# ShepherdO's First Lambing - Pics included :)



## shepherdO (Feb 25, 2019)

Well, Lambing has officially begun   I have 8 ewes due to lamb this year (my first real lambing), and Tammy the beach ball was due yesterday, Sunday Feb 24th.  My wife and I had to go off to a speaking engagement and were gone the entire weekend.  However, my 10 year old son, with the help of my parents, were charged with holding down the 'farm' while we were away, including twice daily visits for feeding the sheep, collecting the eggs, etc.

I had a feeling Tammy would lamb early, so on Friday evening I called my son and told him to lock her inside the sheep lambing shed that night - it was probably between minus -15-20 degrees C at our place, and it's often quite windy.  

Anyhoo, it was a good 'hunch', as when my son came back Saturday morning to feed the animals, Tammy had given birth to triplets, with the third still very wet.  Over the course of the weekend, while we were still away, I received little bits of information basically along the lines that the two ram lambs were doing well, but that Tammy (3rd lambing, twins and trips in the past, apparently) had rejected the third, a eweling.

After numerous attempts by my parents (my mum was a midwife and experimented with sheep-raising for a couple years when i was very young) to bond them, they ended up bringing the ewe back to their place, keeping it in their room in a Rubbermaid bin, and bottlefeeding it.  They were careful to milk out as much colostrum from the ewe as possible, and have been feeding her milk, cream and egg homemade replacer.

It appears that she has an issue with her left rear leg - it's hyperextended, bending forward now and then.  It's not too bad, I don't think, as it' stay smostly vertical.  My dad's a retired physiotherapist and he was talking muscles and rehabilitation stuff - but I'm hoping it's just one of those things that fixes itself.  I've done some reading and it seems that this is often/usually the case.  I'm considering getting some selenium injection from the feed store today, although I'm not sure if it's white muscle disease, or just from being cramped in the womb.  Anyhoo, I think this is probably why the mum rejected it, as well as perhaps the fact that it was born a while after the others - not sure.  

Well, I wasn't even there for the first lambing, something I've been preparing for for so long, reading and researching 'being dilligent to now the state/face of my flocks', as Proverbs 27:23 says.  But I'm pretty happy I wasn't there in the end, and that it all seems to have gone well.  We'll be bringing the little one back home today, and I guess I'll have to get used to little sleep for the next while... my four human kids are all long past that stage, so we'll see how it goes!

I had my students predict the date, number and sex of Tammy's lambs, and allowed the winner to pick the names.  The ewe is 'Tim-Tam', and the rams are 'Timbit' (Canadian name for Donut Holes) and 'Filmore' (not sure where that came from.'  

Anyhoo, they are SUPER cute.  The ewe is a lovely dusty colour, resembling her father (shrophsire-texel cross), similar to the brown smaller ram.  The other ram lamb is white, with gingery-coloured lower legs and head/forelock, and he has enormous ears!  Not sure where that came from.

I have another lamb due in a couple days, but I think I mixed up the dates between my two black ewes, b/c the one that's supposedly due soon doesn't look ready, and the one with 2 weeks to go looks ready to pop!  They're both in the pre-lambing pen, and we'll see what happens!  

Pics are below:



 

Above and below are the two ram lambs.  Very different in appearance, beyond colour even.  



 

Below is Tim-Tam, the ewe.  She looks very shropshire - her head, at least, and based on the little I know


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## RollingAcres (Feb 25, 2019)

Congrats!


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## frustratedearthmother (Feb 25, 2019)

What a cutey-patooty!


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## Dale HWA (Feb 26, 2019)

Congrats!!! i'm also into my first lambing season, we've already had 1 ram lamb, and i have only 2 more ewes to deliver, but we are going away this weekend so i'll be putting them in lambing pens... i really hope they hold off until i get home!!!

I love this party of our hobby. its so exciting, the kids and Wife love it too which makes it all that much sweeter.


