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- #121
Lambing time!!
- Thread starter Zummerol
- Start date
Baymule
Herd Master
I don't know either. If it is not infection, and she doesn't look sick, then it may be a delayed twin. I'm just throwing that out there, but she could have been bred twice and produced an embryo each time. I'd think that labor for the first one would have triggered labor for the 2nd one, if that is indeed what is going on here. That's just a SWAG (super-wild-ass-guess) 
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- #123
Zummerol
Loving the herd life
I also thought of delayed twinning but surely she would have had the little one by now... also her udder is getting bigger...and her belly is bulging on the ones side... I really am stumped here...
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- #124
Zummerol
Loving the herd life
Ok I have just checked on the ewes as I have 2 more left to lamb... the ewe that is so big even after giving birth 3 weeks ago now has a vaginal discharge that is milky in colour and what looks like blood in it. Anyone ever had anything like this before?
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- #126
Zummerol
Loving the herd life
No temp at all. Eating all good and feeding her baby.. I'm stumped... will have to wait and see
Ridgetop
Herd Master
So sorry, I just found this thread again.
Did she pass the placenta? If you can't find it she may have buried it, so turn the dogs in and they will find it. If she did not pass it you might have a retained placenta. Antibiotics will deal with any infection and she can reabsorb it.
Is there an odor to the discharge? No temperature would seem to negate the idea of infection. Increase in udder size is normal since she is adjusting to the nursing needs of her growing lamb. The increase in body girth is puzzling unless with good nutrition she is putting on the weight she lost before you got her or while carrying the lamb. What does she feel like in body condition when you are feeling her spine and ribs? Is she carrying a layer of fat?
Delayed birth usually takes place within 24 hours since it is usually the result of ovulation and conception in each uterine horn. Once the ewe is pregnant, no more eggs are dropped. Delayed birth is usually from conception in each horn during the same heat cycle. Each separate lambing from each horn produces its own placenta.
If you can get your hand inside her vulva, you might want to glove up, lube up with antibacterial soap, and try to feel inside for an dead lamb. If there is no odor to the discharge, and no temperature, and she is not off her feed or looking really down, it is probably not a dead lamb still inside. However, if you are worried about a retained placenta, you can give her antibiotics. Her vulva is probably pretty tight by now so I wouldn't expect to be able to get more than one or two fingers inside her. If you do go inside be sure to give antibiotics to avoid any infection.
In addition, is the ram running with the ewes? If so he may be trying to breed them. How often do the Persian Fat Tailed sheep lamb? How soon after lambing do PFT sheep come back into season and start cycling again? If he is rough, he may be causing the bleeding discharge although unlikely. My Dorpers produce lambs every 8 months, but normally won't rebreed until their new lambs are 2 months old. If they lose their lamb, they will recycle within a month, rebreed and produce a lamb(s) in 6 months after losing the lambs.
BTW, everything you did for the preemie was spot on! Congrats.
Did she pass the placenta? If you can't find it she may have buried it, so turn the dogs in and they will find it. If she did not pass it you might have a retained placenta. Antibiotics will deal with any infection and she can reabsorb it.
Is there an odor to the discharge? No temperature would seem to negate the idea of infection. Increase in udder size is normal since she is adjusting to the nursing needs of her growing lamb. The increase in body girth is puzzling unless with good nutrition she is putting on the weight she lost before you got her or while carrying the lamb. What does she feel like in body condition when you are feeling her spine and ribs? Is she carrying a layer of fat?
Delayed birth usually takes place within 24 hours since it is usually the result of ovulation and conception in each uterine horn. Once the ewe is pregnant, no more eggs are dropped. Delayed birth is usually from conception in each horn during the same heat cycle. Each separate lambing from each horn produces its own placenta.
If you can get your hand inside her vulva, you might want to glove up, lube up with antibacterial soap, and try to feel inside for an dead lamb. If there is no odor to the discharge, and no temperature, and she is not off her feed or looking really down, it is probably not a dead lamb still inside. However, if you are worried about a retained placenta, you can give her antibiotics. Her vulva is probably pretty tight by now so I wouldn't expect to be able to get more than one or two fingers inside her. If you do go inside be sure to give antibiotics to avoid any infection.
In addition, is the ram running with the ewes? If so he may be trying to breed them. How often do the Persian Fat Tailed sheep lamb? How soon after lambing do PFT sheep come back into season and start cycling again? If he is rough, he may be causing the bleeding discharge although unlikely. My Dorpers produce lambs every 8 months, but normally won't rebreed until their new lambs are 2 months old. If they lose their lamb, they will recycle within a month, rebreed and produce a lamb(s) in 6 months after losing the lambs.
