[in the hills]

One of my Soay ewes, due to lamb any day now, has a string hanging from her, it is clearish and looks fresh. I was told to look out for strings and bubbles meaning that lambing was imminent. She has been holding her tail a little high for the last 24 hours also. She is not exhibiting any other signs of early labour ..... no scraping, lying down, nothing. She is grazing with the rest of the flock and seems comfortable. She is 2 years old and not lambed before.

Is she in early labour? Should I be concerned?

I apologise in advance for all the questions I will be asking over the next couple of weeks. We lost a lamb last week which has made us a little apprehensive. This is worse than when I gave birth!!!!!

[Haylo-peapod]

Is there a chance she has already lambed and has abandoned the lamb in the field somewhere?
The stringy bit is quite often the remnants of the broken water bag.

[in the hills]

Oh ..... thanks for that prompt reply. Just scoured field and hedges and cant see anything. She is still really fat so dont think so.

[feldar]

It could be a water bag that has burst, any chance of catching her up without causing her too much stress and just checking to see if she's opened? or opening

[in the hills]

Thanks feldar- my neighbour has just been and had a look at her. He touched the string and it came away so he says he is not sure what it was but doesnt think it was anything to do with lambing.  He says that she hasnt got a very big udder and so he doesnt think that she is due yet. He didnt actually examine her internally.He is very experienced but as he says he isnt used to these little primitives. He did lamb a few Jacobs and says that he found those quite different to lamb than his commercials. She seems to be behaving normally so far. Will keep a close eye on her.

Any other thoughts.

[kanisha]

I thought sheep could lose mucous anything up to 24 -48 hours prior to the birth?

[in the hills]

Thanks Kanisha. I did read somewhere about a mucous plug that came away as the cervix got ready to begin labour and that this was often missed. My neighbour didnt know anything about this. I wonder if it could be this and she is not in actual labour yet and thus no other signs 

I am rather paranoid after finding my first ever lamb dead in the field last week. I hadnt seen this ewe showing any real signs that she was about to give birth so I am watching them like a hawk!!!!

Local farmers must think I am potty, on my hands and knees, staring at ewes bottoms for stringy bits, bubbles and the like 

[jaykay]

Oh, we laugh at work, all those of us from farms, about weeks spent staring at ewes girly bits 

[Old Shep]

A couple of ours have had me fooled this year with a clear snotty drool, which never materialises into anything else.  I think I notice because like you I watch them so closely!  It was a few days till these sheep lambed.

[in the hills]

Shep - thanks for that. OH says that is a really good description of what we saw.Okay, wont panic too much just yet.

Any ideas what it actually is? Could it be the mucous plug?

[Moleskins]

I thought sheep could lose mucous anything up to 24 -48 hours prior to the birth?

And the rest, mine were showing mucus a week ago and one has yet to lamb the other only lambed last night.

[kanisha]

I didn't like to say one fooled me with showing mucous for at least a week in case it was just a one off.

[in the hills]

Thanks kanisha - must admit I didnt know whether to post or not and felt a bit foolish when my neighbour said that it was nothing but I am glad I did now because all these little things help to build up a picture of what you might observe.

Have checked her several times already this morning. No more stringy stuff. Looks bright, eating and no other labour signs. Hope she and her friends keep everything crossed for a while - blowing a blizzard up here and the electricity is flickering!

If anyone knows what this discharge is I would be very interested to know. Is it the plug or some leakage that shouldnt really occur?

[Bramblecot]

INH, Sorry I don't know the answer, but one of mine was exactly the same for about 3 days.  I too, seem to spend  a lot of time crawling around on the grass staring up at 'bits'.  How does that old song go 'If my friends could see me now!' 

[Brucklay]

Again not positive about the 'stringy bit's' and our first one this year lambed pretty quick with the first sign of not coming for her tea!! But I do see a lot of 'stringy bit's' from my goats and sometimes weeks before kidding - I put it down to natural leakage and getting ready but like you would like the tecnical reason. Oh and yes crawing about on the ground around ewe's rears is often carried out here too