[SallyintNorth]

I've never had this before; Little Miss Independent will not have anything to do with her mum!

Mum is a shearling, a first-time mum, a Manx x Shetland.  The other lamb is very happy and very full

Indi runs away from mum - I assume there may have been some kicking / head-butting early on, as Dulcie Grey got used to these funny wee things and what they do down there, and Indi is now having none of it.

DG isn't the type that'll follow her lamb into a trailer, and I don't want to disrupt the whole flock down there trying to catch her and bring her up, so Indi's in a dog cage in the house being offered milk every couple of hours.

She took her colostrum (in two feeds) thankfully, but ever since has resisted the bottle fiercely.  This morning (day 2) she was sucking away on her pen-mates testicles.  Hurrah!  She's hungry!  So I thought she'd take the bottle for sure.  Nope. 

I'm sure she'll come around - they always do - but I so want this one to survive! 

[Bionic]

She does sound a bit mixed up bless her.    She gets on ok

[Rosemary]

Did make me smile - hope she's OK. You can sell her for the second "Fifty Shades" movie.

[Fleecewife]

The only time I've seen this, the lamb was blind.  Eyes looked normal but no vision.  Mum tried hard but in the end we had to pen them, then no problem.
I hope that's not the case with your lamb     If she is blind, she will need her mum.

[Hellybee]

If anyone can get her to latch on, you will xx

[SallyintNorth]

If anyone can get her to latch on, you will xx

Aw, shucks - thanks Hellybee (blush)

I'll watch carefully for the possibly blind thing, FW - she seems to see me and want to follow me alright, but maybe she's following my voice... 

Now then, Indi, I'm your mother now.  You have to put up with being petted like a dog, that's the only way I know how.  Mind, I prattle (bleat) on all the time, so that's probably pretty handy for being a sheepy mum... 

She did have a small sook at the last feed - probably only about 20ml, but she was actually sooking, not just swallowing what was dribbling into her mouth  and not needing to chew on my finger to be sooking either.   Small steps... 

The irony is, I have reared all the others so far this year on tough love - you're offered a feed 6, 4 or 3 times a day, depending on age, and if you don't want it, fine, I'll be here again in a few hours.  None of them has died (although Sippy, Indi's pen-mate, did make a determined effort to do so - but in the end, even he decided to sook properly.)  But because I want Indi to live so much (as well as being a real character and a very nice shape, she really has the most incredibly soft fleece ), I am being less tough - so she'll probably take longer to come around! 

[SallyintNorth]

She's feeding!   

Not big feeds, and I have to do sneaky surruptitious getting the nasty teat in her mouth, but she's questing and then when the teat is in her mouth, sooking away.   

I had them out running around last night (after BH in bed - he has ponies in the back door and hound pups sprawling on armchairs, but doesn't think lambs should be in the house, hrmph) and I don't think she's blind... She did fall off the wee step between sitting room and kitchen the first time, but even sighted young things do that  and she mostly managed it thereafter.  I will keep watching her for signs she does or does not see.

She really does have the most gorgeous soft fleece...

[Foobar]

Hoorah!


...love the horse at the back door!!!

[devonlady]

A very posh back door!! Glad Lamby is doing well

[kelly58]

Oh ! Dont you have one ? Its all the rage these days on smallholdings, or so my shetland Zak tells me 
Always something new to learn with animals hey ! Maybe the lambie has heard about sweetbreads being a delicacy in some restaurants and wanted to check it out  Good luck with your Unique  lambie  Sally