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## Sheepshape (Feb 26, 2019)

What a sweetheart.

Don't worry too much about a ewe rejecting a triplet. Only the strong and well-fed young ewe with 3 equal(ish)-sized triplets do well (and then best if all the triplets are the same sex). I usually take a triplet off ewe mum....she doesn't mind, being unable top count and having only two teats.

The hyperextended rear leg probably doesn't mean anything sinister if there are no other signs of selenium deficiency. The lamb probably had his leg extended in the womb, and there would have been no room to flex it with all those little foetal parts in there. The leg will sort itself out over the course of the next few days provided that you are able to flex it yourself now.

It can be difficult to tell who will lamb first (unless you see them mated)  as some girls, particularly those who have lambed before and have 'lost their waistlines' get huge bellies and 'cow-like' udders, whereas others hide their condition very well. Girls expecting multiple lambs tend to have a shorter gestation.

I have a couple of girls right now who are expanding daily and are getting truly huge, though they shouldn't be due for at least another 17 days (no tup in with them). 2 of my biggest girls are Blue Faced Leicesters and they tend to lamb nearer to 140 than 150 days, so they may come in 10 days or so.

Once again...lovely.


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## shepherdO (Feb 26, 2019)

So I weighted the 2 lamb rambs and they were 9 and 11 lbs each!  Not bad, considering they were triplets.   I'm thinking that the little ewe is probably around 8 lbs, not sure, so that's about 30lbs of lambs in the ewe!


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## Sheepshape (Feb 27, 2019)

shepherdO said:


> so that's about 30lbs of lambs in the ewe!


 Actually quite a lot more with all the amniotic fluid and the afterbirths.....she must feel a WHOLE lot lighter!


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## shepherdO (Feb 27, 2019)

Okay... so I think my second ewe might be starting labour.  Bummer b/c it's 10:45 pm...  I was just out feeding the bottle triplet (I'm going to keep it out in the lambing shed in the next jug beside its mum and brothers) and Sabine, whom I separated earlier as she's due tomorrow, runs around when I get near her... she's not super friendly on a good day, but she's over the top right now.  Also I think there's a bit of discharge/goo at the bottom of her vulva, so I'm thinking the process has begun at least.  

Of course, it could all mean nothing... but methinks I'll bring the triplet bottle ewe back inside now oP) and into its Rubbermaid Container home, and then put Sabine inside the other jug.  Crossing my fingers...  And to think I have 2 others due in 3-4 days.  Boy, I have a feeling that the sleep situation is going to be like having people babies again!  Oh well, it's a great distractor from life's unending problems, isn't it! 

SheperdO


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## shepherdO (Feb 27, 2019)

Baby number 4 from lambing number 2.  Sorry for the poor picture

 quality.


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## shepherdO (Feb 27, 2019)

Any suggestions re: how much pennicilin give Sabine?  I believe I have Depocillin or something like that?


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## shepherdO (Mar 5, 2019)

Okay - so after the drama of Bonny's birth (first big lamb pulled but dead, followed by a tiny lamb I'm currently hand-feeding...) I eagerly awaited Bambi's lambing.

She was due on the 2nd, but was showing no signs of heeding the gestation calculations.  Yes swollen vulva, yes udder, yes kind of dropped... but still no babies.  

Anyhoo, last night I locked her in my lambing jug b/c she seemed to have dropped more, and was breathing a bit heavier than normal.  I went inside to have a couple hours snooze to make up for the 2 hour nights (sleep) I'd been getting lately.  Set the alarm for 11:30 to go check her, slept through it, woke at 1:30 and went outside to find Bambi all perky, with two beautiful healthy EWE LAMBS, one black with a funny ear that won't stick up all the way, and another dusty grey/brown like her dad.  Both dry and suckling like crazy.

Wow... what a different experience to Bonny!  This is my first birth with her, but Bambi is four, so I believe this is her third lambing, twins and trips in the past.  

