farmerjan
Herd Master
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2016
- Messages
- 11,493
- Reaction score
- 45,308
- Points
- 758
- Location
- Shenandoah Valley Virginia
CUTE little wanderers....
SageHill Ranch Journal
- Thread starter SageHill
- Start date
Baymule
Herd Master
Lambs are so worth all the hard work, expense, up early, barn checks at night, midwifery, scooping poop, and even loss of ewe, lamb or ram. Lambs make up for it all.
- Thread starter
- #783
SageHill
Herd Master
Wellllll, lookie here -- sheep helping one another 
Yup that's how to get to the higher branches.
The things ya' see when you're cleaning out the stalls.
Yup that's how to get to the higher branches.
The things ya' see when you're cleaning out the stalls.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Did I miss this? What happened?
Sometimes ewes get a wax plug and if it doesn't come out when lamb first nurses, they get engorged. If lamb doesn't seem to be nursing or tries then gives up fast, check teats. That prolapse ewe is a cull, so just as well her lamb is a ram. The red lamb's mom might have been late in bagging. It sometimes happens.
Had a 4-H kid that wanted do the sheep breeding project. Ewe lambed no problem but after a day the boy's mother called and said there was something wrong with the lamb, it was very weak. Told her to have owner check teats. She said he had. Next morning she called again and said the lamb was crying and not nursing. I went over with a bottle of colostrum, caught and tied the ewe, and checked its teats. Plugged with wax. I cleared them out and held the lamb on. Lamb sucked but was very weak so I milked out more colostrum and bottle fed lamb. Told mother that boy had not bothered to check teats. I was not happy about this kid anyway. His market lamb the year before was losing weight and his mother complained that the boy was feeding but the lamb was not eating. Told her to clean out feeder and refill with fresh alfalfa. She said boy did that but insisted the lamb must be sick so I went over. I looked in the feeder and the hay was old stalky stuff that had been picked over. Also, not much in the feeder, just enough that if you looked you would see some green. The sheep was starving. I told the mother that she had to oversee this project. The boy was spoiled and pretty lazy about his livestock projects. Mom did not check on him (it was his project) so I suggested he sell the ewe and do something else the next year. Lack of information is one thing, not bothering to feed, etc. was not to be tolerated in my projects. I am a b***h - live with it! LOL.
- Thread starter
- #785
SageHill
Herd Master
Little Guy update....
A week and a half old (11 days) and a whopping 10 lbs.
He's a scrawny guy and needs some groceries, but spunky. Still keeping fingers crossed he'll make it. By comparison the ewe lamb born on Friday was 11 lbs at 3 days old.
I'm still supplementing him - 2-3 times a day, but he'll only take about 2 oz. He does nurse on him mom who still has a small udder. IMO you'd never guess she has a new lamb. But I've also seen him getting sips off of the other two ewes with lambs. And he's working on greenery in the pasture and alfalfa in the stall. He definitely has the will.
Morning weigh in - 10 lbs (missed getting the reading in the pic)
Hmmm pellets?!!!
Pretty flowers smell good.
He runs and plays with the other lambs. The older ewe lamb is an instigator, she charges around
and gets the older (6 mos) lambs running around too.
Lambs so far.... White - born 1/2, brown born 1/19, white & brown born 1/12
A week and a half old (11 days) and a whopping 10 lbs.
He's a scrawny guy and needs some groceries, but spunky. Still keeping fingers crossed he'll make it. By comparison the ewe lamb born on Friday was 11 lbs at 3 days old. I'm still supplementing him - 2-3 times a day, but he'll only take about 2 oz. He does nurse on him mom who still has a small udder. IMO you'd never guess she has a new lamb. But I've also seen him getting sips off of the other two ewes with lambs. And he's working on greenery in the pasture and alfalfa in the stall. He definitely has the will.
Morning weigh in - 10 lbs (missed getting the reading in the pic)
Hmmm pellets?!!!
Pretty flowers smell good.
He runs and plays with the other lambs. The older ewe lamb is an instigator, she charges around
and gets the older (6 mos) lambs running around too.
Lambs so far.... White - born 1/2, brown born 1/19, white & brown born 1/12
- Thread starter
- #786
SageHill
Herd Master
He slipped or tore a pad. The stinker would hardly show that it hurt - took my "horse eyes" to catch a misstep and saw what he was trying to hide. It took a week but he's fine now - yay!
Yeah - I checked, the cull ewe didn't have a wax plug she just doesn't have much. The prolapse was strike one on a one strike you're out deal, and the lack of milk is strike two. Such is life. I'll keep her until weaning. She's at least being a better mother as time goes on. LOL when I checked the other two it squirt across the stall. I was milking the black ewe for a couple days - though I probably didn't have to as her ewe lamb got the idea and once the pressure was off with the milking she would stand to be nursed. She seriously looked like a cow from behind before she lambed. It had to be sore.
Dang on that 4-H kid -- probably rather be a city kid.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Don't forget that the younger ewe lamb was a single with no problems at birth. He was a twin you had to pull with a dead brother. Not surprising that he is smaller, he will catch up.A week and a half old (11 days) and a whopping 10 lbs.
- Thread starter
- #788
SageHill
Herd Master
After the rains I needed to check the ranch, esp the ranch road to see what needed to be fixed. There was a lot of wash but not bad. Since I needed to walk it, I took the ewes w/o lambs out for a graze. Obi was very pleased.
A couple hours on the tractor and the ranch road is gorgeous once again. There's nothing like seeing it
freshly graded with the dirt is so nice and dark.
This afternoon I took Obi over to the barn just to check on things and get the evening feed ready. Well,,,,,
change of plan. It's all Obi's fault
You guessed it - we took them all out to graze - mamas and babies included (OK ram and his wether buddy left behind in their area). We didn't go far, just outside the pasture/turn out. That dog is freaking amazing. No one was ruffled, rushed, scared. They were all happy to get out and about and the lambs were good as well. Of course the lil' guy has his own way and thinks Obi is his buddy. Well, ya' know, he is. We stayed close to the pasture, I have no idea how much stamina the lambs have and if they can make it for a full on graze. I'll try soon though, it feels good to have them all out together and back grazing.
So now ya'll have to put up with more pics.
A couple hours on the tractor and the ranch road is gorgeous once again. There's nothing like seeing it
freshly graded with the dirt is so nice and dark.
This afternoon I took Obi over to the barn just to check on things and get the evening feed ready. Well,,,,,
change of plan. It's all Obi's fault
You guessed it - we took them all out to graze - mamas and babies included (OK ram and his wether buddy left behind in their area). We didn't go far, just outside the pasture/turn out. That dog is freaking amazing. No one was ruffled, rushed, scared. They were all happy to get out and about and the lambs were good as well. Of course the lil' guy has his own way
and thinks Obi is his buddy. Well, ya' know, he is. We stayed close to the pasture, I have no idea how much stamina the lambs have and if they can make it for a full on graze. I'll try soon though, it feels good to have them all out together and back grazing. So now ya'll have to put up with more pics.
Baymule
Herd Master
Ewes are happy, lambs are bouncing and Obie is happy.
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Pix pf Obie crack me up! He's adorable but he reminds me of pix of "The Big Bad Wolf" in some picture old books. That wild hairdo makes me just want to grab him and hug him.
