[shropshire_blue]

Hi team, day 2 of my first lambing and it's proving pretty harrowing so far.  Lots coming out dead.


Can anyone shed any light on why a couple of my ewes are disowning their own lamb?  They are Lleyn x shearlings. One had triplets - third lamb dead (not even fully developed), first fine, and the second was assisted as it got stuck with one back leg out.  It's this one she has rejected after a day.  The other had twins, and again it's the smaller lamb she has rejected.  Both of the ewes are head butting the lambs around and knocking them over.


The first ewe I took the lamb off her and we're bottle feeding and then hoping to foster it on to a single.  The second one I put the ewe into a sort of adopting pen so both lambs could feed but she couldn't knock the wee one over. I've just let her back in with the lambs and so far she seems really pleased to be back in with both of them, but I'll keep an eye on her...


Is there any reason for this?  What is the best way to deal with it?


Thanks for any tips!
Neil

[jaykay]

They do seem to know when a lamb has something wrong with it or is weak - and nature being fairly blunt about these things, there's no point putting energy into something that's going to die, when you might as well feed the one that will live.

Shearlings are also a bit daft sometimes about realising that the lamb is something to do with them 

I do as you do with the second one, get it feeding without being knocked about. Usually once it's begun to smell of her milk, she'll decide it's ok.

I make a 'corner' in the pen, with a barrier high enough for the lamb (and its sibling if there is one) to be kept in and the ewe not to be able to headbutt, but low enough for her to see and sniff. I let the lambs out often and supervise feeding, occasionally tieing the ewe up at the head if she's being especially bolshy. It usually sorts out in a couple of days.

[shropshire_blue]

Grand, thanks jaykay.  Glad to know there's an end in sight!

[jaykay]

Hope things improve - I think it's often the early lambs where there are issues, them being early for a reason, and once lambing is underway things often settle down.

You could get the odd one that no-one but you will love or feed, but hopefully not 

[Remy]

There can be all kinds of reasons that ewes don't take to a lamb - I've had a ewe I've used many times and been an excellent mother, suddenly decide one year she didn't want anything to do with her second lamb.  In her case it might have been that the twin took some time to come out and by that time she had bonded strongly with the first lamb.  I tried all sorts, she let it suckle the colostrum if I tied her up and didn't let her see the lamb, I rubbed the first lamb's afterbirth all over the twin, but despite all my efforts she wouldn't have it and was knocking it all over the place.  I ended up having to bottle feed it for it's safety.  Then the year after the same ewe was back to being an excellent mother to twins .. 


Some ewes can lose interest if a lamb is slow to suckle, this spring mine started lambing in the sudden cold snap. One twin baby was very weak and suffered hypothermia, he didn't even manage to get colostrum at all.  The mother sniffed him a bit but didn't stay with him, so I had to bring him into the house and get him tubed; he survived but again the ewe would not have him back.  I stabled them, put the twins in a small pen the same as jaykay and took both of them out at regular intervals but she would not let the second one near her!  I tried this for a week and had to start giving the second one bottles.  BTW he grew up to be a lovely friendly little thing is now living with ladygrey  .


Fingers crossed your ewes will be more generous than mine!

[Ladygrey]

I have a sheep from you Remy? 

Or is there another ladygrey on here...

[Marches Farmer]

We find it's the first-timers who've got a bit tired that are sometimes slow to mother up.  We have homemade mothering-up boards that fit across a hurdle pen and have an adjustable slot for the ewe's head to stick through for hay and water - she can get up and down but not out.  It has a gap on each side so that the lambs can go in and out under her nose and suckle when they want.  If she's reluctant to stand for them we raise her at first - once she realises being suckled makes her udder feel more comfortable she generally settles down, the lambs smell of her milk and of each other and everything's generally OK by day 2.  If not she goes back in until she does accept both but we wouldn't breed from her again

[SteveHants]

Most of my problem lambings come early.


You can try and foster on, as described earlier, but I would definitley put all of those ewes in the sinbin for that behaviour.

[ScotsGirl]

I have a mule that has always rejected a lamb. Normally the 2nd or 3rd but last year she kicked out two. Always has triplets now and usually the little reject fights like mad and she eventually gives in and accepts him if he can get a feed when her favourite is feeding.


Last year one was ever so small (I still suspect a link to schmallenberg) and I nearly lost him.  Now he is same size as his brother and even vet was surprised. Had to feed in very small quantities as often as I could (10-20ml at a time) until he was strong enough.


You also have to watch you don't interfere too much while bonding as this can cause them to leave the lamb.


Keep persevering and fingers crossed she takes it back.

[shropshire_blue]

Thanks for all the advice guys.  I'm inclined to agree about culling out those ewes.  Need to drop 20 or so before next year anyway, so they just made the list...


I put the second ewe back in with the lambs and she just started butting the runt again, so she's back in the stocks again.


On a lighter note, I have to say that the little blaahing noises the ewes make to their lambs is so sweet. Definitely makes it all worth while seeing them bond

[Remy]

I have a sheep from you Remy? 

Or is there another ladygrey on here...

I thought it was you! Wasn't it you that bought Bugsy ... 

[Ladygrey]

I'm sorry Remy! I have never bought a sheep called bugsy 
I have two wethers at the moment called kanjee and 3, but haven't had any other named ones 

What breed was he?

[smee2012]

It was luckylady, not ladygrey...   (I just did a forum search for 'Bugsy', just in case you thought I was being stalkerish  )

[jaykay]

Blue, I love that low talking that the ewes do to their lambs and the little high-pitched baas back - sometimes I just sit (falling asleep) on a hay bale in the lambing barn and listen 

Though it won't be til April for me - can't believe you guys have begun lambing already!

[ScotsGirl]

Yes we must be mad, I start in about 3 weeks, all spread out til 1st April. Not the best planning.