My Sheep Journal~ I'm a grandma! Black Betty had twins!!!

[BriteChicken]

Thanks for the info I did not know that and I apologize for my ignorance can anyone suggest any books?

 

[Beekissed]

The farmer from whom I bought these sheep has lambing jugs approx. 3ft. x 4ft.....constructs them from pallets in a temporary nature in his large open barn and then takes them down when no longer needed.

Usually his sheep have already lambed and he moves them there so they can bond for a few days~but he has had some that he caught before they had them and placed them in a jug.

He has been quite successful with this method and his hair sheep don't seem to be like the woollies he used to keep for many years.....very few lambing problems like the ones described here. Very few of his sheep lie down to lamb, from what I understand.

I have a larger one that is approx. 8 x 6 but I think my smaller one will suffice. I expect my sheep will have hers in the field and I don't mind if she does...clean grass and plenty of room.

Welcome to the forum, Brite! I'm glad you like the journal!

I too have read several places that lambing jugs can be smaller than mine, so I designed mine for this size on purpose. The aforementioned farmer likes his small jugs so that the lambs can't get too far from mom.

Aggie, I don't mind...I value your advice!

I'll have to post a pic of my hodge-podge little lean-to barn built from scrap lumber and repurposed tin roofing....it ain't pretty but it serves the purpose. I rent this place, so I didn't want to get too elaborate with building structures. The existing buildings are ancient, so I just attached to these and tried to follow their general size and proportions.

I even have sheep sized head gates built into the pen so that I can immobilize them for treatments, milking, etc. I kind of like it...but, yeah, who wouldn't want something bigger? I sure would! I love a nice big barn!

 

[Beekissed]

Still waiting on the new gal to pop some lambs....she is bagging out great and is swollen at her vulva~but no other sign of lambs....

All the other sheep bred at the same time as she was have had their lambs...all singles. All the same ram. My ewe looks twice the size of any of the other ewes, so I'm hoping she is having twins.

For all you experienced sheeple...I've never read this anywhere but I'm wondering if this is also a sign of imminent lambing....she has been walking around all day with her tail held up and away from her bottom. Almost like she is feeling a lot of pressure or like she wants to defecate and cannot.

Is this one more sign of a ewe getting ready to start lambing?

 

[aggieterpkatie]

For all you experienced sheeple...I've never read this anywhere but I'm wondering if this is also a sign of imminent lambing....she has been walking around all day with her tail held up and away from her bottom. Almost like she is feeling a lot of pressure or like she wants to defecate and cannot.

Is this one more sign of a ewe getting ready to start lambing?

Well....my sheep don't have tails. But yes, this is a sign that all her muscles and ligaments around her hind end are relaxing to get ready for lambing.

 

[freemotion]

Do sheep "lose their ligaments" like goats do, and lamb within 12 hours or so? That sure makes life easy when you don't know the exact breeding date.

 

[freemotion]

Thanks for the info I did not know that and I apologize for my ignorance can anyone suggest any books?

The library will likely have...or can get....Storey's guides for you. The internet is also a great resource. Look at ag college sites for lots of stuff. Look here to see how to do it on a homestead rather than commercially.

I enjoy a lot of the information in Carla Emery's book, The Encyclopedia of Country Living. I have goats, not sheep, but she has a lot of useful information for the homesteader or backyard animal owner, stuff that is practical and not geared towards the commercial grower or promoting the products of the large feed companies as the only way to go.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Do sheep "lose their ligaments" like goats do, and lamb within 12 hours or so? That sure makes life easy when you don't know the exact breeding date.

I've never heard of anyone checking ligs on sheep, plus they're pretty meaty compared to goats. I go more on behavior...usually they isolate themselves and stop eating, nest, etc. Although you do get those ewes who will chow down with the baby bubble hanging out.

 

[Beekissed]

Aggie, that will be my gal...she is a hungry, hungry hippo! She is JUST like her father and fears nothing if it means food will be at hand!

I keep watching her for isolating herself, making a nest, not eating as much....I really think this one will just be walking along eating and they will drop out her hind parts and she will eat the membranes and afterbirth as a matter of course...they would just be more food to her!

She is a PIG!

She is pretty spraddle-legged, bagged up, swollen, tail has went back to former position but no other signs.....you know, a watched pot and all.

Free, you really can see a difference at the tailhead on this one and it started soon after she dropped....and that was two or three days ago!

This is her first lambing and she is just one year old this month, so things may not go as normally for an experienced ewe...not sure if there is usually a difference.

She does look WAY larger than her flock mates did that had single lambs, so I'm still hoping for twins.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

Aggie, that will be my gal...she is a hungry, hungry hippo! She is JUST like her father and fears nothing if it means food will be at hand!

I keep watching her for isolating herself, making a nest, not eating as much....I really think this one will just be walking along eating and they will drop out her hind parts and she will eat the membranes and afterbirth as a matter of course...they would just be more food to her!

She is a PIG!

She is pretty spraddle-legged, bagged up, swollen, tail has went back to former position but no other signs.....you know, a watched pot and all.

Free, you really can see a difference at the tailhead on this one and it started soon after she dropped....and that was two or three days ago!

This is her first lambing and she is just one year old this month, so things may not go as normally for an experienced ewe...not sure if there is usually a difference.

She does look WAY larger than her flock mates did that had single lambs, so I'm still hoping for twins.

Yeah, I had a ewe that was due any day, so I came home at lunch to check on her. She was fine, munching away on hay. I went to do something else and came back *maybe* 20 minutes later and she already had a lamb on the ground.

As far as your ewes age...lambing at one year is slightly early. Typically people breed ewes at around 7-8 months of age, so they'd be about 14-15 months at lambing. How big was she when she was bred? Most people like to wait until the ewe lamb is at least 80 lbs or so at breeding time. She may due just fine, unless she's smaller than normal.

Edited to add...apparently my brain was still asleep when I wrote this this morning. Breeding at 7-8 mos would mean lambing at 12-13 mos, so Bee I think your ewe should be fine.

 

[Beekissed]

Yeah, she was 7 mo. when she was bred but I wouldn't have bred her that young. Funny thing is, the farmer that bred her that young advised me against breeding mine at the same age! Go figure.....

I think he got a new Dorper ram and just wanted to see what he could do, so he bred a whole bunch of 7 mo. old ewes to this fella. He sort of looks like the bull terrier of rams....short, stocky as a tank, Roman nose.

She is still eating......