[kelpy]

i brought 30 hebridean ewes yesterday,to increase my flock.
well picked them up in the morning,by 4.30pm 3 had lambed,
the lambs are very small(even for hebs)
the ewes are very thin.
rang the seller & she did'nt know they were in lamb.
anyway we had 4 more lamb today,they seem ok.
but one of the ones that lambed this morning is a last years lamb & she had a very tiny lamb,it has fed.
we tried to get her in with the lamb but as soon as you go near she runs off,won't follow the lamb at all.
now the lamb looks very cold.
do i leave it with mum or bring it home & rear it,it won't make any difference if i rear it i'm already rearing goat kids.
she's being a good mum,staying near it & i've seen it feed.
oh what do i do?

[Hopewell]

Oh dear, what to do? I think if it was mine I'd bring it in and rear it with the kids. The weather here is pretty miserable and forecast to get colder overnight and wetter with gusts of wind tomorrow, which with a tiny lamb that is already looking cold is almost guaranteed to die of hypothermia. Obviously I don't know what your weather is like but I suspect its not much better.

Personally I'm not adverse to breeding ewe lambs but they do need extra care and feeding and by the sounds of things the adult ewes (let alone ewe lambs) in this flock have had insufficient feed prior to you purchasing them - that's why the ewes are thin and the lambs small. They are also not going to produce milk as well as if they had been properly fed, and your ewe lamb that has this tiny lamb hasn't finished growing either so she doesn't need the burden of rearing the lamb.

Hopefully if you  have seen it feed it has had its colostrum and if its in it will be warm and dry and that will give it a good chance. Good luck.

[SteveHants]

If shes mothering it, the weather seems ok and the lamb is otherwise healthy, I'd leave well alone. Hebs are hardy, aren't they? If you do decide to leave them, leave her well alone. Check them with binoculars, dont get in the field unless you have to.

[jaykay]

If she's mothering and feeding it, I'd leave it with her, they'll both be better for it. The lamb will snuggle up to its mum, which is a pretty warm thing  Don't stress them, if you can watch at a distance and see things are ok, I'd let her get on with the job.

[kelpy]

got it home,poor little thing was all hunched up,& i could just walk over & pick it up.which we have a hell of a job to do with ours after an hour or so.
the weathers awful.
it's a shame because the mum was mothering it well.
but it gives mum a chance to grow & put some weight on.
& i've reared plenty of lambs so got it home all cosy in front of the fire.
thanks for advice though guys. 

[woollyval]

I am going to stick my neck on the block and say I think you did the wrong thing. Hebs like Ouessants are tough...yes its cold n wet but if its feeding and moving and she is mothering it why take it away? Poor ewe will be devastated!
I have 11 lambs out in the field including a very weeny lamb and yes they were all wet and miserable today BUT they are sheep....primitive sheep who are designed to live on exposed hillsides in all weathers!

Sorry if I sound hard but I rarely lose a lamb and so long as the ewes are fed they will cope!

[jaykay]

if its feeding and moving and she is mothering it why take it away? Poor ewe will be devastated!

yes 
It's a difficult call to make I know 

[kelpy]

poor little things not good,
tube fed it cos it would'nt take a bottle.
don't think it will make it.
i know hebs are tough & this is the first lamb i've ever taken away,
think thats why i was in a quandry over what to do.
but guess i had a gut feeling something was wrong.

[woollyval]

Sorry But I will say it again...if its suckling its mum it has the best chance and will not take a bottle because it is suckling....none of mine would take one willingly! Was it hungry....was its belly concave? If not and its core temp is ok it will be ok with mum. one of mine weighs about 1lb 8oz...he was 8oz at birth and he is out and doing ok!
I know its hard  but sometimes its best to grit teeth and walk away...or get help to catch the ewe...cannot be impossible? I sometimes use electric netting (not on) to make a wild sheep catcher....it works! Can you not have another go...I know its wet and dark to get the mother in?

[kelpy]

when we checked them,the lamb was very cold,i picked it up a couple of times & it would'nt stand just fell over.
if it had got up & tried to get to mum i would've left it.

[woollyval]

 

[kelpy]

shes alive & taking a bottle well 
but she only passed meconium this morning so guessing she had no colostrum.
the sheep were'nt sheared last year so it may have been sucking on wool.
my oh,who's quite hard hearted was well chuffed this morning he's called her mouse.

[in the hills]

You had to make a hard decision ..... hope it works out for you.

We have a tiny soay twin lamb and I must admit that being new to lambing I found it really hard to watch her out in the pouring rain yesterday. Checked her lots of times but seemed okay and I know that she is feeding and mums bag is huge. She just looked so small and vulnerable.

[sabrina]

good to hear the little one is making progress 

[MrsJ]

Glad she's perked up.  Fingers crossed