Lambing/Breeding 2014-Parsnip

[Parsnip]

Sorry I didn't see this sooner! I WAS AT SCHOOL.

But basically bonbean answered for me lol
I have two ewes with long tails, and two with docked tails. All of them came the way they are now.
I think I'd only dock a tail if I had a wooly hair sheep, like maybe a Dorper with a thick coat.
I've seen wool sheep around my area who have long tails and there is poop CAKED on them.
Like literally their tails are brown and crusty to the MAX.

The two lambs Wendy had have beautiful tails. Both have shorter than normal tails, and I think they get that from the Blackbelly side of them? They tuck their tails in and they are 2/3 the normal tail length.

I have a feeling when MaryEllen has her lamb, I'll dock that tail, because she's really wooly herself, and she was bred to a Dorper who has never fully shed out. SO we'll see.

~ No babies today from MaryEllen! I keep looking for signs, and I've decided to cut out the "going off feed" one.
Her mother Wendy, never did. In fact, I believe she was eating her grain while in labor.
She pushed, and then ate some grain, then rested then pushed again. She loves her grain...

(I was hoping for Valentine's Day babies)

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

~ No babies today from MaryEllen! I keep looking for signs, and I've decided to cut out the "going off feed" one.
Her mother Wendy, never did. In fact, I believe she was eating her grain while in labor.
She pushed, and then ate some grain, then rested then pushed again. She loves her grain...
(I was hoping for Valentine's Day babies)

LOL Silly little critter.

 

[Parsnip]

WAITING ON MARYELLEN.
She's been groaning all morning, but other than that she's acting fine.
She had a lot of discharge yesterday, so I'm hoping a baby is somewhat on it's way!
MaryEllen doesn't look big from the side, but she's honestly the size of a beach ball if you look at her from the back!
I'm trying to see if her belly has dropped but she's pretty wooly, and it's hard to tell.

 

[bonbean01]

LOL about eating grain on and off during labour...yeah, my girls never go off feed either, so that is no help...Jess last year had her morning breakfast of pellets with the others, then headed into the shelter and went into labour. Had we offered her pellets by hand between contractions I know she would have eaten them.
Waiting for your next lamb/s!!!!! Are lambs just not the cutest things ever?????

 

[Parsnip]

Haha!
They just can't give up their grain lol

~ I have a feeling MaryEllen will surprise me.
I just sat down in the barn with everyone for two hours.
I can see baby move around inside MaryEllen, and I think MaryEllen is freaked out by it.
Like the whole time I was down there her eyes were really wide, and she was huffing around a lot.

Her vulva is really deep pink, and her udder was real warm.
Her udder is really small though, this is her first time, so I don't know if it will get any bigger?
I'm starting to feel really bad for her because she can't really lay down and be comfortable.
It's getting to the point to where I think baby is squashing her lungs a little bit!

~ I also have an open ewe who is really smitten with the little ones.
She is a great auntie to them, even though Wendy won't tolerate it lol

*whispers* i can't wait until she gets put in with a ram. i want her to have babies.

 

[bonbean01]

Dolly also sounded like her lungs were being compressed by the lambs, and it worried me...after giving birth, her breathing sounded normal again...whew! Sounds like Mary Ellen will lamb soon, and Whispers is a pretty girl!!!

Holly was a first time mom and the kicking baby freaked her out too for awhile...then she got used to it. Really didn't think she'd lamb when she did as her udder wasn't that big yet...it swelled during labour and she had plenty for the little guy...then as he nursed more, it got to be a big size.

Good luck with another ewe having a healthy baby or babies...are those lambs just not the most darling things ever???? I spend so much time in there...house could use a clean up...but those lambs will only be little once

 

[Pioneer Chicken]

Dolly also sounded like her lungs were being compressed by the lambs, and it worried me...after giving birth, her breathing sounded normal again...whew! Sounds like Mary Ellen will lamb soon, and Whispers is a pretty girl!!!

Holly was a first time mom and the kicking baby freaked her out too for awhile...then she got used to it. Really didn't think she'd lamb when she did as her udder wasn't that big yet...it swelled during labour and she had plenty for the little guy...then as he nursed more, it got to be a big size.

Good luck with another ewe having a healthy baby or babies...are those lambs just not the most darling things ever???? I spend so much time in there...house could use a clean up...but those lambs will only be little once

It sounds that way with one of my does, Bambi, too. I - and she!- will be glad once she kids sometime next month; poor critter.

Yup, so true! It's pretty easy to clean out the goat barn, fill up waters - anything to stay out longer - when you've got little ones in there to watch and admire and hold and love on. They grow up so fast!!

 

[Womwotai]

I forgot you still have MaryEllen's lambs to look forward to! FWIW, when I checked my ewe on Wednesday morning her vulva looked pink but not that different from usual. Based on size, she didn't look that pregnant. The only thing that had me wondering was her bag was filling in, but when I compared to your photos, I decided the bag was not that full after all. At grain time in the morning she was just as competitive as usual about getting her fill. I watched them all on and off all day long and she was out grazing the entire time - no signs whatsoever that she was in labor. I left the windows for 30-45 minutes to get some laundry and dishes done, then went out to do evening chores and there she came with a newborn beside her - so newborn it hadn't even nursed yet. I never saw or heard a single sign she was in labor (still haven't heard the "groan" you reference). I have two more pregnant ewes. One is much larger than the other but has no udder development. The one who is smaller has a bag that looks about like the first ewe's but it has looked that way for days and she's showing no sign of delivery so who knows when it will happen.

 

[bonbean01]

Congrats Wom!!! Hope you have pics up somewhere...we need lambie fixes on here Holly looked also like she had more time to go...silly thing climbed up somehow on a round bale...got her down, she climbed up again...mountain goat style...two hooves and a nose peaking out the whole time...finally got her into a lambing jug...big ram lamb that she couldn't birth..had to push it back in, and unhitch one shoulder and help her during contractions. Her udder didn't boom big until she was in labour. They like to surprise us!

Now...go Mary Ellen!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Parsnip]

Haha, I was actually going to post and reply to ALL OF THIS yesterday, but the power went out!
It finally came back on around 3am last night, so yippie.
I have a picture of MaryEllen's udder from yesterday afternoon, I have yet to check her this morning.


This is her FIRST pregnancy, and I don't know if her udder will get any bigger?

AND CONGRATS WOM.
What a surprise teehee