Anyway, I'm super pleased that she had an easy, unassisted birth and two ewes.  It will be very hard not to want to keep all my ewes...


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## shepherdO (Mar 6, 2019)

Newest lambs.  This is bonny the giant rambouillet x Suffolk with the tiny ram lamb that survived... Barely   


 

  this is him at a couple hours old   Below he is about 40 hrs old.  He's grown into his wrinkles a bit!  Still very lethargic though... Keep trying ..


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## shepherdO (Mar 6, 2019)

And these are bambis twins born two days overdue last night, unassisted.  They were up and dry and suckling when I went in at 1:30am.  Very healthy so far and both are ewes!  No names yet   I forgot, the little guy above is named Jonathan.  Check my other thread for the reason.  

I really like the light dusty tan brown my ram is throwing.   Almost Siamese cat looking.


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## shepherdO (Mar 10, 2019)

Okay, so I had 4 days off from lambing, and tried to sneak in a few glorious nights of 7 hours sleep!  I had obligations on Saturday morning, which is of course when Samba went into labour... she was due that day though, so it wasn't really her fault!

Anyhoo, my nephew came to the rescue again, and while I was gone she had a tiny 5 lb black as midnight ewe lamb, which she doted over like crazy.  Then about 45 minutes later a huge ram lamb came out backwards, and I coached him over the phone how to pull him out - He was 11 or 12 lbs, so double the size of his sister!

Both were extremely vigorous, up and nursing within a couple minutes.  My nephew said that the ram lamb (my first white lamb!) was actually trying to jump around before even nursing!

Unfortunately, the mum looked to be rejecting the white lamb - more so b/c she was so obsessed over the first little one.  So I spent the day trying to get her to accept him. Tried sprinkling with salt, then molasses (neither worked), and then I tried 'Lavender Vanilla' air freshener on both the twins and the mom's nose.  Apparently it's been working   She still prefers the black lamb, but is 'suffering' the white one, and at least she's not butting him any more.

He's very good natured and dotes over his little black sister as much as the mum!

Anyhoo, I have three due in the next 48 hours, and then I'm done!  We're at 9 lambs from 5 ewes thus far, only one dead, so pretty good so far.  I think Freckles (due Monday) is having twins at least, first timer; Patty is having a single I believe; and then Nibbles is having either triplets or quads... hopefully not quads like last year when they were all tangled and only one lived...

But this time we're not going to let that happen!

Pictures to come.


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## Baymule (Mar 10, 2019)

You are having a good lambing! What a bunch of cutie lambs. I have hair sheep, so no wool. There is a spinner's guild in the next county, but I have not inquired......I would have to get wool sheep, learn to spin, learn to crochet/knit....and have to learn to shear....you see where this is going? LOL Do you shear, spin, knit?


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## shepherdO (Mar 12, 2019)

So mum is now accepting both teeny black lamb and giant white lamb (3 days old but almost as big as my 2.5 week old bottle lamb!), so that's good.

I currently have 2 girls in labour, and one who's due today.  Aahh...  Nibbles is due today, but has been in 'labour' since yesterday morning, on and off.  Essentially no vulva swelling though... I'm a little bit worried, but I'm going to let things take their course.  Big udder, she's huge herself (I'm hoping just triplets but thinking maybe quads again...), and she's been up and down, some pushing, straining, grunting, lots of heavy breathing for about 24 hours now.  She's a small katahdin, and hew vulva's about 2 fingers long max.  Here's hoping something happens soon.

The other ramobuillet dropped yesterday, and has been in early stage labour all night (trust me I know - I checked every two hours... ughh...), but seems to have 'un-dropped' a bit this morning.  Weird.  Same thing happened to her sister last week.  I'm thinkint twins for sure, MAYBE triplets, and this is her first lambing.

