It seems like the longest lambing season this year.
No one tried to deliver on their harness marked date except one.
Friday my problem-ish ewe was due.
She has been trying to prolapse for a week or 10 days.
It seems to go back in quickly when she gets up and moves.
Finally wed it did not so I inserted a prolapse spoon to hold her together.
She rubbed it off overnight grrr.
Thursday I put it back in and tied it around her chest to anchor it better.
Friday her due date at 3:30 in the afternoon she started.
I cut the spoon strings and pulled the spoon out.
Shortly thereafter...
I was sitting crying as she passed two sacks of brown liquid.
She hollered and licked them up.
I swore she was aborting.
Then....
Big, huge ewe lamb was stuck so I assisted.
20 minutes later another small bubble appeared with no lamb so in I went.
This one was even bigger and so stuck I swore he was dead as I could not get his head through.
I went racing after S but he was no help so I got mad at not being able to pull it.
Anger helped and after 10 min of tugged and pushing her tissues around I succeeded.
You may notice the "bra" she is wearing.
I made it to stop the lambs from trying to nurse off her extra teats.
The "real" milk filled ones are big like a dairy cow and lower on her bag.
It is easier and more natural for lambs to go higher to smaller fake ones.
The last few years this has meant I struggled to get her lambs nursing so I invented.
It works!
I took it off this morning and the lambs are old enough to know where to go now.
So much nicer and better for me also.
Should she be culled?
Yes however she gives such nice lambs and they always placed top 3 in their classes.
Because she is a beast at milk production I helped myself to some colostrum as well.
I easily filled over 3 cup bags and froze them for emergencies.
This also loosened her teats for easier nursing for her lambs.
I stripped the wax plugs and had an easy flow going.
A couple days before this set of lambs another ewe delivered in the middle of the night.
Thank goodness for the baby monitor set up in the barn.
2 huge ram lambs but no issues involved.
This has been the year of the ram here.
So far 9 lambs born alive, 1 premie/aborted lamb however and
a ewe that delivered triplets was weak and laid on one lamb killing it within 12 hr of birth.
It was a beautiful ewe lamb as well.
So 8 live lambs on the ground.
6 are flipping rams!
Guess they will be going to Easter market.
We show our sheep so ewes are preferred as we don't need the hassle of
penning and raising rambunctious boys.
I will keep 1-3 rams as they are different breeds but rest will go to Easter camp.
One more ewe to go.
She was marked to deliver last week so hurry up and wait.
