[Backinwellies]

still 2 weeks to go till proper lambing date ... so not yet 'up before the lark'   .... went out to shed this morning to find one dead lamb (born in sack and what looks like placenta too)  and I had to lamb the second (legs back) ... also dead        

trying now to foster a neighbours triplet onto ewe ( )

should I be worried about 2 fully formed good sized lambs born 2 weeks early?

[Bionic]

Awww, that's very sad. If its any consolation Mr Thomas also had one born in the sack when he wasn't around so he lost that too.

[TheSmilingSheep]

What a rubbish start for you 

And I don't want to be a worry-monger, but this morning I got a sheep newsletter from the local vet all about sheep abortions, and still births etc. and maybe it really would be worth a call to the vet.... The recommendations I read were that an examination / pm of the deal lamb together with the afterbirth, or sack etc. was really important to diagnose the problem....
And that the ewe should not be encouraged to foster other lambs if she is carrying something within her system, and really that the ewe should be separated from the flock...

Even as I'm writing this, I'm imagining that this is the very last thing I'd want to read myself, so apologies..

Perhaps you can keep us posted with how this turns out for you   

[fsmnutter]

One abortion is often not cause for concern. The ewe may have been ill or had a knock at some time during pregnancy.
If you have another, definitely get vet to sample lamb and placenta. Only about 50% of abortions sampled get a diagnosis as many are odd one offs, so better chance of results, and more important to test if more than one as may be infectious cause.
  that's the only one for you.

[SallyintNorth]

Sorry to hear you've had a bad start.   

They always say you get your problems at the beginning, or at the end, so it'll go swimmingly after this.

If you do get another similar, get the lamb and placenta to the vet lab asap - they have to have it within hours, really, they tell me, to identify anything, and they must have placental material - just in case there's something going on you should know about and/or can do something about.  But chances are, it's just 'one of those things'.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

So sorry to hear about this backinwellies, it must have been awful gor you. I myself had a dreadful start to 2014 lambing, I had to have a vet get lambs out. Thr ewe was fine thankfully, but I never kept her as she wasnt big inside, strangely ot was one I had bought as a cade from a local farmer, she was a bluefaced mule. So sending you hugs and i hope that the rest of lambing goes fine

[harmony]

Hopefully you have a one off but we had three last week and certainly isolation would be wise. Problem is that by the time you think it is a wider problem it has already spread. If they are in then bedding needs removing and destroying.


I would be suspicious if you aren't aware that something has stressed them. There seems to be a greater problem this year. Possibly due to the prolonged wet weather and feeding in poached conditions.



You can foster lambs on but shouldn't keep them for breeding. There is some good info on Nadis.


Our ewes were not ill so there was no sign until they started to lamb early. The first didn't open enough for the lambs to exit for several hours after they had died. My husband dropped them off at the Animal Health lab the next morning for a PM. Obviously the sooner the better but they were still able to take samples. Your vet can send the samples for you. As Sally said they need the placenta too.

[Backinwellies]

I am not going to worry unless there is a second ... just going to hope it was a detached placenta due to physical trauma (probably at feeding as they have been in for ages due to weather) .

Ewe has had pen strep and seems to have taken to foster lamb ..

[waterbuffalofarmer]

That is excellent news backinwellies. I had a ewe have a dead lamb last year and i gave her a pet lamb and she accepted it immediately and i didnt have to yoke her or anything. Just shows if you get them straight away they will take another lamb. All the best and do keep ud updated? 

[TheSmilingSheep]

This is all so useful to read - really pleased that my gloomy forecast has been mitigated!

[Backinwellies]

Foster lamb gone and died on me too!!!   

[Marches Farmer]

Had the triplet had a good dose of colostrum(ewe may not have had much milk to begin with if a first-timer) or was it the last to be born (so likely to be tired)?

[waterbuffalofarmer]

 Awwwww thats sounds horrible am really sorry to hear that  How much milk has the ewe got in her bag and has she maybe developed mastitis? Did the ewe take to the lamb straight away when the lamb was put on?