2024 SageHill Lambing (the newbie joins in) now Fall 2024

[SageHill]

Fall Lambing has begun!
I checked last night and all was well. No one looking like they were about to pop other than big beach whale imitations and bags. WELLLLLLL - got to the barn and heard an untypical low maaaaaaaaaa. Peeked in and ....
Stripe had her lambs. Triplets, though she didn't get the sac off of one of the noses - though I tried he was long gone. Seal brown ram lamb. The other two were fine. My best guess is they came close together and she had another lamb while cleaning the one that didn't make it. So it's twins (I guess that's what you'd call them since it's only two to take care of??).
And - of course they are cute. One ewe lamb and one ram lamb. The ram lamb has some spots with a ring around each ear, and the ewe lamb is seal brown (for now) with two flashy white socks on her hind legs.
Four or five ewes to go!

(bad camera angle for sure - her head is not that big )

 

[Ridgetop]

TSK TSK on the bad camera angle! And you a pro! Post more pix! Too cute.

 

[Baymule]

Congratulations on the lambs! Still considered to be triplets, if registered you would check the triplets box. But for conversation sake, twins. Beautiful babies!

 

[SageHill]

Congratulations on the lambs! Still considered to be triplets, if registered you would check the triplets box. But for conversation sake, twins. Beautiful babies!

Ah! OK Gotcha on that. My last set of triplets early this year - to a different ewe - all survived and I thought thrived. Though when compared to twins they were smaller. Even now, the ewe out of that set is smaller. So - wondering for future, bottle feed at least one no matter what?? Or just think all go to auction?? Learning, learning, learning.

 

[Ridgetop]

Triplets often don't grow as fast as twins but catch up later. Wait to decide on selling a while longer. If the ewe is small but perfect in conformation you can breed to a smaller framed ram.

 

[Baymule]

Triplets are usually smaller, but compared to twins, collectively, the triplets will weigh more than the twins. So if selling by the pound, 3 bring more than 2.

If you bottle feed, you lose money. Plus it’s easier to feed extra to the ewe and let her feed the babies.

The prolapsed ewe I took on in the spring, had triplets and no milk. I bottle fed the babies for the owners of the ewe, they paid for all the milk. The 3 of them outweighed 2 strapping ram lambs, at 120 days old.

I can easily spend more bottle feeding a lamb than what it is worth. I had 3 in the spring, lost one to the catastrophe that hit the lambs. One is registerable the other is second generation in the breed up program. I already have more in them than I could sell them for.

I had another ewe reject her ram lamb, but favored the ewe lamb. Knowing that the ram would be worth at best $125, I bent a hog panel in a corner to make a small pen, carried the ewe lamb in it and the ewe followed. I put a dog collar on her and tied her to a T-post. I kept hay in front of her during the day and frequently offered water. When the ewe lamb nursed, I shoved the ram lamb up behind her to nurse. It took a few days, but he caught on and would run up behind the ewe when his sister got milk. I untied her at night. After a week and half, I untied her during the day. She clobbered the ram, but by then he had learned the system. After a few more days of observing him getting something to eat, I turned them out on the field. Yes, it was more work, but way less work than bottle feeding not to mention the cost.

 

[SageHill]

My whopping experience with triplets is one set from earlier this year (I am soooo still a newbie - but loving it and learning). They all nursed well, the ewe was not a first timer and had a bag that would almost rival a cow ). I expected them to be smaller and eventually catch up. Sold the ram and kept the two ewe lambs. One seem to ~maybe be catching up to the others (trips born in Feb) and I'm just not sure about the other one. Happy, healthy, eats well, etc. So I just was wondering / thinking that perhaps triplets sometimes are like that. Learning, learning, learning. AND I never thought about 3 lambs to market 3 bring in more than 2. LOVE YOU GUYS!

 

[SageHill]

Learning the ropes so to speak. Obi is the old pro at baby lambs, this is (I'm pretty sure) Zo's first time with baby baby lambs. Mama Ewe Stripe is happily munching away on alfalfa and the ram lamb is fast asleep.
Seeing things like this is one of the many parts of why I love this.
And the brown ewe lamb is definitely all hair her coat is totally rough and no softness, especially when compared to her sibling who has a soft wool feel.