# Lets just get it on



## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

i start to lamb Monday. my goats started last night. I am just tired of the prep and i want to get it over with. I will have 240 ewes lamb and 40 goats to kid in the next 30 days. I had a set of kids born last night and the normal spattering of aborts (3) in my sheep herd.
I hate the first 10 ewes that lamb. often they are the problem ewes and i end up putting tons of time in on them. the largest number of bum lambs come from the first group to lamb. after the first ten lambing is busy but we don't have the problems of the first ten. I have 24 Jugs set up. a jug is a 5 by 3 foot pen that gives the ewe and lambs time to get to know one another. day 12 through day 15 of lambing, there is a period of heavy lambing where we will have 10 to 15 ewes lamb a day. we call this the flood. during the flood every jug us full and i make extra jugs in the aisles.
what i still have a hard time getting used to is, the lambing will be consistent at 8 ewes a day. then between day 22 and 24 and it is like a faucet was turned off. 8 ewes lambed the day before and not a single ewe will lamb the very next day. and just like that lambing is over. i have a tenancy to just wonder around for three days not knowing what to do with all my time.
but right now i just want to get it on.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Sending you good wishes that all goes as smoothly as it can, that your kids and lambs are healthy and you get some sleep. 

I have only 75 does due April to June. I'm dreading that!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Good luck! I can't even imagine being around for that many births.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I hope you stocked up on sleep and coffee.lol
That is a lot of work!
Did the ewes just kind of get into a routine for lambing so regularly? That is so strange.

What kind of sheep do you have?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Dwarf Dad said:


> I hope you stocked up on sleep and coffee.lol
> That is a lot of work!
> Did the ewes just kind of get into a routine for lambing so regularly? That is so strange.
> 
> What kind of sheep do you have?


By lambing in a 15 acre field the ewes have room to move away from the herd to lamb. when i was in the barns i found that the lambs would loose track of mom and the ewes of the lambs and the ewes would reject the lambs.or i would find 7 lambs in one corner of the barn and three ewes. i would always have one or two lambs that no ewe wanted. So i had to be there for the birth to keep families togather. by lambing in the field i do not have that problem. Also lambing slows down at night so i get 6 to 7 hours sleep at night.

Heat cycles in ewes are 21 days long so when i turn the rams out 95% of the ewes are bread in the first heat. so there is no routine it is just numbers.
The sheep breed that i have is East Fereasion


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Once the ewe lambs in the field, how do you transport her and the newborns to the jug in the barn? How long do they typically stay in the jug?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Dwarf Dad said:


> I hope you stocked up on sleep and coffee.lol
> That is a lot of work!
> Did the ewes just kind of get into a routine for lambing so regularly? That is so strange.
> 
> What kind of sheep do you have?


By lambing in a 15 acre field the ewes have room to move away from the herd to lamb. when i was in the barns i found that the lambs would loose track of mom and the ewes of the lambs and would reject the lambs.or i would find 7 lambs in one corner of the barn and three ewes. i would always have one or two lambs that no ewe wanted. So i had to be there for the birth to keep families togather. by lambing in the field i do not have that problem. Also lambing slows down at night so i get 6 to 7 hours sleep at night.

Heat cycles in ewes are 21 days long so when i turn the rams out 95% of the ewes are bread in the first heat. so there is no routine it is just numbers.
The sheep breed that i have is East Fereasion


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Good luck.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Seems you have the routine down. Good luck! !


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

SalteyLove said:


> Once the ewe lambs in the field, how do you transport her and the newborns to the jug in the barn? How long do they typically stay in the jug?


I use a four horse trailer do retrieve the lambs. but this year the ground is too wet. I got stuck today so i switched to the lamb cart. the lamb cart is a dog crate with wheels i get to walk the ewes up to the barn this year.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

today I may have got my wish, i had a ewe lamb. and another comes down with Pregnancy toxemia and another with thiamine deficiency. and a doe with a retained placenta. Like i said the first ten ewes are hard.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Ugh, I get tired by the mere READING of this! So many at the same time!


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Is there a reason why the first 10 are hard? If they are not good sheep, if you got rid of them would that take care of your problem?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

ksalvagno said:


> Is there a reason why the first 10 are hard? If they are not good sheep, if you got rid of them would that take care of your problem?


