Baymule’s 2021 Lambing

[Baymule]

@rachels.haven I got a bag of lamb milk replacer before the storm, plus 5 gallons of whole milk. Still have a gallon, plus what the neighbor scored for us and a half gallon I had in the freezer-just because I have squirrel DNA and keep plenty around. They don't like the milk replacer, it gives them runny poop and it STINKS. But they will be going outside during the day soon, in at night until I can leave them in the barn with the sheep. I was afraid of running out of milk for them, so got the bag of milk replacer. I'll make it work. Mixing it with the cow milk.

Mail or garbage trucks are not running. Should be by Monday. Stores have been closed except for special shopping hours. It will get up to 34 degrees this afternoon, freeze again tonight and tomorrow night, then temps will continue to rise.

The SUN is shining today!!!

 

[Baymule]

We went to town today. The freeze is over! Snow is melting! Went to the grocery store and I got ONE gallon of milk for the lambs and ONE loaf of bread for us. There are signs, one per household. Our neighbor Robert, got a half gallon at Walmart this evening for the lambs. I have 2 1/2 gallons, I feel rich. I’m mixing it with the milk replacer. Shelves are bare at the stores, lucky to get what we got.

Reject and Tiny went outside all day. I put them with the general population and they freaked out. So I jugged them. They got to play and get to know the other lambs. I think in a few days I can let them stay out day and night. They are sleeping in the dig crate, exhausted by their big day.

All the lambs and grown sheep came through the bad weather unharmed and are doing fine.

 

[Baymule]

Scottie had twins 20 minutes ago. Scottie was a triplet, this is her second lambing. She singled her first lambing. This makes 19 lambs.

 

[farmerjan]

She's a very good considerate goat. She crossed her legs and waited for warmer weather so you would not have to work so hard.... Congrats to you. You are done now right? And it is warming up. And the "orphan's" are going outside so no more constant cleanup.... Just think of how much water and laundry soap you will save.....

 

[Mini Horses]

Glad it was warmer for the lambing! Bottle ones outside some.

It's almost as much relief as getting all the CCX done!

 

[Longhornbreeder101]

Scottie had twins 20 minutes ago. Scottie was a triplet, this is her second lambing. She singled her first lambing. This makes 19 lambs.
View attachment 81992

AWWWWW

 

[Baymule]

And this concludes Baymule's 2021 lambing.

Scottie's ligs have been mooshy for a whole week! I've had pep talks with her about not turning her newborns into popsicles and please wait until it warmed up. And she did!

Haha @Mini Horses I've been putting the bottle babies in the barn, in a pen, since it warmed up. I brought them back in the house tonight, but I think I'm done with this house lamb thing. Reject was EATING the puppy pad, just had to stop and yank them outa there. So now they can pee and poop on the towel all night and go to the barn in the morning.

 

[Mike CHS]

We enjoyed having bottle lambs but after the first time we now have Mennonite friends that will take them off our hands and they have cattle for milk. We did the math on Princess and found she cost twice as much to get to the weaning stage as what she was worth at that point.

Congratulations on a good lambing!

 

[Baymule]

There’s more milk in those lambs than what they are worth. Sometimes the things we do don’t make much sense, but we do it for the love of it.

Ewes want the bottle milk. I sat on a milk crate to feed Reject and Tiny and got mobbed by ewes trying to take the bottles away from the lambs. They even butted the lambs away from their bottles in their efforts to high jack the milk! I even got bit! Crazy darn sheep! So for the last feeding, I called and the babies came running as did all the rest of the sheep. I put Reject and Tiny in the creep feeder and blocked the opening with the milk crate, which I sat on to give them their bottles. My reward was seeing them eating feed from the pan when the bottles were empty. Who knew ewes would want the darn bottles? Even Ringo looked hopeful, at least he didn’t bite me.

 

[Baymule]

Bottle feeding went well this morning. I called, Reject and Tiny came running, I pushed them through the opening into the creep feeder, climbed over and fed them. I put in fresh feed, 2 lambs went in and started eating. Tiny and Reject copied what they did and started eating too.

I have to brag on Sentry. He is so wise, so smart, so understanding, it blows me away. He wants in the barn every night to guard the babies. He waits at the gate to go in. He respects the ewes space and doesn’t interfere when they are giving birth. He doesn’t mess with the brand new lambs like my other dogs would. All those birthing fluids and the afterbirth are too great a temptation, but not for Sentry. He knows his job, he knows he has a special position and he is proud of his work. I let him out in the morning, sit in a lawn chair, praise and hug him and he wallows in my adoration. He has made one he// of a dog, worth every penny we spent on his surgeries, worth all the time spent on his recovery, worth all the heartache and worry, wondering if he was going to recover enough to even be a yard dog and bring happy with that. Just look at him now. Running, working, fiercely protective, not only knows his job, but takes it a step further, he insists on it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Sentry was meant to be our dog.