[Beeducked]

Like a few people, I'm having a horrible year lambing so far. Have a small flock of Castlemilk Moorits and am just having problem after problem.


Last week come down at 6am to find that between then and 2am my lovely 2 year old cade had had twins and I'm guessing the second was cold and dead with the membranes still on him so guess she was just too caught up in the first girl (small mercies it being that way round though). Felt awful as hadn't even noticed her in labour at 2am and she is easy to spot as so friendly.
Then in the middle of the hail storm the other day one of the first timers had a tiny, tiny lamb that looked premature and just never managed to breathe despite being born alive.
The following day an experience ewe found the deepest puddle of mud in the little run attached to the barn and delivered twin ewe lambs into it! They seemed to be doing fine once dried off and were both suckling. The following day one of them was cold and flat and needed tube feeding but perked up brilliantly and was back suckling with Mum in a pen by the evening. Yesterday (24 hours later) went out to find her completely unresponsive and freezing cold so she is now in the house. Took most of yesterday to get her going again but she looks pretty good and is taking from the bottle really well. Still not quite right has had ABx too. Went out this morning to find that her mum has squashed her twin over night. 
The cold lamb took a couple of hours to get sorted which meant I didn't check the field till about 8:30 to find a pair of big ram lambs so set of to spray their cords. As I got closer realised that one had gastroschisis (his intestines on the outside)! Wrapped him in cling film and set off to the vet who has put it all back in and stitched them up. Just have to wait to see if infection or bowel damage kills him now but he looks better this morning and is even taking a little from a bottle.


Most of this has happened in the last 24 hours so feeling tired and a bit wobbly. Only lost 2 lambs over the last 2 years so 3 already and still counting is really hard to take. I recognise that it could be worse, hypothermic lamb could also have died and boy with gastroschisis could be dead already rather then looking like he might make it. Also have a little and large set of twins with one being half the size of the other at only 3lb 2oz who I thought would die but is a right little fighter and competing with his brother!


Just needed a tired rant at people who would understand!

[ladyK]

Poor you, you really have a hard time of it!
Sounds awful, but you are obviously doing your best. (Reviving a lamb several times in a row is not a small feat!)
Try to keep a clear head - there always comes a point when things can only go upwards! 

[Bionic]

Oh, this sounds awful for you. I found that lambing is a mix of highs and lows and when they are low they are very low.
You have had such a run of bad luck in a very short space of time. I would send you a hug emoticon but can't get it to work with windows 10

Lambing is all too much stress for me so we haven't lambed the last 2 years. I do miss having my own lambs running round the place but I am happy with my little flock of grass cutters.

[Rosemary]

You're doing great. Hang in there and it'll turn the corner for you 

[kelly58]

  Now you have me nervous ! I was told Castlemilks lamb easy by themselves like other primatives, you are in a nightmare 

[kanisha]

sounds tough, hang in there, you're doing a great job

[Penninehillbilly]

   wishing you better times, Good Luck with all you are doing

[Old Shep]

Hang in there - it will get better. We all know exactly what you're going through!  Make sure you look after yourself in amongst all this! 

[waterbuffalofarmer]

I am so sorry to hear this. Every year has its ups and downs, the first time I lambed things didn't go according to plan, but this years weather hasn't helped at all. Things can only get better from now and the important thing is for us to look forward. Wishing you all the best and please feel free to rant away I do it all the time

[Marches Farmer]

You've risen to each new challenge and done your best to resolve it swiftly and effectively.  We tend to think that because we're the most intelligent mammal we should be able to fix everything, but sometimes it just doesn't work out that way.  Don't beat yourself up about it.

[SallyintNorth]

Sending hugs and crossing my fingers that things improve for you and your flock

[SallyintNorth]

I would send you a hug emoticon but can't get it to work with windows 10

I think you can probably still do it the old way - type colon word colon, so : hug : (without the spaces)

[Beeducked]

Thanks everyone. Not much sleep (like everyone lambing ) makes everything feel a bit more personal. Not sure what I could have done differently for most of it but you start to doubt yourself. I have a couple of friends who thinks I'm being heartless to uncaring that I am not giving the ewe her hypothermic lamb back when she is mourning for the loss of her other lamb as well. Doesn't fully understand that I cannot risk her life again and really might not get her through another bout (especially if mum tries keeping her warm by squashing her flat). The ewe certainly thinks I'm heartless and evil too. She is running around calling and comes right up to me yelling with a very accusatory look in her eye. She is very clear who she holds responsible!

Now you have me nervous ! I was told Castlemilks lamb easy by themselves like other primatives, you are in a nightmare 

Don't worry too much! My last 2 years were fine and I checked them religiously every night for them to wait for me to get out of the way and then got on with it themselves. Wasted a lot of sleep counting sheep ironically. This year the checks have definitely paid off which is why I guess we do them.


On a more cheery note, here's little and large (maybe they should be David and Goliath). Titch may be small but he's so fast he's just a blur on the camera (and not my terrible photographic skills at all!).





And here is a before and after of Clara the hypothermic one.





And here she is cuddling up with Gilbert (I got told off for calling him gibblet boy) who seems to be doing OK. You will be pleased to know there is no before picture of him!

[SallyintNorth]

It's usually 'just one of those things', but...  Sometimes when a flock that usually is trouble-free has problems, especially mothering issues and/or lambs slow to get up and suckle, it might be a shortage of some mineral or other.  Might be worth a word with the vet and some bloods to see what their mineral levels are like?  And/or give them some supplements next year - but I know one has to be a little cautious with supplements for some primitives, so you might prefer to do tests for deficiencies.  Just a thought.

[Beeducked]

Thanks, that is a good idea..