Many years ago most of the problems came from old sheep. Sheep that were older than 8 years old. today i cull my sheep at 8 years old. today most of the problems come from premature births. Many of the premature births are coming from the increace of yearling ewes that i now have lambing. 80% of my yearlings lamb. This winter i have been building fence so i can separate the yearlings and releave the stress and competition of the herd.
it may be that i have time to worry about the first 10 ewes that lamb. when it starts to roll i dont have time to worry. There is always another lamb to take care of


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Yikes! Fighting an unwilling ewe across 15 acres pulling a dog crate?!? Wishing you much strength and patience.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

SalteyLove said:


> Yikes! Fighting an unwilling ewe across 15 acres pulling a dog crate?!? Wishing you much strength and patience.


NO salteyLove It is easy peazy. when i catch a lamb i put it in the crate and pull the crate to the barn the ewe will fallow the lamb any were i go.
catching the lamb is the hard part. with in 20 minuets the lambs can run faster than i can.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

SalteyLove said:


> Yikes! Fighting an unwilling ewe across 15 acres pulling a dog crate?!? Wishing you much strength and patience.


NO salteyLove It is easy peazy. when i catch a lamb i put it in the crate and pull the crate to the barn the ewe will fallow the lamb any were i go.
catching the lamb is the hard part. with in 20 minuets the lambs can run faster than i can.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

fivemoremiles said:


> NO salteyLove It is easy peazy. when i catch a lamb i put it in the crate and pull the crate to the barn the ewe will fallow the lamb any were i go.
> catching the lamb is the hard part. with in 20 minuets the lambs can run faster than i can.


Oh phew! They are NOT like my goats then. The darn goats will stare and scream at the spot the kids were on the ground even when I show them right in their faces that I am moving the kids 15 feet to the jug...


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Hope things improve quickly, not fun.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

SaltyLove try to keep the kid as close to the ground as you can. your doe is expecting it to be on the ground and when you lift it up she loses track of where it is.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

toth boer goats said:


> Hope things improve quickly, not fun.


What do you mean not fun?? i am having a blast I love what i do the stress and all.

How many people can say they get to watch 300 lambs run and play every day.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Right on.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

ITS ON:coolmoves::coolmoves:

It started a 4pm this after noon with three ewes lambing and one doe. 4 lambs and 3 kids.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Have fun.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

My does understood that a kid could be above the ground, but the ewes mainly expected their newborn to be at hoof level. Once "docked" nose-to-newborn, the mother would follow. I could carry the kids in a (for me!) more convenient position, with just a foot for the mother's nose, while the lambs had to be carried low, with the whole body reachable for sniffing. A cart sounds like a practical invention.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

fivemoremiles said:


> What do you mean not fun?? i am having a blast I love what i do the stress and all.
> 
> How many people can say they get to watch 300 lambs run and play every day.


That would be FUN! One is a hoot.lol


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I am going to use this thread as a journal so i can look back and be a better herdsman next year.

Day one
6 ewes lambed one single. one set of twins, two triplets, one set of quads. for a total of 13 lambs. no stillborn all are alive

2 does kidded for a total of 5 kids all alive.
the kids sure are labor intensive.

I had one ewe start lambing i went away (triplet kids took more time than i expected) when i came back the ewe was dead. I missed something but didn't have time to further investigate. that ewe didn't lamb so she isn't on the list of ewes that lambed. she died.

Tux the doe that kidded two days ago slowly faded away and died last night.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

I'm interested to know what is more labor intensive about the kids versus the lambs! I have zero sheep experience! Can you describe it further? (WHEN you have rest and a quiet day...)


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

The birth labour is very much the same. Does go together more quickly than for example cows, and are more often than goats of the "let-me-concentrate-on-my-job" type, not the "hold-my-hoof" kind.

I had zero sheep experience when I got my first ewe. I thought I would be able to use much of my goat experience.

But in other respects there are differences between sheep and goats, had I known how great, I would not have dared to get that first ewe! Luckily I didn't know, and I fell so in love with my woolies!


