NEW LAMBIES EVERY WHERE THIS AM, suppose to be real cold today, they are calling for a little snow not much, but when I get off work for this evenings weather they are calling for RAIN all during the evening hrs , Goodolboy left out of town this am and I think I am going to have a nervous break down, , You all can add about 20 new lambs to goodolboys count, between what was born last night and this am. He will up date when he returns or if he has time in the Motel in the evenings. Ellie May is suppose to come help this pm, not sure how much we will be able to get done but we will do are best. Yesterday evening events and update on somethings, watched a ewe trying to have her second lamb for a long time, the first one was up and running around and bugging the SH-T out of her, everytime she would try to have the second lamb that first one would start to follow a different ewe around and she the momma would have to go chase it down, , and then she would try to get back to consontrate on having the second one, we watched this happen for about 45 min, finally poor ewe had the second one standing up.
Baby came out with sac still covering its face, momma busy with first one again, as it was off again,, she came back and started licking the second one on its butt, but the sac is still covering the face, goodolboy ran over got sac off face, cleared mouth and nose, its breathing and momma licking, but baby #1 is pestering her again, second baby not getting attention from momma, I watched this for about another 45 mins, baby now cold and wet and momma not doing enough to help it,(because 1st brat is a hand full).
Mean while another ewe had been in labor at same time, we were keeping an eye on her as well, she finally gave up trying to get baby out and was eating hay, GESH...... so we new enough time had passed that we were going to have to help, caught her and pulled a hugh ram lamb out of her, must of been 12-13 lbs, we will weigh today as it was late and she needed to clean it off and bond with her baby before we go taking it from her to do all that needs to be done, her ear tag # told us she was a first timer. with a baby that big hope she didn't have a second one, as it was going to need alot of milk to fill it up
After tagging and weighing more new babies that were born while we were at work, all seems ok, ACCEPT the second baby that the other ewe had was still not doing well, I just wanted to HOG tie that first one as it was still being trouble for momma, to much time has passed now, baby is chilled and not in good shape, So I had to get it, take it home and get it warmed up, then get it fed and get it up and standing. Several hours later baby is doing great, but has not stood up yet.
So this am I didn't need alarm clock, as the baby was up and screaming for more food, STANDING and screaming, all is well but another bottle baby,
next year instead of putting breeding rams in 1 week early, if everyone can't be there that weekend, well I will wait and put them in one week late, this cold and rain is causing problems, not so much the rain, but the cold ground sucks the life out of babies if momma doesn't get them cleaned off fast enough and up drinking.....Lambing this many sheep at once all can't be perfect, but warmer weather cuts down alot of issues, I have learned my lesson.
This am I seen at least 5 new sets of twins, I am sure there was more but they were cuddle up next to momma and staying warm, but the 5 sets I seen were all just born and up trying to find their legs and a teat, but one set in perticullar, was born right up against the electric fence, all of are border fenceing is woven wire, and most of are paddocks are woven wire accept one, and this is the paddock one group of ewes are lambing in. Really hope those new born twins don't back into the electric fence as they are still wet and that would be one heck of a jolt guess it will ensure their hearts are pumping good.......
Now a quick update on the bottle babies at home, YEAH!!! I have four trained to self feed on the bucket already , that cuts out some of my time that I need elsewhere..
Well, I need to get back to my day job, will update again later................
Shelly May you are dong a fantastic job! So much to take care of and watch. And no matter what we do, it always seems we learn the hard way and want to do it different next time, but next time there will be something else. I hope you are getting enough rest, can't imagine having a full time job with all that going on!
That's great you have the bottle babies feeding off the auto feeder.
I am so amazed at what you guys are doing! Keep up the good work, but don't have a nervous breakdown. It will be over soon!
Shelly May...all I can say after reading that...wow...amazing...and I too am impressed how you can do this with a full time job
You guys had quite a night and morning...and now goodoldboy is gone for a few days and you are alone there??? Glad Ellie May is able to come help you!!!!
Thank you for taking the time to post your lambings...first thing I came to check on here
No nervous breakdowns allowed...as Bridge said...this won't last forever...hang in there
Well I'm at tha hotel finally. No word from my loving DW. I hope all is well with her and Ellie May. I'll update the lamb count when she calls me. Well.....if she calls me.
I'm in the great town of Columbus, IN. All I can say is I'm real glad when I get to get back to the hills.
When DH and I drove from Florida to Canada to visit my relatives we always took a new route to see more of the US...I remember how very beautiful Kentucky was and those rolling hills...awesome scenery...we went that route coming back home too just to catch that Kentucky beauty
Here are a few bad pictures. All of these lambs are at home. Buttons( white ewe black spots) picture of her and her triplets. Black one with white cap is hard to see, it is laying against feed bowl. This ewe is still a fatty, you wouldn't think she had triplets. Included a few pictures of bottle babies on self feeding bucket now. Two lambs in the cages are still in the house, they have not made it to the bucket yet. Update more in the morning. Enjoy.
Good Morning everyone, Sorry about bad pictures my camera was acting funny, think I may have hit a button somewhere and got it out of ajustment , Any ways me and Ellie May tagged 14 lambs last night, it was cold and wet and really muddy, we spent most of the time falling on our butts, we were covered in mudd head to toe, spent more time on the ground than we did standing up.
Wanted to get you byher's some pictures, but got to late and babies where wet and muddy, they would have been ugly pictures, so when we were done with all we could do, getting late. we went to house so Ellie May could see the two sets of triplets that the wide loads had, so took a few pictures of them and those two wide loads look like they are still pregnant...
Took a few pictures of the babies that I now have bucket trained so you all can see this for your self and some of you who have to work full time can benefit from this. All these lambs at home are clean so I wasn't embarassed by them , Have two of them in the house not ready for bucket yet, but will be on bucket by the weekend, Note always use cold milk in your self feed buckets, as it keeps babies from overeating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me and Ellie May will be back at it again this evening as there are ALOT of new babies out there again this am, and we left several from yesterday that weren't done yet.
Note: Ellie May, was in awh yesterday and she was so amazed at all that was happening and seeing all those babies that I lost her attention on the job sometimes, she would just be standing there and wanting to pick the babies up and dry them off and cuddle them in her coat and watching momma's deliver new babies while see was there, she was watching and watching and watching....some times I forgot she is new into sheep. But she was a great help to me and I just need to go out and get her those horse blinders that they put on horses
This am guess what I got, MORE LAMBS they are everywhere, have you ever heard any one say to their livestock, SLOW DOWN, give me abreak, UGH!
Cold and snow here this am, not looking forward to this at all, have pulled and used so many leg muscles you wouldn't believe it, we wear coveralls, and muck boats, and try to run in 6 inches of mudd, and use muscles that we never even knew we had. , and eating supper at 8:30 pm most nights now I am gaining weight because hitting the bed right after you eat turns into fat , so carrying a extra few pounds doesn't help............
Need to get back to day job for a few, will update later......