but I want to be sure that she doesn't still have the placenta inside her.

I believe it was a trauma induced abortion.  I have a ewe that was being pretty aggressive and ramming her in the side, which I feel horrible about because I could have prevented this by separating them.  But on the other hand, it means I wouldn't have to worry as much about spread of infection.

Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated.  And again, I'm very sorry for your loss, and sorry for barging into your conversation.
Thanks,
~Erika


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## Southdown (Mar 21, 2014)

I believe the sac the lamb is in is the amniotic sac and the placenta is what is expelled as "after birth" and resembles a liver.  I had an ewe once that was too tired after birthing to break the amniotic sac, so I had to do it so the lamb could take its first breath.  I've also heard there are viral causes of abortion.


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## newgirl97 (Mar 24, 2014)

^^^ Thats what it looked like. The lamb was dirty and frozen so it was a bit difficult to tell, but the mass around it was much larger than the actual lamb, and it was rather thick. it was shaped like a liver 

Sorry about the loss of your lambs! I hope the rest of your lambing goes well!


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## Sheepshape (Mar 26, 2014)

Sorry to come in on this so late, but I've been busy with a pretty disappointing lambing season.

Most isolated cases of abortion are related to something going wrong with the placenta.....if the placenta didn't implant fully, then the needs of the lamb outstrip the  ability of the placenta to supply and the ewe aborts.. Nasty, sad, but 'one of those things' and doesn't indicate a ewe problem.

If you have several ewes abort, then the more serious conditions have to be considered....Toxoplasma from cat faeces.....I've got two cats and all seems well. Enzootic abortion, due to Chlamydophilia....vaccine available....can cause many abortions at about 4 weeks from term. Lastly Campylobacter.

Hopefully, you will have the first. I have had at least one this year due to poor placental implantation. Sad, Very sad, but shouldn't happen in successive years. Ewes need to be treated just like any ewe which has just given birth.


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