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Today's arrivals


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

8 Today's arrivals


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

fivemoremiles said:


> View attachment 151269
> 8 Today's arrivals


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I only have 15 black ewes Don't ask me why they are lambing first


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

SalteyLove said:


> I'm interested to know what is more labor intensive about the kids versus the lambs! I have zero sheep experience! Can you describe it further? (WHEN you have rest and a quiet day...)


that is easy Vigor. during birth kids just don't get up and go.
I am not stretching the truth this realy happened
I saw a lamb be born he caught himself and walked away from his birth. when the ewe turned around and licked him that is when he fell down
I realy believe that ewe colostrum is magic. this mornings quads were week and one was not active not trying to lift his head. i milked his mother i got 5 swallows in him and set the lamb under the heat lamp he wanted nothing to do with the light he wanted more milk and tried to stand up. in the quad photo he is the lamb under the light just before i helped him. he got more.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I enjoy the 12am barn check. I love walking away knowing all is well in the barn. 
the majority of the time i walk away confident i will find every thing good in the morning. Because i have done every i can to ensure the survival of the lambs in the barn


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Lambs are so sweet looking.

I bet shearing day is fun. When we had alpacas, we'd get about 100 done in a day.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

Quad lambs - wow! Will you leave them all with her when they are turned out of the jug?

Perhaps all your black ewes are related so their cycles are synced?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

SalteyLove said:


> Quad lambs - wow! Will you leave them all with her when they are turned out of the jug?
> 
> Perhaps all your black ewes are related so their cycles are synced?


you ask great questions. 
will i keep the quads together? Because of past experience i don't think i will be able to. one thing i do that is different is i pull the strongest lamb when i can.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

this morning every one was healthy Love morning barn checks like today's


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Your "Vigor" explanation is showing here. Lamb seems to be crazy energetic compare to kids. The Blackbelly hardly walks anywhere, it springs and bounces. She seems to have pogo sticks for legs. We just found hoof scald on the Katahdin, so she is not as active.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Could it be that lambs are "followers" and kids are "stayers"? Puppies are extreme stayers, they stay in the den for weeks. Foals and lambs follow the mother from the beginning, while kids wait for hours for the mother to come with a filled udder.

I think it is an excellent idea to close them in, disabling them from getting separated.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I am I am in the barn watching a ewe lamb while I wait let me explain that ewes can count to one they see one lamb and they are happy if they have two Lambs will leave one behind it is the Lambs responsibility to learn who mommy is that is why we put them in a jug. after The Jug we put them in mixing pens there are just a few ewes in that pen and they learn to distinguish one from another. after 5 days I turn them out with the drop band the main herd


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## Honey21 (Jan 26, 2014)

SalteyLove said:


> Oh phew! They are NOT like my goats then. The darn goats will stare and scream at the spot the kids were on the ground even when I show them right in their faces that I am moving the kids 15 feet to the jug...


Lol Got to love goats


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

By now that ewe might be busy pushing; good luck! Here the thumb rule is to leave them in the ... jug? ... for as many days as they have small ones.


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

So cute.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I am in the barn again watching another ewe lamb I hope this time it goes better than the last
The ewe earlier today had troubles I was able to save both Lambs but not to ewe.
That was the 10th ewe to lamb things will get better from here on.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Day Two wrap up
9 ewes lambed 20 lambs
3 assisted births 2 of them were technical one was extremely difficult.
no lambs died but i lost one ewe.

a quick tally tonight 14 ewes have lambed 32 live lambs one stilborn


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Sorry for the loss, especially of the ewe. I hope she did not suffer, but I know this is a vain hope. Very good job you were there for her.

Very nice result so far, as a whole!  266 to go? No, these 14 was only one day.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Trollmor said:


> Sorry for the loss, especially of the ewe. I hope she did not suffer, but I know this is a vain hope. Very good job you were there for her.
> 
> Very nice result so far, as a whole!  266 to go? No, these 14 was only one day.


as soon as i realized she wasn't going to live i put her down. It may be cruel but i don't have time to let a ewe suffer. I have more lambs and ewes lambing that need me.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Not cruel to put her down. I consider that a kindness. No need to suffer when you have the ability to do it.


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## Robinsonfarm (Jul 17, 2015)

I have both sheep and goats as well, although a much smaller scale. 
But I do agree that the lambs are quicker learners and heartier than the kids, at least for me. I raise Navajo Churro sheep which are extremely self sufficient, I havent had to pull a lamb in many years. They pop them out and take off in very short order. 

