The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: shrekfeet on April 02, 2010, 12:53:31 pm
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Okay, can you more experienced people offer any advice please...
Ewe lambed yesterday, she'd been really stiff in her back legs for a week or so. I thought it might be a foot problem and checked/trimmed or I thought it may have been because she was so heavily pregnant.
Anyway whilst she was lambing she found it really difficult to get up and down, legs very stiff. I also noticed whilst she was lambing that she had a visible lump in her udder.
Anyway, lambs were born okay and she took to them just fine but they didn't seem to be taking to feeding too well. WHen I went back to check them a couple of hours after the last lamb was born I wasn't too happy with the situation. The second lamb was stood but looked all hunched up and was shivering and still quite wet. I decided to tube feed him so milked the ewe, fed the lamb, cuddled him until he stopped shivering and left them to it. Checked them again before I went to bed and again at 3am.
This morning the ewe was still stood up, don't think she has lay down since she lambed, I felt her udder and it had a couple of lumps between the size or an golf and tennis ball. I extracted more milk, one side was really difficult to get started but did in the end. I tube fed the lambs again, gave them some KickStart and gave the ewe a long acting antibiotic jab. The lambs still don't seem to be feeding moch. Any advice?
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I would have thought that sounds like the start of mastitis. ??
Check the milk you are milking does not contain may blood.