Well she has chomped through about 1kg of nuts already this morning. Is it ok to keep offering at that rate, she was probably on a quarter of that prelambing.
Checked on the lambs and the smaller one (both ewes) is doing fine, full belly, big stretch etc. The larger one didn't stretch but wasn't hunched and did go over to mum for milk. After trying though she did look a little sunken. Will check again in an hour and if still a bit sunken I'll offer a bottle. I do now think that mum has milk but not much. The lambs seems to swap between teats so whoever gets to mum first may be drinking her dry.
Anything else I can do to boost milk production? This seems to be similiar to what we saw with our first lamb until mum went out onto grass, maybe more pronounced because there are two lambs. I offered some PSB leaves which she was interested in. We've got drizzle this afternoon but temperatures of 17/18C, would the lambs be ok in this. I could half cover a 4 hurdle pen and put them out on grass in that. We have two weeks now until the other two are due to lamb (both on the same day
) so may increase their nut ration to boost milk a bit.
It was the first of the lambs (I assume the bigger) that was stuck, or appeared to me. The water bag appeared but then seemed to not break for about 45mins. Water was pouring from her but this sack remained protruding out. She seemed to get more and more agitated and whilst the first ewe to lamb picked a spot and stuck to it this one was moving all around the field. Then we got a foot and I thought brilliant but the foot remained for an hour going back in and coming out. The vet thought the lamb might not be presented right. We tried to pen her but she ended up running to the others and we got her in (was at dusk) had a feel and could feel mouth first then behind that the other foot. Didn't have to put my hand in at all, just to the second knuckle. Gave her a little while after that but still no movement despite her really pushing so vet said to pull. Lamb was very hard to pull (at least in my opinion but it's the first I've done) and it took me a while. I was worried it was dead but I heard it make a noise as I was pulling. Got the lamb out and her focus on it, looked up and saw the second lamb was already half out, 1 leg and the head up to the neck. No sign of second leg. Had a feel and the leg was bent under so brought it round and that lamb just dropped out.
They may well be crows but they just seem so huge. That may just be the townie in me but I'm also used to seeing crows in big groups, whereas this pair are the only ones around. They leave over winter, no sign of them at all, but come back each spring, I start noticing dead things in the sheep water, look up and sure enough they are there. This is a zoomed in mobile phone picture so not great but the best one I have of one of them. Crossing my fingers they are crows.
Dans