BTW, everything you did for the preemie was spot on! Congrats.
- Thread starter
- #128
Zummerol
Loving the herd life
Thanks for the kind words on the preemie she is super fat now.. the ewe put on weight once she got to us. They were all a little on the bedraggled side. I have had them for a year now... and she has got nice body coverage.. the placenta did pass and we burned it. There is no smell to the discharge but there was no more discharge this morning... she is bulging on the one side and when she lies down she is pretty much the same size as the day she gave birth.. I sold the ram once I knew all my ewes were carrying. Not sure if ftp can be bred more than once a year and I think their cycle is 16 days..
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Sometimes, the bloody after lambing discharge goes away, then the ewe will suddenly have a secondary discharge of bloody mucous a couple weeks later. (One of my ewes just did this the other day.) They are just doing a final clean out as their reproductive organs shrink back into place. The ewes don't always get their pre-pregnancy shapes back for several weeks either. (Just like us! LOL) If there is an infection the discharge will stink badly, the ewe will be noticeably sick rapidly, and a temperature will alert you.
If you don't have a vet nearby, I suggest you keep antibiotics on hand. You mentioned a cattle farmer nearby. He will have a vet for antibiotics if you can get them from him. Otherwise mail order them if you can. Do you vaccinate your ewes? You can mail order the all-in-one disposable needles and syringes in bulk along with the vaccines and a basic antibiotic to keep in your fridge for emergencies.
I order the bulk 100 count box of 3cc (3ml?) syringe combo with needle size 22 gauge x 3/4" length for standard vaccinations of CDT. This smaller gauge and length needle size is easier on the lambs which require 2 vaccinations 30 days apart. It is also easier on the grown stock as well. The dose for CDT is 2 ml per animal no matter weight. However, for antibiotics like Penicillin, which is thicker, I order a large gauge needle as well as 6 cc or 12 cc syringes since the antibiotic doses are larger. Having the syringes and antibiotics on hand is much better than having to wait for a delivery of meds. In the refrigerator the meds will keep for several years, but always check the expiration dates and re-order when necessary. With the CDT requiring 2 doses of 2 ml each per lamb, and one for the ewe, we figure abut 6 cc of vaccine per ewe per lambing season. With the additional rams and young stock, I usually order the large size vials. After this season I will have to order more CDT. I also keep a tetanus vaccine which I give along with the original CDT if we are going to dock tails or castrate immediately. It takes about a week or so for the CDT to take effect against tetanus. Lately we have not been docking or castrating ram lambs before selling them at auction since we get more $$ for them that way. My son also lies to wait until the ewe lambs are stronger before docking tails. He leaves on two inches at the base of the tail, removing just enough tail to expose the vaginal opening and udder when the ewes are pregnant.
If you don't have a vet nearby, I suggest you keep antibiotics on hand. You mentioned a cattle farmer nearby. He will have a vet for antibiotics if you can get them from him. Otherwise mail order them if you can. Do you vaccinate your ewes? You can mail order the all-in-one disposable needles and syringes in bulk along with the vaccines and a basic antibiotic to keep in your fridge for emergencies.
I order the bulk 100 count box of 3cc (3ml?) syringe combo with needle size 22 gauge x 3/4" length for standard vaccinations of CDT. This smaller gauge and length needle size is easier on the lambs which require 2 vaccinations 30 days apart. It is also easier on the grown stock as well. The dose for CDT is 2 ml per animal no matter weight. However, for antibiotics like Penicillin, which is thicker, I order a large gauge needle as well as 6 cc or 12 cc syringes since the antibiotic doses are larger. Having the syringes and antibiotics on hand is much better than having to wait for a delivery of meds. In the refrigerator the meds will keep for several years, but always check the expiration dates and re-order when necessary. With the CDT requiring 2 doses of 2 ml each per lamb, and one for the ewe, we figure abut 6 cc of vaccine per ewe per lambing season. With the additional rams and young stock, I usually order the large size vials. After this season I will have to order more CDT. I also keep a tetanus vaccine which I give along with the original CDT if we are going to dock tails or castrate immediately. It takes about a week or so for the CDT to take effect against tetanus. Lately we have not been docking or castrating ram lambs before selling them at auction since we get more $$ for them that way. My son also lies to wait until the ewe lambs are stronger before docking tails. He leaves on two inches at the base of the tail, removing just enough tail to expose the vaginal opening and udder when the ewes are pregnant.
- Thread starter
- #130
Zummerol
Loving the herd life
Hi all. I need help... again. My mutton merino gave birth to twins this morning. A little boy and a little girl... the momma wants nothing to do with the little girl hits her to the ground and the sides of the enclosure... what can I do?
