[chickens]

Hi
I have a small flock of ouessant sheep given to me by someone, trouble is I am not sure when this lady put the rams in with them and cannot get hold of her.  I know they were together when I got them march 27th so calculating from then it is impossible for them to be giving birth now but two of them look heavily pregnant and one has got some long dried thing hanging from her rear end and appears to be straining - she could be aborting I am not sure.  Unfortunately they were not tame and panic very easily so I do not want to distress her.  About 3 weeks ago one of the others had this long thing hanging from her and we managed to catch her and whether it was right or not my instinct told me to stand of the thing hanging from her, it came away (looked like afterbirth) and she picked up hugely and was running around happily the next day.  No sign of any foetus - very strange. Could this thing hanging from her be her aborting - she def was in a position as if she was going in to labour but would not let me near.  Really not sure how long to leave her.

Appreciate any advice thank you.

[kanisha]

tame or not she needs to be looked at catch her up and if you can keep her in until you are certain what is happening if she is aborting ( and its possible) then no further  risk to the foetus only the ewe if you don't act appropriately.
at best she should get antibiotic cover. to ward off infection if she doesn't cleanse properly. please get professional advice

[kanisha]

Also I am assuming you have checked for a lamb on the ground ouessants will give birth in the blink of an eye so if you aren't sure check for a lamb in undergrowth etc.

[chickens]

yes checked for lamb nothing in undergrowth or in field, I will try to catch her but making her run like crazy round the field surely isn't good for her and if there is a chance she isn't aborting it will make her do so, they seriously are not tame at all, wild I am trying to get them used to me and they are getting better. Am just going to have a look at her again now to see what is happening.

[dixie]

can you make a pen of hurdles leave food in there and just sit quietly, see if she goes in? just an idea?

[kanisha]

running around a field will not catch a ouessant take a roll of metre high fencing and attach it to about two metres out from one corner of the paddock

unroll to a reasonable length and funnel her and others if necessary into the corner using the fenceline to keep them secure you then just need to wind up fencing roll and catch your ouessant do it with mine all the time and its not hard. it may help to place a feed bucket into the corner before you start to funnel them in.

[chickens]

Thanks for all your help and advice, I have actually tried the fencing trick, I have had a flock of 40 sheep for years now and I am used to catching sheep these are an exception they are extremely wild.  I have just come in from looking at her she is straining but the dangling bit has gone so maybe the birth is imminent - I will keep checking her - she does not want to come to food either but it is extremely hot here so none of the sheep are particularly interested in food.

[kanisha]

If she has been straining for that amount of time without lambing then maybe its stuck?

[woollyval]

I have to agree with Kanisha.....you need to make a funnel, either into a building or into a 2m high pen. A 50m or more bit of fencing secured on road pins or lectric fence posts works. The ewe needs to be made to think this is the escape route so a bend is needed so she can go round it. If a particularly wild one 2 - 3 bends are needed each time with the space getting smaller. Make sure the ground line is tight as ouessants prefer to go under rather than over!
make sure you catch her with several others as it will be easier, and if the funnel can lead to a doorway even better as sheep prefer to run to a dark place like a stable or shed. I have done this many times with wild sheep be they soay or ouessant or shetland and properly thought out it works every time.....think like a sheep.....a primitive sheep.....not a normal sheep.....they are prey animals and need an escape route, you are just providing one with a trap at the end. Be careful to make the funnel smaller and smaller or she will dive or jump. I suggest also whilst you have her checking her all over for everything else. March is not too late for a service to occur but unusual.....when was she sheared? Can you see an udder? If no udder she is not likely to be in lamb and anything 'hanging' if lambing or aborting will be damp and mucose like not dry.....can you get a pic with a long range lens or look for an udder by binoculars?

You will never ever catch a ouessant by running