It was fine with Eliza, all her lambs are about the same size; 11lbs, 10lbs and 10lbs (can you imagine carrying 31 lbs of lamb???). She takes really good care of them, they are all healthy as can be.... and then comes Rose. I know it isnt her fault, it is actually mine because I did flush before breeding this year.
Rose had triplets yesterday evening. The first lamb looked great! Nice sized (about 8lbs), looked healthy, but half hour later he was not standing up. He's like a wet noodle. We drenched, gave Bo-Se, B complex and helped him to stand to get his first milk. He was a bit better last night, when my daughter gave him a nudge, he would get up, stagger over to mom and try to nurse. But if he got bumped, down he'd go like so much spaghetti and thats where he stayed.
The second lamb came, long tall and healthy, he was up in 5 mins working on finding the chow. That's when we noticed a pair of legs hanging out of the ewe. Back legs. Jari kinda freaked, I called Laura. My savior-sheperdess in Oregon. I was also trying to find out more about both problems from Laura Lawsons book, Managing Your Ewe; our copy is a bit dogeared, it is worth its weight in gold! But then so is Laura in Oregon. In the mean time, this lamb that was causing such a rucus just kind of fell to the straw, I dont think the ewe noticed to be honest. She weighs 4 lbs. I thought I got a picture of her brand new, but I had the camera on video somehow, so pictures of them later. She is a little bag of bones but she was also up and nursing within minutes. So now Im paranoid. I have two more sheep out there that are as big or bigger than Rose was, so either they are carrying trips or very large twins.
Anybody feeling my pain here??
This is Jari's 4-H suffolk ewe Misty, she had these twins last Friday the 21st. Both big strong and healthy and both ewes :) 
This was a photo op I couldn't pass up!
Two of Eliza's triplets, the third one looks just like his sisters :)
6 comments:
I think a 300% lambing rate is a great thing to show to the 4H and FFA kids! (snicker, snicker) Really, I know it's a lot of work put I also know you're up to the challange! Good onya, mate!
Where do you get your BoSe injectible from? I asked at our feed store here and they looked at me as if I had "lobsters coming out of my ears"! What rate do you use for the lambs?
I ask this as it hit me this year...I don't live in a selenium deficient area, BUT all the hays here are shipped in from goodness-knows-where...changing with each load. And that maybe I should have BoSe on hand - in case. (Well, duh...it's kinda like those V8 Commercials...some days I swear my brain is dead) :)
And I have a mailing ready for you, BUT the shearer comes Friday (I hope, I hope, I hope) and I wanted to add some raw fleece to it, if that's OK?
I can hardly wait to see if you have more trips!
You're killin me Kathy lol, my daughter and I are just hoping it will all be over this week; she is off school on spring break.
I bought the BoSe at IFA and we are in a deficient area, all of Nevada is I think. I keep minerals in the sheep pen all the time, I really dont know what happened here. I dont remember but Jari also says that this ewes lamb last year did this, maybe not quite as bad but she was clumsy and acted like she had no muscles. She didn't take long to get over it though, or I think I would have remembered it.
We give the lambs 1/2CC BoSe at birth if they are a bit weak in the pasterns. This guy I gave a full CC to since he seems to be weak everywhere! Otherwise, I dont really use it much. I also gave him way too much drench I think, but like they say, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?
Raw fleece samples!?! Well, yes please :)
I don't know if the flushing caused your triplets; one of the Shetland breeders in Indiana who didn't flush at all has three sets of triplets, along with a set of twins and a single, in two days! And she has a small flock, too. Maybe it's a triplet year; she thinks it has something to do with the phase of the moon.
I always get triplets when I flush. You would think I would learn... It always seems like such a good idea when lambing is 6months away!
Hmmm...I flushed and got some twins in a breed that normally singles, but other than that, nothing remarkable. Then again, maybe the drought counteracted the flushing.
Kathy,
Around here (North Carolina) you can't get BoSe except from a vet. I asked my vet for both BoSe and banamine. He agreed to the BoSe but would not sell me the banamine. I guess I look like I might abuse it or something....
Okay, I don't know what flush is, but that last picture is totally a greeting card. You're in the wrong business gurl~
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