And we just had a couple inches fresh snow last night, which the lambs are loving to play in.  But temps are supposed to get up to 12 celsius within a week, so spring might be just around the corner!


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## shepherdO (Mar 12, 2019)

Baymule - this is my first lambing, so I haven't been 'into sheep' for very long.  However, my two rambouillets have had their wool used in the past by wool co-ops, apparently.  I'm not really interested in pursuing that route, nor is my wife.  We do have a friend who owns a wool shop, so I might ask her if she wants the wool when it's sheared.  Her shop has become very popular since she opened it several year ago.  Knitting has really become an 'in' thing!


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## shepherdO (Mar 12, 2019)

Here are a few pics of Freckles and Nibbles, both currently in labour.  Taking it slow both of them  but hopefully will be pushing in a couple hours ... 

Nibbles. The katahdin is likely having triplets or quads... Freckles...  What do you think?  Twins for sure  but I think maybe triplets?

It's taking a looooooong time  without much progress, but no waters yet so I'm just sitting back and waiting, for now.  Nibbles vulva is finally starting to stretch out, and Freckles is super redenning now. 

 



Here are my two bottle babies, TimTam, currently two and a half weeks old, and Jonathan, 8 days old.  Both are on Jonathan's mum who hates them both but has lots of milk!


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## B&B Happy goats (Mar 12, 2019)

Awwwwww


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## shepherdO (Mar 14, 2019)

So... disaster #2.  My other Rambouillet had a HARD labour for many, many hours.  Too long.  Anyhoo, in the end she finally passed mucus plug and worked hard to get the lambs head only to the vulva.  I probably should have done an internal earlier, but she had no fluid show of any sort and was super sensitive.  Anyhoo, we pushed the head back in and got a leg - could only find one after probably 20 minutes inside... pulled the lamb one leg forward.  Dead.  Nice big lamb, but she was SO tight.  Cervicx was tight, and vulva was tighter.  

Second lamb same.  Barely got it out, also dead.  Beautiful big ewes.  Sigh.  Lesson learned - don't breed first timer older ewes.  I'm currently using both ewes as surrogate milking stands for 2 bottle lambs, and while they don't like it, they're letting lambs drink from them if we hold the mums.  

So far 9 live lambs, 3 dead.  2 ewes of 8 still to go, but the little katahdin stopped labouring after starting a day early, and hasn't shown anything else since yesterday.  happy as a clam.  Vulva super small, can't imagine doing an internal.  Not sure where to go next...

Hoping on Patty the 1 year old suffolk.  Looks ready to go, here's hoping...

*sigh*


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## Baymule (Mar 14, 2019)

We just completed my 4th lambing. We had 9 ewes have 15 lambs, lost two and have 13 lambs. 7 boys, 5 girls. I cut the boys and name them all Dinner. LOL One of the girls is a runt, beautifully marked, but a runt. She will wind up on someone's plate. We have had pretty good luck with lambing, but usually lose a few. I haven't had to "go fishing" for lambs, at least not yet.


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## shepherdO (Mar 15, 2019)

Nice.  I have 8 ewes, with 2 to go.  In reality the only to who've needed 'fishing' so far have been two older ewes which I bred for the first time against advice, so it was my own fault, really.  All the others have been fine, including 2 other first-timers.

I have two more to go, and they've either 3 days overdue or about 2.5 weeks away!  I'm thinking, however, that it's 3 days over b/c my katahdin (yes!) has some mucus hanging out at the moment, so hopefully she's going to lamb tonight!  She's had a tiny vulca thus far, but she's been swelling out today, and redening with the vulva opening a bit, so HOPEFULLY this is the real thing, and she was in early false labour earlier in the week.

Either that, or she's going to be aborting dead triplets in the next 12 hours.  I hope not.  If they're alive I intend to NOT let there be any more dead lambs on my farm - I will be brave and do an internal, although I struggle to imagine how I'm going to fit my arm in... it's like a mini goat's...


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