The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Muttley94 on April 10, 2012, 11:23:11 am
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3 of my girls were due around the start of last week and are all pawing the ground alot. I'm spending an increasing amount of time lying on the ground looking at them but still nothing. My Jacob who is due this week spends most of the time away from the others and has a big udder but, after investigating on advice of vet, nothing. How long after a due date can they go? I'm beginning to think they will wait for my birthday on Thursday then all go at once, to give me a nice present :) although knowing them I will get covered in every unpleasant thing imaginable just before I go out ::)
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Well ...... my daughter reckons some of ours are going to pop or float away like hot air balloons! ;D
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I'm beginning to think that too especially my favourite ewe maggie! She is huuuge :o the rain is coming down in buckets today so this could be what they were waiting for :)
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Is their due date calculated by scanning or from when the tup went in?
Remember - a watched pot never boils. Turn your back (or go out for your birthday meal) and they'll pop ::) :sheep:
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You need to say loudly, so they can hear ' I think I'll go for a nap' or 'I'll go and get a shower and changed into my smart clothes so I can go out to the shops'...... and then I'm sure they'll lamb ;)
I'm about to try it on mine, who should be starting again tomorrow <fingers crossed>
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Fleecewife it was from the tup going in so I'm probably waaay off ::)
That's definitely what I will do, say I'm going to get warm and dry out of the sleet/snow. Hopefully they will listen as they usually don't unless "tea time" is mentioned!
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Fleecewife it was from the tup going in so I'm probably waaay off ::)
Yep - the lambs will be spread over however many weeks he was in. We often have one ewe who lambs on the first possible day, clearly from a 'yippee' moment, then the rest dither and drag it out to the very last possible day. Our first lamb was on Mar 31st then none til a couple of days ago. Endless two-hourly checks with the very occasional 'aha - a lamb' just to keep us on our toes.
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First one lambed 30th March (no joy there, little family died :'( ) and now i'm waiting not quite patiently for the rest. Feeling a bit low after my very first lambing turned out to be a bad start even though the vet said I did what was needed, couldn't do anymore. I know that after the next lot are here they will cheer me up :)
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Have you got any more yet?
I am still waiting .......
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I hope things go well,wev got 15 this week just waiting,
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I have started (last year for the first time) to raddle the tups, it helps so much to be able to calculate who is due when and who doesn't need to be watched for another couple of weeks... especially if you only have a few ewes.
Of course this works better on white sheep than on coloured ones...
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Still waiting too ....... three of the ewes that I thought would be first due to their size.
Will raddle next year. How close to their due date do they usually arrive?
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Oh, I raddled mine and wrote down the day they were tupped too. I know exactly when they should be due - yesterday, today...... just that they haven't been taking any notice :D
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Ahhhh ...... thats what I feared because these ere soay havent looked closely enough at my picture guide to stages of lambing and wondered whether they would be at all bothered about a bit of raddle and supposed due date. ;D
If they can be a week out or whatever Id still be doing my constant checks and it wouldnt be all that different to now!!
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I think they are usually only a day or so out.
I am going to go and say that very loudly to the ewe who should have lambed yesterday :D
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Gestation periods are taken as an average anyway. They'll lamb when they are ready, probably when you aren't looking.
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Hurry, hurray, some lambs ;D
Black twins, one of each. Two hourly check, nothing going on last time, twins born and up on their feet this time :D This was the ewe that was due today not the one who was due yesterday who is still looking at me with that "what?" expression :D
Today's has lambed of course, because it is now absolutely bucketing down, sleet and rain. Thank goodness for my neighbour's barn.
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Ahhhh ..... well done.
They must have heard us complaining. :thumbsup:
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Still waiting ::) jaykay what did you tell her to lamb on time? Maybe she read the books... Any pics? I told them that I was leaving for the rest of the day to go out but they didn't seem very impressed by that :)
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I've had four children and only one of those was born when she was due. The rest were all late and that's with scans, antenatal checks galore and doctors visits. Babies and lambs will come when they come. Usually in awful weather right at the bottom of the field ::)
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(http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k70/jaykayg/69fe88b0.jpg)
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Cute :love:
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How lovely!
