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Author Topic: When to let out a 'bad' mum and lambs  (Read 6190 times)

Lorenza

  • Joined Feb 2016
Re: When to let out a 'bad' mum and lambs
« Reply #30 on: May 15, 2017, 10:30:28 am »
I had a ewe this year that lambed twins unaided, but she lambed the second one so quickly, (when she stood up to lick her first one the second just fell right out!) that she didnt realise she had it. We stood and watched as the poor second lamb squirmed inside the bag, and just as we were about to go and get it out she turned around and saw it. I left them alone for about 5 hours and then discovered that she had no bond at all with the second lamb! She would kick it away time and time again, but when quiet she would smell it and then run off to her first born!
We out her in a 4 hurdle pen with lots of hay water and nuts and we also milked the ewe and bottle fed the lamb. The next morning we did the same. After 3 days we let them out for a few hours and then saw she had abandoned him again. So back in the pen she went for another 4 days.
After this we let them out. In the pen she would feed him when the first born was suckling but wouldnt accept him by himself so we were a bit nervous. We left them for a day to settle and the next day we saw that she would let him feed but wouldnt call back to him when he called. Instead he would follow his sister round and when they were lost the first born would call and mum would come right back. So we have left them to it and 3 weeks later all seems to be fine. The bond isnt great between them but the lamb is not hungry.

When i feed all my ewes in the morning, the little ram lamb who hasnt got the great bond has been spotted pinching milk off other ewes whilst theyre stood quietly!

I would say just to keep a close eye on ewe and lambs and see how they are doing. I think like all living beings, they are all different and adapt to things differently!

Good luck

Dans

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Spalding
    • Six Oaks
    • Facebook
Re: When to let out a 'bad' mum and lambs
« Reply #31 on: May 17, 2017, 11:19:11 am »
Well we bit the bullet and let them out on Saturday morning. It didn't go very smoothly, we tried leading her out with nuts (had worked for the first ewe) but she was more interested in the grass. Managed to get one of her lambs but instead of following it she stayed grazing as the other one was by her. Popped that lamb down in the area we wanted her and went to get the second lamb. The first mum came running over to the twin lamb and nuzzled it. It started feeding, she sniffed it's bum and went crazy butting it. We managed to get that lamb away from first mum and get the twin mum and second twin into the area. But I think by that point twin mum and figured she was down to 1 lamb and just ignored the bleeting of the other twin, which ran after the first mum who was not happy with it's advances. Got the twins together and with mum and kept an eye on them. The first mum ran over to the twins to still butt the one that had fed from her but twin mum stood her ground and chased off first mum. Things have seemed fine and settled since them. We set up a second shelter area and was planning to leave them out Sat night with regular checks as it was warm but ended up rushing our toddler to A&E with breathing difficulties and staying in. So the sheep were left to themselves and when my husband came home early hours of Sunday they were all ok. We've left them out since and everyone is ok, the lambs have now even started playing together and seem to know who is mum and who to stay away from.

All ended well in the end!

Dans
9 sheep, 24 chickens, 3 cats, a toddler and a baby on the way

www.sixoaks.co.uk

www.facebook.com/pg/sixoakssmallholding

www.goodlife.sixoaks.co.uk

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: When to let out a 'bad' mum and lambs
« Reply #32 on: May 17, 2017, 11:35:43 am »
Hope your little one is ok  :fc:


Glad your sheep are settling. When you move them out someone pick up the lambs and someone else deal with the ewe. Take the lambs in front of the ewe where she can see them.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: When to let out a 'bad' mum and lambs
« Reply #33 on: May 17, 2017, 12:29:36 pm »
Hope your little one is ok  :fc:


Glad your sheep are settling. When you move them out someone pick up the lambs and someone else deal with the ewe. Take the lambs in front of the ewe where she can see them.

all of this :thumbsup:

Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

YorkshireLass

  • Joined Mar 2010
  • Just when I thought I'd settled down...!
Re: When to let out a 'bad' mum and lambs
« Reply #34 on: May 17, 2017, 05:31:47 pm »
What they said :)

Dans

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Spalding
    • Six Oaks
    • Facebook
Re: When to let out a 'bad' mum and lambs
« Reply #35 on: May 17, 2017, 05:41:04 pm »


Glad your sheep are settling. When you move them out someone pick up the lambs and someone else deal with the ewe. Take the lambs in front of the ewe where she can see them.

Yep we shall be doing this from now on.

Little one is much better thank you. It ended up being a 24hr stay, couple days home, check up at gp and sent back to a&e but now not needing the inhaler so much. Today has been TV and cuddles which isn't so bad given the rain out there today.

Dans
9 sheep, 24 chickens, 3 cats, a toddler and a baby on the way

www.sixoaks.co.uk

www.facebook.com/pg/sixoakssmallholding

www.goodlife.sixoaks.co.uk

Old Shep

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • North Yorkshire
Re: When to let out a 'bad' mum and lambs
« Reply #36 on: May 18, 2017, 10:44:12 pm »
Glad your little one is on the mend xx
Helen - (used to be just Shep).  Gordon Setters, Border Collies and chief lambing assistant to BigBennyShep.

 

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