The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: goosepimple on April 05, 2011, 07:27:15 pm
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Hi everyone, I'm assured by the person who sold us our 8 soay ewes (some newbies some older) that the lambing process will be super easy and to leave them to it - they are due over the next week. Any advice on this please, thanks for reading.
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Hi :wave:
Thelma (OE goats and soays) says her lambing equipment consists largely of binoculars..... the implication being that they got on with it and she observed from the bottom of the hill!
Hope it turns out to be as straightforward for you :)
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Hi jaykay, Yes, binoculars are in use hourly at the moment as we are trying not to go over that side of the river except to feed first thing, so they feel confident about non-invasion. Have observed that they do seem to be going around the back of the wee lambing shelter we built for them - perhaps trying out for privacy? or maybe its the school bike shed!
Geese doing extremely well by the way, very happy but laying eggs somewhere up the river where we can't find them then coming back to socialise with everyone for the rest of the day. Love seeing them, great.
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It's not impossible to have a problem with Soays - we had one last year, the only one in 15 years, but both dam and lamb would have died had we not intervened. It was the most difficult lambing to assist at as even my hands could barely fit in and both the ewe and I were badly bruised afterwards (she needed pain killers and steroids from the vet as well as a few doses of long-acting AntiBs afterwards - I just had a sore hand :D). It was a head only presentation with an enormous lamb so she had to go back in then have the legs brought forward. So continue to observe your Soays and be ready to assist if something major goes wrong, although it is very unlikely. The other thing to watch is that sometimes one lamb of twins is lost - I think this happens on the island when there is not enough food to go round so the dam sensibly decides she will rear only one lamb (I don't know how she chooses which one - size? sex?) So make sure both are fully mothered up and have full bellies. I consider my Soays to be a little bit less hardy than my Hebs, even after weaning in their first winter.
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Thanks for that fleecewife, all you hear is the 'easy' stories and I'm aware its not all like that. We have farming friends all around us so I may call on them if there's something although am aware they are preoccupied with their own ewes.
Any more experiences anyone would be appreciated - you can never have too much knowledge! Many thanks.