The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Emmam on May 01, 2012, 03:00:36 pm
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My first ewe lambed a week early yesterday and when I got to her, her tiny ewe lamb was breach. It was a swift assisted delivery but the cord had already broken. Ewe is devastated and I am too. My commercial crosses normally lamb on or after the due date but not normally early. She is now retaining her placenta and the vet has prescribed some metacam and LA antibiotic and told me to keep an eye on placenta, as it may eventually need to be pulled.
I had been checking them last thing at night and again at 6am. However, as I cannot take any chances, I am now back on 10.30, 2am and 5.30am watch before doing the school run. I was hoping not to start this routine until the end of the week as it normally lasts for 3 weeks......
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I'm sorry :-*
It's often the way that the start of lambing isn't great as the early ones are early for a reason......but then things improve.
Can you find an orphan lamb for your ewe locally - is there a lamb bank?
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I guess I am too late to find an orphan lamb now. Most of the farms around us have huge lambs galloping around their fields. An old ewe has taken the mum under her wing and stands next to her, comforting her.
But you are right, the lamb was small, so definitely early for a reason.
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Whereabouts are you?
Yes, there are some big lambs around here but also some folk at the tail end of lambing....
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Hants/Surrey borders.
Not sure how long after a birth, a ewe keeps her milk going before she dries up? If an older ewe has a multiple this weekend, I might see if it is still possible to foster a lamb on to her but assume that if she has not been feeding her hormones will drop. Not sure what the window of opportunity is in these circumstances.?? In hindsight I should have drawn off her colustrum and frozen. :(
I have successfully wet fostered twins that were rejected by their mother after a caesarean delivery but do not have a fostering crate etc.