The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: squeasy on February 27, 2012, 09:05:13 pm
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Well after all my waiting- it finally happened today my first ever lamb. It was quite traumatic as it malpresented - (and despite going on a very good lambing course) looked like the lamb was not going to make it so had to call out the vet - the mother was exhausted. But pleased to say we now have our first Soay Lamb. Our other two ewes that are due around now are looking like it could be tonight so fingers crossesd these are a little easier. But really happy.
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:love: :love: :love: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :love: :love: :love:
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AAAAAAAAWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lovely...
Ive told Brucklay she can't have one!
;D :) :) :) :)
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Well done sooo sweet
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A Soay! Contained in a building! amazing :-))) (and lambie is very very sweet too)!
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congratulations they look content together hope everything goes well with the other two :thumbsup:
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A Soay! Contained in a building! amazing :-))) (and lambie is very very sweet too)!
She lambed outside but then the weather turned so I put her in for a little bit and as there is another one lambing she will stay in there tonight and I will put them out tomorrow! The mother (the most timid of my soays) has been amazing. She struggled with the labour and maybe shes just happy it's out and well.
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Thank you all- I would prefer not to have an advanced lesson in lambing with every birth though - so fingers crossed for next two!
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Well done mom and well done you.
Best wishes to the next two.
:farmer: :sheep:
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Awwwww. Congratulations.
BUT ......they told me Soays just plopped out. Now Im worried. Will be calling on my sheep mentor if anything looks at all problematic. Good job he is only over the hill and not lambing himself anymore.If he is not around it will definitely be the vet.
Cant imagine mine settling indoors like that .....she looks so content. Must be motherhood.
How big is lamby? Never seen a new born Soay, only my neighbours mules when he lambed and I was trying to gain a little knowledge. Do worry about foxes taking them as mine will lamb outdoors unless there is a problem and we have woodland bordering our paddocks.
Hope your next two arrive without problems. Fingers crossed for you.
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we have to watch out for eagles too....we had a very small shetland ewe twin lamb taken by our local golden eagle last year!
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Oh no!! Did you actually see it come down and take it?
No golden eagles here. Would love to see one actually, but not near my sheep or poultry!! We have lots of buzzards and red kite and a bird I cant identify, maybe a goshawk or hen harrier .....just guessing. Can any of these cause problems? Think that they are not that hungry because there are so many pheasants around.
Squeasy, did you get your ewes scanned? Could you tell that they were in lamb? Mine have not been scanned and dont look particularly pregnant!! Had a little feel of their tums when we gave them their Heptovac and have been trying to keep a check on their condition when I feed them and they are busy munching in the trough but cant say that they seem to have changed much.They look well and a bit round but when you get your fingers in it seems to be mostly springy Soay fleece!!
Oh, I have got so many questions. Sorry ....much to learn when it comes to sheep.
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How big is lamby? Never seen a new born Soay, only my neighbours mules when he lambed and I was trying to gain a little knowledge. Do worry about foxes taking them as mine will lamb outdoors unless there is a problem and we have woodland bordering our paddocks.
Hope your next two arrive without problems. Fingers crossed for you.
Hello- yes I read all the stats too. 98.9% of Soays lamb without any help required. But I think Podita just wanted me to know that she needed me (maybe not my tears- first reaction- but anyway) She also now seems to be much calmer and happy for me to be quite close to her and 'boy' .
I was amazed at how big he was when born, he looks very big compared to his mum. Podita lambed outside but I had shelters made in the field for the wet weather and for somewhere to put them after lambing. During the day they are both outside in a fenced off area (where Podita chose to lamb) next to the shelter and then they are locked in at night. I am just doing it for the first few days.
Here is a picture from this morning aged 2 days.
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we have to watch out for eagles too....we had a very small shetland ewe twin lamb taken by our local golden eagle last year!
Oh that is terrible. Not sure if we have foxes here but worried about dogs too.
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A Soay! Contained in a building! amazing :-))) (and lambie is very very sweet too)!
Can only agree! Soay lambs are so sweet, I've seen even a very cool, hard, male (of course!) farm worker go soft over them... ;D
I didn't find them too bad indoors. Once had to treat quite a lot of them for pink eye over a period of time; that was a bit of a struggle. Entire boys. Says it all... Massive horns, and a bit of a punch behind them!
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Aww well done, she is so cute and tiny! :love: :love:
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Squeasy, did you get your ewes scanned? Could you tell that they were in lamb? Mine have not been scanned and dont look particularly pregnant!! Had a little feel of their tums when we gave them their Heptovac and have been trying to keep a check on their condition when I feed them and they are busy munching in the trough but cant say that they seem to have changed much.They look well and a bit round but when you get your fingers in it seems to be mostly springy Soay fleece!!
Oh, I have got so many questions. Sorry ....much to learn when it comes to sheep.
I knew when I got these three in November that they had been with the tup since September 8th, and that they should all be in lamb. I can certainly tell they are/were all pregnant by their vastly growing tummies. In fact if anything the one that lambed first looked the least in lamb, but on the morning before she had her lamb, the tup (who was still running with them) got very keen, so I thought she must be close. She did not noticeably bag up, but the two remaining sheep are bagged up and you can see its filling up when they lie down. Attached is a picture of the two expectant mothers and you can see the size of them. One looks like she is going to burst (I am suspecting twins)-bad image but best one to show her size, the other in trough you can see her bagged up.
Hope that helps!
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Cor, okay ........thank you for posting those ...now I know a bit more what to expect.
Our girls look nowhere near that round but their earliest due date to our calculations is 21st March and think the ram didnt really pay them too much attention for another couple of weeks so could be 2-3 weeks after that. Perhaps it is a bit early to see much change yet. Definitely no bagging up ....looked this morning!!!!!
They went into the winter with a fair covering of flesh ........too much grass for just 7 ewes. The sheep farmers around me say that my place is like sheep heaven!!!!! Hope they werent too round to get pregnant!!!!