[Ians suffolks]

This morning when I went out to feed, one of the ewes had a bloody stain around her rear, after about 2 hours or so she started with contractions and the water bag came out intact. She went on to have a live lamb. She had what I assumed was the afterbirth hanging for about half an hour or so.
When I went away to get a warm and a cuppa I got back expecting to see the afterbirth out but she had had another dead lamb.
Do you think that the bloody show this morning was the burst sack from the second lamb and it had died inside. The lambs are 4 days early, could it be the ewe trying to get rid of the dead one or could it just be that the second one died whilst I was away?

Any ideas appreciated.

[Marches Farmer]

I've sometimes seen blood before perfectly healthy lambs have been born.  If the lamb was a mustardy colour it may have been queuing to be born for too long.

[Ians suffolks]

It didn't look a funny colour but when I got to it it had its head clear but all of its body was still in its bag.
It had shown no sign of movement at all, I don't know if the mum had licked the head clean or if it birthed that way.
Also to top it off it looks like mum stood on the live ones tail in the commotion as it was running with blood, i have put an elasticator on it to stop the bleeding as it would have had one soon anyway.

Oh this is a steep learning curve for a first timer.

[shep53]

Many many reasons why a lamb dies     did the mother chew the tail off

[Brucklay]

Agree with Shep53 - helping commercial farm and seeing chewed tails - would be my first thoughts on that one

[Ians suffolks]

Thanks for the insight, she seems to be a good mother anyway and is now taking an interest in the next ewes birth that happened this morning.

2 ewes down 13 to go.