[Haylo-peapod]

The GFD lambs all get horrid sticky bums for the first few days but the Shetland lambs do not.  I have no idea why.

Another reason why the GFD's are a minority breed?? 

[shep53]

Don't tend to bother about mucky bums maybe 1in 100 cleaned at ringing maybe 1 in 500 after, only clean ones ware the tail is stuck ,this includes romney crosses which will be as wooly as GFD . The big cross ewes and the hill ewes are all given the same min/vit drench the same concentrates ( different amounts ) . The xewes have lots of colostrum and milk right away and half the lambs will have mucky bums, the hill ewes have only enough colostrum and the milk improves as the lamb gets older , mucky bums are non

[Hazelwood Flock]

I have lambed 23 Greyface Dartmoor ewes this year, and they have now finished! I would say i've only had about 5 lambs I have had to uncork bums on, and those more prone to sticky bums have all had very fluffy tails. The non corked lambs tend to be tighter curled on their tail wool. The ewes have had Lifeline licks for the last 2 months before lambing, but no minerals prior to that. I trim away the fluff and dung, they don't seem to re bung once trimmed! the joys of longwool sheep!

[Haylo-peapod]

Interesting statistic Hazelwood, although somehow I think the commercial farmers would still wince at having to uncork what is still a significant % of the lambs.  Just as well there's a bunch of us passionate enough about this rare breed ... even though they do need a little extra intervention. 

[jaykay]

I'm just so impressed with their teddy-bear lambs. I'd waste spend even more lamb-watching time if I had GFDs 

[Tilly]

I`ts not just the GFD whom get "stuck up bums"!--- the Lincoln longwool and Leicester longwool are also prone!  ;

[Hazelwood Flock]

That's it! Long wool! GFDs will always be kept by those who don't mind their quirks, which is just as well given that they have a few! there's no denying that they certainly have the 'ahhh' factor.....especially the lambs.

[bazzais]

Aww lickle pudgy legs 

[Herdygirl]

i just used to use warm water, baby soap and a flannel,  followed by drying with a towel!  didn't seem to bother the single Dartie that was a good mum at all.  The others couldn't have cared less about their lambs. Won't be doing it this year though.. we have made a decision NOT to breed from our Dartie ewes again, despite constant vigilance we found them to be a dirty sheep, we haven't the time to be constantly dagging.  We have five and only one of them was a good mother...unlucky i guess, seeing as they were sold to us as all good mothers

[Hazelwood Flock]

That is a shame Herdygirl, but yes they can be dirty! that is why all the (true) longwoolls are rare breeds, they are just too time consuming to look after for commercial interests.

[Tilly]

HI Herdygirl  - I  agree with you on both points ,dirty bums and some have very poor mothering ability.

I  love my GFD sheep  though they have such big personalites and are the most docile and  friendly breed, but I do class them as a hobby sheep.

I have had 8 GFD ewes  lamb so far this year and I know the history of them all (2 are useless when they first lamb    ,and I always have to really spend lots of time nurturing their lambs  along for the first few days 

 This is Holly ...- She has been a fantastic showing ewe, and one of my favorites- lambed a couple of days ago, and the same as last year, really wasn`t bothered about her lamb , but now, with that little extra time and help, she is  more interested in him and I can see her bonding at last   
 Tilly 

[wellies]

The lamb born on wednesday tail became stuck, in effect blocking passage of faecal material. Once released it was expelled in large quantities - not an experience I wish to relive too often  . My question is that he still has dried on hard clumps around his anus and under his tail which I just can't get off, what gets rid of this stuff it's worse than superglue. Also his anus looks quite large, is this normal, has it been stretched slightly? The vet had a look at him when we docked his tail and looked at his anus to check for blockages and said everythin looked ok 

I'm on a steep learning curve 

[jaykay]

Baby oil helps soften the clumps, which might help around his anus, under hus tail the best way is to wait until the wool grows a bit and then very carefully cut them free, making sure its only fleece you're cutting! Yes, very important to keep checking so it doesn't block them up 

[Herdygirl]

Lovely pic Tilly, and yes you are right about them being friendly and docile with great personalities, so much so that we haven't the heart to send them to the butcher, they will be pets, and stay with us until they die.  we will just take the fleece from them.  we have 2 dartie/ryand crosses that will become mums this time, so it will be interesting to see if they are any better at mothering than their mothers were!

[norfolk newbies]

Hi Tilly
We have Lincoln LWs, due to lamb at Easter. This is our first lambing, and if the sequencing or raddle marks works out the first to lamb will be a first timer. ( lots of firsts) How soon do you go in an clean sticky bum?

Thanks
Jo