[egglady]

the stress was terrible, she was most definately not herself all day yesterday and clearly couldn't get comfortable.  I thought she was in labour for hours and, as one of our neighbours lost a couple of lambs because they weren't delivered soon enough I was really, really nervous.  We tried to catch her to put her safely in the stable at tea time last night but she was having none of it so we had no choice but to keep a watchful eye on her.  So it was a long evening as you might imagine!

anyway, hubby was watching footy last night and we, being complete novices and believing everything we read, had read that they won't deliver late at night as the lambs are more likely to be taken by predators, so off I went for a bath about 11pm.  Hubby finished watching footy, popped out to do his last night checks.  there's me lying peacefully in the bath when this raving lunatic (hubby!) bursts in and shouts "it's triplets; Grace has had triplets!"

me, being the experienced one (been on a 2 day course, read avidly and being a member of here!!), says "nah, she wont deliver this late at night, so what's the real story?"  He blubbers for about 5 minutes trying to convince me before i finally (and grudgingly) get out the bath and put my clothes back on.

so the rest you know...sheep DO NOT read the same books as us, nor do they deliver only in daylight when it's safe!!!

anyway, all seem well, she's feeding them herself and they all seem to be doing well - tiny though. 

they have the hubbards and the 2.5 week old ducks in the stable next door to keep them company and we've never been happier. 

there are some things money just can't buy....though a bit more would be nice!

thanks for all your good wishes folks - you have no idea (well actually i think you probably have) how much comfort this forum gives.

xx

[Anke]

You probably have to take one of them off her, and bottle feed. Or top up all three, but it's quite difficult to get them to take the bottle and continue drinking off the ewe. I have tried last year with a set of twins where the ewe didn't have enough milk, and didn't really succeed. Should have just taken them off completely - this way unfortunately small hoggs, very small ones...

But congratulations anyway - and you didn't have to assist the birth either!

[egglady]

You probably have to take one of them off her, and bottle feed. Or top up all three, but it's quite difficult to get them to take the bottle and continue drinking off the ewe. I have tried last year with a set of twins where the ewe didn't have enough milk, and didn't really succeed. Should have just taken them off completely - this way unfortunately small hoggs, very small ones...

anke, that's something i hadnt considered to be honest.  they all seem to be feeding well and i'm reluctant to interfere - appreciate thoughts and advice.  PS - sheep are shetlands

[MrsJ]

We had a set of triplets and took one off to bottle feed.  We've now had twins from a ewe with mastitis on one side We decided not to take one lamb away but to monitor both and top up as necessary.  We have no trouble at all getting them to come to the bottle.  The only trouble we have is from the first bottle fed lamb (Lamborghini!) because she thinks any bottle should be hers, even if she's just been fed! 

[morri2]

Triplets can be raised successfully without intervention.  I've not experienced this myself but am presently looking after my neighbours flock where there is a badger faced ewe with triplets - all of which have fed from mum and all  look very good on it!  I think you just need to moniter the situation and if one is looking like its not getting its fair share, then offer the bottle!

As regards the outcome of underfed lambs - I do have (brief) experience of this one....one of my ewes dried up through illness with twins a number of years back and we didn't realise until several weeks later.  As a result her two ewe lambs remained small.   I was beginning to think I was breeding pygmy Dorsets!!  However, by the time they were two, they had both filled out really well and now, at four years old, have produced a number of fantastic lambs - I can say that this year they are the best of the bunch.  No good of course, if you want them for meat (unless its mutton), but just wanted to make the point that they can come good in the end. And I should add, they did have the all important colostrum. Cheers!

[egglady]

thanks folkd, thats really helpful.  so i'm thinking i'll keep them in for a few days, handle them so they are used to me and monitor them closely.  i like the idea of topping up as necessary and as long as thay'll still drink from their mum, then that sounds a pretty perfect solution to me.  they are now a day and a half old and presumably if they werent getting enough they'd be lying around and have no energy?

[ScotsGirl]

Hooray!  And congratulations.  At last and she had an excuse for being square unlike mine who is still square with and tiddly little lamb!

Good luck hope they all thrive.

[Calvadnack]

It's been great reading about another square Shetland.  My lady finally produced her triplets on Monday, with assistance from the vet as no one was coming out!  Last year she had twin lamb disease and we bottle fed two of hre triplets since she immediately rejected them.  This year she is healthy and feeding all three - ewes just seem to know if they can cope.  However, after leaving them on day one, we're now feeding them twice a day as  a top up and they are quite happy to go back to mum and carry on eating - greedy little blighters!  These Shetlands are brilliant sheep and I just admire them more and more.

Good luck with yours.
Sue

[egglady]

It's been great reading about another square Shetland.  My lady finally produced her triplets on Monday, with assistance from the vet as no one was coming out!  Last year she had twin lamb disease and we bottle fed two of hre triplets since she immediately rejected them.  This year she is healthy and feeding all three - ewes just seem to know if they can cope.  However, after leaving them on day one, we're now feeding them twice a day as  a top up and they are quite happy to go back to mum and carry on eating - greedy little blighters!  These Shetlands are brilliant sheep and I just admire them more and more.

Good luck with yours.
Sue

Hi Sue, i am in a real dilemma about whether to top up feed them or not.  They are scrawny wee things but happy and bouncy, so it seems they are getting what they need.  I'm just concerned that when we put them out (plan is for tomorrow when they will be 6 days old) that they wont do quite as well and then it will be harder to catch them to feed if we havent already established that routine when they are in - why did you decide to top up?

[Anke]

I would usually take one triplet off, as I feel you will either end up with one very weak (as its never getting any) or three fairly small lambs. Topping up and having them on mum is also quite difficult, I tried it last year with an older ewe who wasn't having enough milk for her twins, and didn't succeed very well at all, they just did not want the bottle.... result: tiny shetland hoggs and probably no use for breeding.

I think if you top up three you might as well feed one entirely from the bottle and leave two on mum (two of similar size, and I prefer to take the males off, as they are for eating either as lambs or mutton), it would probably work out the same in terms if time and money. As long as they all got colostrum and were suckling her for a couple of days/topped up one will then take the bottle quite easily.

Best would be fostering onto ewe with single/dead lambs - but with a small flock thats sooooo difficult.

[egglady]

thanks anke, i think what i'm going to do is try all of them on the bottle tomorrow and whichever one i think takes it best, we will bottle feed.  but i'd like to leave it with its mum as well and hope that it just comes to us when it's time for it's bottle - do you think that owuld work?

ps - all 3 are very close in size and all three are boys

[Calvadnack]

Like you I've been in touch with a few people over this feeding issue.  Last year the sense of responsibility and time overhead on bottle feeding was pretty high just for two lambs and also spending time taking them out in the field with all the others meant I was exhausted!  Having all the triplets with their mum really takes the pressure off and what I've found is that if the lambs aren't hungry they won't eat much.  But at the moment all three are gobbling down 100ml at a time and it gives their mum a bit of a rest as well since she'll just lie next to us while I feed them.  It's also a lovely moment of peace and tranquility and a timely reminder that lambing is wonderful.