[DartmoorLiz]

I have 2 ewes that are too skinny (condition score 1).  One has a broken tooth and I don't know why the other is thin, the rest of the flock are OK.  I have brought them in and am feeding ad-lib hay and a few 18% nuts.  They are due to lamb at the end of March.  How much can I feed them without risking making their babies too big to come out?

[shep53]

Sorry, were talking rock and a hard place .   A large lamb is the least of your worries ,if these ewes were lean in mid pregnancy then chances are the placenta will be small so the lamb will probably be small . OK  what age are the ewes ? what breed ? what breed of ram ? how many lambs please say singles ? are you sure they are pregnant ?       Buy  a high energy lick bucket to give them and start increasing the nuts             When were they last wormed and fluked ( if you have a problem )

[DartmoorLiz]

Thanks for your reply shep53.  They are 3 and 4 year old homebred lleyns and they went to a blackface ram that did very well last year. I don't know if they are pregnant (is there any way to tell by looking or feeling?) but if they are then about 1/3 of the flock produce twins; I would like to know but 2 scanners let me down.  They were fluked in November and recently with closantel.  I haven't wormed them but their poo is nice and pellety but I'll send a FEC sample off to be sure. 

[Marches Farmer]

I'd consider ramping up over a couple of days to 200g nuts twice a day, increasing it gradually in the six weeks before lambing to the amount you usually feed your ewes.  That amount will hopefully support the ewe, although it won't put any condition on her, and provide the nutrition she needs for milk production.  If either has twins I suggest adopting one (or possibly two) on to a stronger ewe.

[DartmoorLiz]

Thanks MF 

[Old Shep]

Lleyns should be easy lambing - I wouldn't worry about big lambs I'd be worrying about losing the sheep. As MF says don't leave more than one lamb on each and be prepared to take both off if she has no milk.

[DartmoorLiz]

Thank you OS that's encouraging. 


I've just found their records for last year and they both had singles so that's a relief.  We generally do outdoor lambing but these will be in intensive care so will be easy to help if needed.  They'll stay in until they are definitely doing well and the grass and weather is better out than in.  They are already eating out of my hands so there'll be no difficulty in topping them up.


I wish I'd kept better records, I might have been quicker to prevent it.

[shep53]

Young ewes    who have lambed before of an easy lambing breed and in lamb to a ram that produces smaller lambs , fluked and not scouring , PERFECT  ramp up the feed  in little steps ,3or 4 feeds per day whatever they clean up in 5mins . As said be prepared to remove or supplement any lambs.    Loss of ewe is more of a worry than a large lamb