[ladyK]

The first of my Soay ewes lambed this morning - my first lamb ever!
When I found them the little one is dry and can stand up, seemed curious enough, she's been sniffing and licking him.
The both seem content, both lying down side by side, but I have not seen him suckle in the 15 min I sat by them (in a safe distance). Is this OK??! How often should he be suckling?
She has something still hanging off her back end - like a reddish liquid ball in a membrane - the water bag? Does that mean there is a second one coming?? (I would have thought the afterbirth would look more solid)

Keeping my hands well off at the moment but would be grateful for some reassurance.

[Tim W]

The lamb will suckle when he's hungry

If there is another one it will pop out soon enough

Don't worry just leave them alone

[ladyK]

Thanks TimW, I do appreciate the quick reply.
OK I'll try not to panick - everything does seem to look OK...

[kelly58]

The new out lambs suck little and often, my Boreray were like that. The afterbirth stayed hanging for what seemed like ages.
Just keep an eye, have you put iodine on his cord and navel ? I give them a white powder half tea spoon but cant remember what its called    Someone on  here will know. Exciting time for you

[Marches Farmer]

Agree with iodine on cord but try to leave them alone to bond properly, unless the lamb has its ears down, looks depressed or starts bleating for food but the ewe butts it away or keeps fussing and licking at it and not staying still long enough to be suckled.  Lambs will sleep a lot for the first day or so.  First faeces will be mustard coloured then change to normal colour. They will be soft but if it looks like diarrhoea or is lighter with a greyish tinge consult your vet.  Heavy rain forecast all day here - I'd get them under cover if it's the same for you.  Watch out for laboured breathing (pneumonia), stiffness of limbs (joint ill) and saliva coming out of mouth (watery mouth).  Chances of these are very small so don't worry too much and enjoy your new lamb!

[in the hills]

Morning LadyK . I got my neighbour to come and check my first Soay lamb. It was a cold frosty night and was scared to leave lambie as I hadn't seen him feed. Neighbour put a finger inside lambs mouth to check it was warm and felt lambs ears. Also felt to see that stomach felt round and not hollow. He said that after a few hours of being born the lamb would feel cold and look uncomfortable/ miserable if it hadn't fed. Also probably be noisy rather than lying content by mum.

You could squeeze mums teats to check there is milk there if you are worried.

The string of afterbirth stayed dangling from some of our ewes for quite a while, others it went straight away. When was lamb born?

We put iodine on cords once we were certain that there wasn't a twin coming. Didn't disturb until then. Just watched from a distance. Our twins always arrived within half an hour of each other.

Only lambed for a couple of years but hope that helps.

Piccies when you get a minute .... pleeeaase. 

Cross posted with MF

[Bionic]

When my first lamb was born last year I had exactly the same fears. So much so that I thought he wasn't suckling and went and made a bottle for him.


Lucky for me a local farmer was just passing as I came out of the house with the bottle. I told him it was my first time of bottle feeding so he said he would show me what to do. When we got the the lamb he picked it up and laughed at me. He said the lambs stomach was full and there was no way he needed a bottle.


My cat got the milk from the bottle instead 

[in the hills]

Just read MF post. Agree heavy rain here too. Is there a field shelter or can you put something together to give shelter .... supposing that you are lambing out. Ours, on the whole, chose to lamb under cover when it was snowing/ raining. Thick hedges may be enough. Our Soay have been very intelligent at choosing best place to lamb and where to lie with their newborns.

I rarely spotted the lambs suckle in the first few days. Think they must have waited until I wasn't looking  . Worried a lot in the first year but tried to trust them last year .... just checked that they 'looked right'.

[Bramblecot]

Congrats on your first lamb .  I expect you are still out there stock-watching . 
If Soay are like my Shetlands, they like to be left alone .  Just a quick dip of iodine - I put some in a small jam jar so the whole cord gets dipped.
  for the rest.

[ladyK]

Thank you all so much for your input. It really is just so useful and reassuring to know what is normal and what to look out for (I've read the books and loads of posts here before, but... when it actually happens inevitably the questions that comes up is a slightly different one).
Been out on the field again for quite a while, just watching, and I'm think I'm satisfied now that all is indeed OK for the wee chap. I saw him suckling twice and she holds still for him, and they bleat softly to each other when she grazes a bit too far for his liking. He was walking around exploring for a bit, he seems really curious and alert, he then settled down again for a snooze, so I went up to him and quickly felt his ears and mouth (warm) and sprayed his navel. Will stop myself from going out there again until the evening now. The rest of the flock including the ram are keeping a respectful distance.
The weather is showery here not really raining in sheets as it did yesterday - the field has a lot of natural shelter (hedging and overhanging trees) but she seems to have chosen her spot more for being a good vantage point than a sheltered position. I think it would disturb her to build a unfamiliar shelter structure around or very near her - so I'll just leave her to be for now.
(I do have a field shelter, but this is used by the donkeys overnight (they are out on the other field during the day) and the sheep don't really spend time there, so unless in an emergency I would not want to put her in there as she'll get stressed out by the unfamiliar space.

Piccies to follow! 

[ladyK]

Here's a few photos (I took far too many )

[Deere]

Looking good to me! 

[in the hills]

  Thanks LadyK.

They look happy enough!

Sure they will do well as long as you've got some good hedges. Torrential here again today. 

How many have you got to lamb?

[SallyintNorth]

What a lovely little ewe and super lamb 

[Bionic]

Lovely pics. the lamb looks like a little fawn