[steve_pr]

Well it is now midnight - and it has been some weekend.  We had 5 lambs yesterday from our Greyfaces, but today has encapsulated the entire range of emotions.  My OH did the early shift at 0630 (I was on lates on Saturday night!). The day started badly when she found one lamb dead in the pen - no obvious reasons but a little distressing. Breakfast then back up to feed and water everyone and things started fast and furious. Twins, then two singles, then found one of our Ryelands at the other end of the field in labour. Had to get out the quad and trailer and persuade her in to bring her back (must get a blue flashing light!).


You really notice the difference between the Greyfaces (most of our flock) and the Ryelands.  She was making heavy weather of it and we had to call on out next door neighbour for some expert help. Presentation all wrong, backwards, upside down, no legs, you name it - she was making it difficult. Finally got the first one out but she never made it. Second one came easier, but took a lot to get him going and he was very feeble. By then the ewe was exhausted and despite several hours of heat lamp, coaxing, bottle feeding - we even tried a slug of gin (one of our neighbours swears by it!) he died after a few hours. So poor girl went through all of that only to end up with noting. Needless to say she is now moping around and very miserable.


At the same time as this was going on, we were helping out one of the GFDs just next door - and she delivered a single without too much difficulty but seemed a bit reluctant to get up and get going again. So 15 minutes later I am walking back down the barn with food for the ewes who have lambed and do a double take to find another lamb on the floor! Thought I was going nuts - lack of sleep. I swear it wasn't there when I walked up and on the way back it was on the floor! Seems like the scanner got it wrong and the single turned into unexpected twins!


So all the usual messing around with recordiung stuff, dipping umbilicals and getting them to start suckling (not easy with GFDs - needs a fair amount of clipping to find the teats!).


By that time dinner was spoiled (ours not theirs!).


After dinner up for a late look at 11pm to find another single had arrived by itself and another ewe looking ready to pop! It's going to be a late night (and an early morning and I have a business trip up to London at 0730 tomorrow!!!)


So - 13 lambs in 36 hours, basically a quarter of our entire lambing all in less than two days - with three deaths which is distressing especially since we have so far been very lucky - and an unexpected bonus.


So the day started on a low got better, got worse, got better, got very bad, got better again and ended up good.  This lambing lark is a real roller coaster!  I'm knackered!


But I need to go check them again, since I reckon we will have at least two more by morning!

[Brucklay]

Good. Luck - mine still a few weeks off - hope you have a good day today / tomorrow 

[lachlanandmarcus]

if its any consolation the problem lambings tend to come more at the start, so hopefully the stats will improve with the rest of the lambings.

[steve_pr]

Now 7.50am and relaxing (!) on the train to London, leaving my OH in charge - who is equally knackered.


Between 1am when I last checked and 5.30am two more ewes into labour. One did it all by herself with no problems, the other (a yearling) wasn't showing anything at 1am and 4 hours later the head was compeletely out - but nothing else. Trouble was - big head, small pelvis! Point blank refused to go back in and no room to get past to find a leg (or even two).


Called next door neighbour (who is an expert and a superb helping) but even between us we couldn't get the head back!  Lamb still alive, but probably having a real headache. Called vet who arrived within 15 minutes. Amazing guy - with very small hands! His first comment on seeing our neighbour was "Bl**dy hell, there isn't much hope for me if you can't get her out!". With small hands and real strength he managed to get in and find a leg and out cam the lamb - but it had all been too much and he had given up the fight.


Vet said the other option (if the lamb had actually been dead by then) was to take the head off to get the rest out. Not sure I could have coped with that, but at least we didn't have to.


Luckily the ewe perked up (I thought we were losing her as well) so she has now had her antibiotics (after MASSIVE intervention!) and is resting.


We are actually nearing the end now - only 6 more to lamb so the end of our first lambing season is in sight!

[wellies]

oh I really feel for you; it's so distressing when things go wrong. I hope the last 6 ewes all deliver easily and have healthy lambs 

[Hazelwood Flock]

Sounds like you are doing a grand job, unfortunately losses happen and problems are sent to try us!
I only have GFDs, and had the bumpiest ever lambing this year. Only 2 out of 21 ewes needed help, one was a shearling with a huge lamb coming back feet first so had to deliver him smartly so he didn't drown! All was well. The other, also a shearling, had a small dead lamb presented which came out without much effort - then went back in to find a huge dead lamb with it's head turned back. There wasn't enough room to get my hand and the head through the pelvis, so managed after much manoeuvreing to snare the head and get one leg forward and deliver it. It took 45 minutes and half a bottle of lube to get it out it was that dry, must have been dead a day or so.
Add to that another shearling who had a twin, flattened one the first night then the other the second - in a field shelter, not even a small lambing pen!
Finally had a ewe who appeared to have a gid cyst, kept falling over and getting stuck, much to the frustration of her lamb! After a course of antibiotics and 2 weeks in a small pen she has made a remarkable recovery and is now back out with the rest.
Good luck with the rest of yours