[dixie]

Hi all    well it's been one of these weeks so Far! Sorry it's lengthy but I've a few problems and need your wonderful help/advice.
Ewe 1 lambed a single on Sunday, all good apart from lamb has a slight turned back front foot, so slight limp but I assumed it's the way he was laying.
Ewe 2 also lambs Sunday, twins all seemingly good. Ewe 3 lambs Monday a single, nice big lamb, she's a huge udder but he didn't have much of a clue how to suckle, and she decided she didn't like him, so I milked her and bottle fed which he took brilliantly but it was a long 24hrs and now all is great, she's in love and he's got the idea!
Ewe 4 lambed yesterday (weds) twins, I assisted the 2nd as both legs were back, but all good, strong lambs, I moved her to a pen, hindsight maybe too soon, but it was late, I was tired and I had a good opportunity to get her out of the pen with the others. She has taken to the ewe lamb but is doing her best to reject the boy lamb. Luckily he is strong and determined and is getting milk, I'm also holding her still each time I go out there to make sure, but she's head butting etc. How long do I persevere like this before taking him off her and turning her out? The weathers good the next couple of days and I don't like keeping them in longer than necessary, but I also don't want a bottle fed if I can avoid it.
Back to Ewe 2 noticed yesterday one twin has both front feet turned back and walking on its knuckles, I hadn't noticed as the straw bed was thick, rang the vet and she advised its the way it was laying and to massage give physio, I have been doing this (also to the the single but he seems better) as often as I can, I turned them out today as it was so nice but brought them back in tonight as I'm worried about his feet, will it come right if I Persevere? If not will he be ok on his knuckles indefinitely? There's no heat in the joints and he's happy, feeding and strong so vet thinks not joint ill, but the way they were laying in the womb?
I'm not usually this soft and get them outside once they're 24/48hrs old but each set has had a problem so far.
Just 3 ewes to go, smallest flock I've ever had too!

[Backinwellies]

wonky feet ... splint with loo roll and bandage for a day or two .... soon rights itself.

ewe 4 Which do you want least .... a bottle fed lamb or a battle with a difficult ewe?  Fostering (which this is the equivalent of ) takes time and patience but to me would be the better outcome.

[dixie]

Splint with loo roll? As in the cardboard tube?

[pharnorth]

Yes or a lollipop,stick, that sort of thing. Though I have found regular massage, just easing the limbs until,the tendons stretch also works sometime. We had one like it this year, took about a week to,sort, main thing is to make sure it is getting enough milk.

[dixie]

I'm regularly massaging the feet and they look quite good in the shed but as soon as he goes out on grass he bends them again, I'll have to get the necessary and try splints today. The rejected lamb is such a fighter, he sneaks a drink when she's distracted with the other lamb and seems to be getting enough but I think as soon as I put them out she will bugger off, so looks like I'll have a bottle fed after all? I'll try turning them out in a small pen first and see how it goes, I don't want to bottle him yet while there's still a chance?

[twizzel]

Keep the ewe that’s rejecting a lamb contained- don’t turn her out to a bigger pen. If you can make an adopter then put her in that for a few days, then take her out and see what she does. I had one this year that despite being in the adopter never took her lamb, but she had a hard, long lambing and never licked the lamb right from the start. She’s dried off now and I reared the lamb on the bottle. Might try her again next year or might cull not quite made my mind up yet.

[Marches Farmer]

Splints for wonky feet work well but keep the lamb in a fairly small space until they have.  I'd put the ewe in an adopter for a few days.  I wouldn't breed from her again, though, or from the one with wonky feet.

[SallyintNorth]

We always found the thing that helped the occasional turned-under feet the most was sunshine 

Which sadly this lamb won't be getting if he and his abusive mother are in an adopter :/

[Backinwellies]

Splints for wonky feet work well but keep the lamb in a fairly small space until they have.  I'd put the ewe in an adopter for a few days.  I wouldn't breed from her again, though, or from the one with wonky feet.

Not sure why you wouldn't breed from wonky feet ?   

[dixie]

Thanks everyone here's an update! Wonky feet has come right, he's been out in the field and I've been massaging them and it's paid off. Rejected lamb is still penned tight with mum and twin and despite his best efforts, she hates him, think I've tried for long enough so today he will become a pet lamb.
Ewe with the limp seems better, slight limp but she's trotting round the field and her lamb is thriving. I'm a little worried about the wonky feet twins as they are still newborn looking, they haven't filled out as much but I've only singles to compare with, they are happy and pinging about and certainly don't seem hungry, I'm just worrying about everything this year.
(Wonky lamb, along with the others is for the freezer).

[Womble]

Not sure why you wouldn't breed from wonky feet ?

This is just an observation, but I've noticed over a while of reading this forum that [member=27063]Marches Farmer[/member] recommends culling for just about everything that gives you trouble.

I used to think that was overly harsh, but I'm starting to get the point.  For example, we had a gimmer last year (Caribbean) who really didn't want her lamb, and only accepted it after a week's worth of struggle. She then had to be in a field on her own all year, because whenever the lambs lost her, she refused to call to them. This year?  Exactly the same  performance.

I am now having a cup of tea whilst looking up Caribbean Mutton recipes online.

[Marches Farmer]

Not sure why you wouldn't breed from wonky feet ?

This is just an observation, but I've noticed over a while of reading this forum that [member=27063]Marches Farmer[/member] recommends culling for just about everything that gives you trouble.

I

Well observed.  In the past I've occasionally tried a few experiments, like injecting a ewe that's previously prolapsed with calcium in the run up to lambing (it worked), and keeping a ewe that took a few days to mother up after her first lambing, but as the flock grew I decided I didn't need the hassle of ewes in the adopters/bottle feeding/fitting prolapse harnesses and culled without mercy.  For the last four generations the more ewes we've lambed the fewer problems we've had. 

[Backinwellies]

I keep records of each ewe at lambing and how it went ....   and would/have culled for usual stuff like mastitis / prolapse / bad mother / Just plain bl**dy awkward!     but not seen any connection of floppy joints with genetics ....  has anyone else?

[SallyintNorth]

I’ve retained only one ewe who has a minor mothering issue. Otherwise I totally agree - don’t breed from problems, you’ll only breed problems

The one I keep?  Quincy the black Wensleydale.  She has one of the best fleeces I’ve ever come across, and her sons have (both, so far) had amazing fleeces too.  Her issue is her excessively laid back mothering style. She lies down, pops it out (always a single so far), then waits for the help to bring it round for licking . Quite funny but it does mean you have to be there in case the lamb is still in the sack.