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They are sweet.
My HUGE girl heard us too.
Just delivered twins. Both rams. Thats 5 rams and one tiny ewe. :)
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Aw lovely :) hopefully my huge girl is listening this morning then, this seems to be working :D
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Oh good ;D (well, maybe not about how many tups, my dad's having a lambing season like that too :D)
No more for me at first light........
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No nice presents for me then :) if they go tomorrow night while I'm out for my dinner, I won't be impressed... think I'll put my new wellies in the car when I leave!
Brijjy, you are totally right and I keep telling myself that they will lamb when they lamb. I know I'm a little impatient and would love a little pick-me-up this time around. My girls just forget to look at the calender :D
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Well they decided to let me have my night out after all :) now most definitely wishing they hadn't!! Hangover cure suggestions are very welcome. Since I feel so rubbish, I'm sure one of my girls will go for it today ::)
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Lol. Glad you had a good evening :D
Hangover cure. Aka seltzer XS, something carby and greasy to eat, then wrap up in every warm thing, find a corner out of the wind and sit either admiring the world or snoozing :-* PS if you need to explain what you are up to, you are observing your stock ;)
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Thanks :) can only manage 1 slice of toast but have drank more water since 7am than I have all week! Just as I thought, lambs are on the way today ::) out I go, taking laptop with me to keep myself awake reading some other threads. Unfortunately no seltzers, someone has hid or used them all :(
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lucosade sport and a mars bar ice cream works every time ;D
Jaykay, Well done on the sheep puppies, I think it is the year of the little black lamb! :love:
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Oooh lucozade sport... Right I'm off to the shop, gotta stock up on that for today! Not sure I can eat anything quite yet :)
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Back from the shop with the life-saving juice :) and find a lovely nose and pair of feet peeping from mum, she is doing a great job as I type. Fantastic pick-me-up ;D will get some pictures up when lamb is up and about (and I find my camera)
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Oh lovely :thumbsup:
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Lovely big ewe lamb :) without a doubt, it was so worth the wait. She is up and trying to suckle while mum has her twin. She's a keeper
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Delighted for you ;D
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;D :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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:thumbsup: Good news. Well done.
How many to go?
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Molly and her daughter are doing well now. Unfortunately her twin was still born :( However Maggie also had her first lamb all by herself with no warning and in the time it took me to put some hay in for Molly ;D both have had lots of milk and are all cuddled down in their pens. Only my Jacob left to go now! Will get some pics up when I figure out how to do it! Not very good with computers...
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:thumbsup: ;D :thumbsup:
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At last mutley, what a relief. Can't wait to see pics. Glad they are doing well :thumbsup:
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That's me done! The nameless Jacob had two gorgeous black ewe lambs while I was eating lunch :) now to try putting the pics up (again). Already looking forward to next year
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Done it! Have to scroll along to see the twin lambs though. That horse was eating the straw that Molly had stuck on her wool for those who were wondering :)
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Muttley94 what lovely pics - remember reading your post and feeling for you on Sunday and felt for you (been there a few times!!) but now your laughing, all lambed well and I'm still waiting aaaah - up early and to bed too late - please pop soon. Anyway back to you, lovely to see your great lambs
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Thanks Brucklay :) sleep pattern can get back to normal now! Hope you get finished soon, how many are you still waiting for?
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Good pics and lovely lambs ;D
I'm still waiting on two ewes, another one lambed in the pouring rain at 5am this morning ::) And both my goats are due this week. Hopefully by the weekend, everybody will be 'out' and I can sleep through too ;D
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3 to lamb - one looked a bit impatient this morning at 5.00 but that could have been I disturbed her sleep and hiding place behind the pallet house - off out to check again
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Good luck to both of you :) hope they lamb soon and with no problems. Telling my girls that I felt terrible and could do with an easy, quiet day seemed to have done the trick since 2 went about an hour later!