The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Lostlambs on January 31, 2013, 11:46:20 am
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One 4 year old north country ewe surprised me with lambing while in the holding pen with triplets, one was dead when I came in with one back leg that seemed to be backwards. Other 2 were fine but one was smaller size than the other. Any ideas for me? Thanks
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Unless deformities occur in other lambs, I would just forget about the dead one and concentrate on the living. It is common for a third lamb to be smaller than the others - perhaps a natural way of having a 'spare' in case the grazing is particulary good that year, but expendable if grazing is poor. With just the two of them, the wee one has every chance of surviving.
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There really isn't a huge amount of space inside a ewe to accommodate 3 lambs and as a result sometimes, one of the lambs grows in a strange position due to the lack of space - this could be what has happened here. It's great you have 2 x survivors though and definitely the norm to have one little one out of 3. I had a triplet lamb several years ago who was last out and about the size of my hand! She was a real little fighter though and although her Mum took a dislike to her, my dogs thought she was wonderful and she spent the first few weeks in the house being tended to by my lurcher! She went on to grow in to a big, strong girl. Good luck with your 2 remaining lambs - I am sure they will grow on well.
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Glad to hear it may happen just because of space, was worried about nutrition or imbalance but living 2 lambs are doing pretty well. She has decided the wee one is not hers or worthy and has reluctantly fed it only with holding her. She will be a bottle lamb. She's one of my older ewes 6 years so didn't expect her to reject but I wasn't there for the birth so not sure what happened.