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Post by ketoriverfarm on Apr 4, 2015 3:36:15 GMT
I have three ewes who are due NOW. Yesterday they spent all day laying around. Their udders are full, vulvas pink and swollen, and they have all started dropping. Today - no laying around, eating normally, chewing their cud. I went out and had a talk with them tonight - let's get this show on the road.
I am betting on Sunday. I typically miss both Maundy Thursday and Easter services every year due to lambing. Since I made the Thursday services, I will be shocked if I make sunrise service on Sunday. I go through this scenario each year. I don't know why I expect the next time to be different. Maybe I am having sympathy pains for them. Susan
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Post by Bear Foot Farm on Apr 4, 2015 13:14:09 GMT
You can tell when they will lamb by looking at the weather forecast The first cold, nasty, stormy night you'll be in the barn at 2 AM
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2015 14:46:43 GMT
Might try using a marking harness for your ram next breeding season. Sure has made my life a lot less stressful .
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Post by bergere on Apr 4, 2015 18:25:16 GMT
Back when I was raising sheep... during lambing season I made the ewes wait until 9am for their feed... not sure why this worked but it did. Most waited to have their lambs after breakfast. Either that, or I had greedy sheep... Made it a lot easier on me.
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Post by Callie on Apr 5, 2015 22:31:42 GMT
Waiting for those pictures.....
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Post by ketoriverfarm on Apr 8, 2015 3:29:04 GMT
Great news. Had my first lamb this evening. A single ram lamb to a 1st time mom. This afternoon she was very upset and kept moving from the barn out 100 yards to a feeder and then to a runway in between. Up and down. She was not sure what was going on. Once she figured out that she needed to push - she did a great job. The lamb weighed 8 lbs and it took him about 40 minutes to get the faucets figured out.
I am still waiting on her to expel the afterbirth. It hasn't been two hours yet. I will take pictures to post tomorrow. It was 144 days from breeding to delivery. So right on the money for her. Susan
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Post by bergere on Apr 8, 2015 10:39:50 GMT
Congrats on the new lamb!
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Post by Callie on Apr 8, 2015 12:44:23 GMT
Hurray! Now on to the others!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2015 20:05:09 GMT
That's great . Congratulations!!
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Post by ketoriverfarm on Apr 10, 2015 0:20:38 GMT
Here is a bit of an update on my lambing. If you recall I went to bed and had not seen the afterbirth. In the morning couldn't find. Did she eat it? My husband says go attend your ladies handwork circle, I'll keep an eye on things. I get home about 11:00 am. Bess is having contractions. Long story short there was another lamb, fully developed, but it had been dead for quite awhile. Not a fun day! So we are now into two days of penicillin, vitamin b and calcium gluconate injections. Bess is looking pretty good considering what she has been through. Her lamb lost a pound on day 1! But today he is up two. He is nursing. We have supplemented a small amount of milk replacer and have milked out colostrum. But he is not too keen on the bottle. So we are not off to a good start on lambing this year.
Haven't felt like taking pictures yet. Maybe tomorrow. Susan.e
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Post by Callie on Apr 11, 2015 17:40:42 GMT
Hang in there. Things happen. Doesn't seem that there was much you could do about the lost lamb.
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Post by ketoriverfarm on Apr 11, 2015 17:48:36 GMT
Callie, thanks for the encouragement. It is just so darn hard when we have this type of issues. Thankfully it is rare in Icelandics. I have two ewes who I a sure will lamb this weekend. Susan
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Post by Bear Foot Farm on Apr 11, 2015 18:17:24 GMT
It's not unusual to not find the afterbirths
I always confine new lambs and the ewes to a 4 X 4 pen for 24-48 hours to make it easier for them to bond, and even then I sometimes won't find the afterbirth until I clean out the bedding
In my case it also kept the dogs from eating them
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Post by Callie on Apr 12, 2015 19:06:20 GMT
Yes it is hard. But it's just part of the experience. You learn a bit more each year. You will also come to know your sheep over time. If I had a ewe lamb with a single that had always singled before, I wouldn't think a think about her singling again. But if she had always had twins and then had a single with no afterbirth, I might think again. You learn as you go. And ever after "learning" some sheep just always surprise you. Good luck this weekend. Hope it all goes well for you.
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Post by ketoriverfarm on Apr 12, 2015 23:15:24 GMT
My ewe named Maureen ( AKA Moe) had twin girls this morning at 3 am.. And I feed between 8-9 am. So that morning feed does not work for me. Looking for a smiley face. But cannot find it.
Moe was a triplet. Her brothers were Larry & Curlie. Any way Moe had the first one already cleaned up when we checked at 3 am. Both girls are strong and were nursing as soon as they could stand. Pictures will be coming.
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Post by manygoatsnmore on Apr 14, 2015 2:41:11 GMT
Yay! I'll be looking forward to the pics.
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Post by ketoriverfarm on Apr 14, 2015 18:58:22 GMT
This is my first attempt to add a photo. And it worked. This is Felix. The first lamb born this year. Mom is Bess. And last night we had triplets. So I will be posting more pics. Lambs are just so precious. Susan
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Post by Callie on Apr 14, 2015 20:09:36 GMT
he is a cutie!!
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Post by bergere on Apr 18, 2015 15:13:59 GMT
Felix is very adorable!
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