Lambing time!!

[Kusanar]

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?

Sounds like something happened to make her reject her. Might need to bottle raise that baby or tie mama up several times a day so baby can nurse.

 

[Zummerol]

Hey Kusanar. I was there when she gave birth. The little ewe was born first and momma cleaned her up and let her nurse no problem. Then she gave birth to the little ram and things went south from there. She only wanted the ram. Kept pushing the ewe away. I went in a few times to chat to momma... while I was with her she allowed the little ewe to nurse but the minute I stepped back she lay into her... she is a first time momma but I cant keep her if she will do this again. I dont mind bottle feeding but I currently have far too much on my plate to make time for that. And I am only going to get busier in the future...I have taken the little one away and will take her in to nurse and also top up feed. Have not had this problem with any other ewes that I have now or have had in the past... one of my other little ones born to a first time mom a few weeks ago is super sick... I think it is pneumonia... looks like it's going to be a really long night ahead for me

 

[Kusanar]

Hey Kusanar. I was there when she gave birth. The little ewe was born first and momma cleaned her up and let her nurse no problem. Then she gave birth to the little ram and things went south from there. She only wanted the ram. Kept pushing the ewe away.

Ok, I watch a lady on youtube who has a sheep farm with 400 ewes and she occasionally finds a baby that has been cleaned off that none of the ewes want anything to do with. Apparently what can happen is the first born can get up and wander off while mama is having the 2nd one and then when it walks back over, it's clean and mama doesn't recognize it as hers.

When they are still super fresh and the other one is still wet and messy she will actually rub the messy one all over the clean one and make mama clean off the older one again and that seems to help but once they are both cleaned up and mama is still rejecting, then off to the bottle baby pen goes the rejected one.

 

[Ridgetop]

At this point I would remove the ram lamb and see if she will take the ewe lamb back. If she does, in anther couple days introduce the ram lamb again. Rubbing the unwanted lamb with the other's poop, particularly the yellow merconium also often helps a new mom realize she has 2.

 

[Baymule]

I just found this, was gone over Christmas. So sorry that she rejected the ewe lamb. Not a reason to sell her, she may not do this again. I have twin lambs now, second lambing for the ewe. Her first lambing was a single and she didn't seem to realize she had two. I never jug my ewes, but I did this one. And I let one of the dogs in the tiny pen and she got real defensive of her babies. She didn't reject either one, just didn't "know" she had two.

The only ewe I had that rejected a lamb, I worked with her until she let the lamb nurse. I had to catch her, tied her to a post, and milked her into a baby bottle. I fed the lamb. I did this over and over for several hours, giving the lamb strength. I put the lamb up to her udder to let it nurse, over and over. I kept at it until the lamb pooped, letting the ewe smell the lamb's behind. Somewhere I read that the ewe can smell her own milk in the lamb poop. She finally took the lamb. The ewe had twins, one was dead, naturally that's the one she wanted and absolutely did not want the other one. We fought over it most of the day, but I won. LOL

How is the little ewe lamb doing now?