Good luck with your future lambings! Sounds like you have a great system down


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:hug:


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

day three slow rain storms 4 ewes lambed. 8 live lambs. I have never had this bad of a year on my ewes. lost another ewe.
I have never found a case of ring womb before the lambs were dead.
i saw a ewe acting odd so i checked her out and found she had ring womb. so i tried to expand the cervix and was not having any luck. it smelled bad. But to my surprise the lamb in the birthing canal was alive.

so here is my question.
what would you do.

the vet is one and 1/2 hours away
C section $400.00
market lamb value is $140.00 a lamb
chance of the lambs being alive and the ewe surviving 25 to 30%
the chance the ewe will conceve again 25%
cull ewe price is $75.00
price of a bullet $.10


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

Dumb question in route.
Anything human edible?
Livestock guardian dog food?
Just my 10 cents.


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## Robinsonfarm (Jul 17, 2015)

fivemoremiles said:


> day three slow rain storms 4 ewes lambed. 8 live lambs. I have never had this bad of a year on my ewes. lost another ewe.
> I have never found a case of ring womb before the lambs were dead.
> i saw a ewe acting odd so i checked her out and found she had ring womb. so i tried to expand the cervix and was not having any luck. it smelled bad. But to my surprise the lamb in the birthing canal was alive.
> 
> ...


Personally I would attempt a terminal C-section, shoot the ewe and try and get the lambs out. We've done it a few times over the last 30 years and been able to save some lambs that way. 
Talking to a lot of people all over the country with sheep, goats and cattle, it seems to be a very rough year with a high percentage of loss.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

fivemoremiles said:


> as soon as i realized she wasn't going to live i put her down. It may be cruel


No, to let her live and suffer is the cruel thing.


fivemoremiles said:


> I have never found a case of ring womb before the lambs were dead.
> 
> so here is my question.
> what would you do.


Personally I would probably panic, but the post mortem caesarian seems to be a good option - if you like bottle lambs!


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I opted for the post mortem C section. the heart will keep beating for up to two minutes after a head shot. I had the lambs out in under a minute. they were both alive, but did they smell bad there death was not far off. i thought i had them going good late last night but one faded away this morning. that is the second lamb i have lost this season.

the ewe i have decided her breeding is good enough to keep


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

day 4 rain stoped this morning 6 ewes lambed in three hours. yearlings kicked our tail today. i had to bring the herd in to catch one new mother that ran. 
rained all afternoon 7 ewes lambed to day. 12 lambs i think
totals for year to date
26 ewes 54 live lambs two lambs died.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

fivemoremiles said:


> I had to bring the herd in to catch one new mother that ran.


 How many times have we all had to do something like that ...


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Day 5
6 ewes lambed 12 lambs


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Counting down going on! How many deliveries to go now?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Trollmor said:


> Counting down going on! How many deliveries to go now?


+- 200 ewes to go


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

day 6
lovely day i'm sun burnt
I have never lost this many ewes EVER!!!
with this many ewes it is easy to miss a ewe with problems. I wish they would come up to me and say help but they run instead.
When they stop running it is too late. i found a ewe this morning in that condition. i pulled the lambs ( not a job for some one with a week constitution) I treated her for infection but she was too far gone and died two hours later.
I had another ewe today that had twins two days ago. to day she just laid down and died. she caught me by surprise.
But I did have 7 ewes lamb 15 lambs
now have 8 bums to feed.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I am sorry you are losing the ewes. I would surely help if I could.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I'm so sorry this is a bad year for ewes.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

fivemoremiles said:


> day 6
> lovly day im sun burnt
> I have never lost this many ewes EVER!!!
> with this many ewes it is easy to miss a ewe with problems. I wish they would come up to me and say help but they run instead.
> ...


Oh dear! I guess with so many it is difficult for the ewes to think "There is a human, he can help me!" So she runs instead until she can run no more.








Good luck with the ≈97, and with the bottles! :inlove: I guess you teach them to use a bar very soon. (And then they, too, learn that humans are uninteresting.  )


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Very sad, I am sorry.


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## wifeof1 (Mar 18, 2016)

Oh Wow! That sounds so frustrating. Is it because of the bad weather? Or just a bad year?


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

I think such things do gather in clusters, without any special reason.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I have wondered if the weather had something to do with it. but my lambs are big and i think that is the problem i fed them well in the cold weather----- soooo it was the weather.:heehee:

I need to weigh the single i pulled today he was huge.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

day 7
2 ewes lambed 3 lambs. WHAT i should have closer to 10 a day.
so far 39 ewes lambed 76 live lambs
ether this is going to be a long lambing season or we are going to have a flash flood of lambs


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

I hate it when all come at once; not time for each one.


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## GoofyGoat (Sep 21, 2018)

Uh boy ...do you ever have your hands full!
I hope the rest of your lambing goes more smoothly than this past week. I'm sorry you lost so many ewes, that's gotta be hard to take even though they're livestock a life lost is always sad. 
Hang in there! Take care of yourself too


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Day 8 now this is better
10 ewes lambed 18 lambs one birthing assist.
I have had two single lambs born today both so big that i decided to weigh them one weighed 18.4 lbs both were delivered with out assistance.


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

fivemoremiles said:


> I have had two single lambs born today both so big that i decided to weigh one.
> 18.4 lbs both were delivered with out assistance.


You're joking because it's April 1 right? Or is that the two singles combined weight?!


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

one lamb was 17.9 lbs and the other was 18.4 pounds. this year the twins are weighing 9+ lbs
we have 98 live lambs on the ground. 
i picked up 2 more bums for a total of 11


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Some times i get surprised. last night i had a lamb with pneumonia that was limp would not suck. at 1am i shrugged my shoulders and told the lamb i have done all that i can do. I will take your body away in the morning and went to bed. this morning i walk in to the lambing barn and found a jumble of bum lambs wanting milk. but i didnt see a body I had marked a red + on the nose of the lamb, was i ever surprised when the lamb standing turned and looked at me. 

One other thing tonight the lambs ran when we fed the ewes grain. there were just 15 of them but they ran. I cant wait tell there is 200+ running.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

here is a good night story for ya all 
last Saturday i was bagging and tagging (castrating, tagging and vaccinating) the lambs.
I ran out of vaccine so I scooped up the triplet i was working on and went to the tractor supply store, its just 3 miles away. When i walked in to the store the cashier saw the lamb in my arms and bolted out to see it. i asked her who has the keys to the medical cabinet. she contacted the person on the floor and found out she was in the horse feed isle. i thanked her and pried the lamb out of her arms. 
when i got to the horse feed isle the girl was loading feed on the shelves. i said excuse me. she looked up and saw the lamb and vaulted over the pallet of feed she was working on and ran to see the lamb. i asked for the vaccine she went and opened the cabinet and i again had to pry the lamb out of her arms and was on my way.
Best service i have ever had.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

"18.4lb= 8.346099kg" - You ARE kidding, aren't you! These weights maybe explain some of the delivery difficulties!

Sounds as if your farmers' store has good personnel! Congrats! Maybe they will like to practice at your place in their free time? You could need an extra pair of eyes.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

day 9
Back a step
2 yearlings and 2 experienced ewes. 5 lambs?? 
Becouse of my heighten awareness of the problems i am having i am finding problems much sooner. Today i found a ewe that had the placenta release to soon. what a mess my first thought was that ewe had already given birth but then i found a leg. and to my amazment it moved. well here was another time where the choice was to save the lamb or loose both. Nice lamb

I added 3 lambs to the bum pen today because i had two ewes die. the one i just told you about and the other was a ewe that when she was first in the jug i thought she was fading and wouldn't make the night. but she did . i left her in the jug for 4 days because she just was not right. yesterday i decided she had improved enough to let her out in the mixing pen. she was laying and alive when i checked at 7 am but we found her dead at 9am.

I had a ewe prolapse this morning. I checked her tonight I think i will be adding another ewe to the lost colem. 

this lambing season now ranks as the second worst loss of ewes i have had. the worst was in 2014 when i lost 28 ewes during a march blizzered.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Terrible for you.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I hate those bad years. They come around every so often. Makes you wonder why you keep doing it. But you press on.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Hope for a better continuation!


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

fivemoremiles said:


> day 9
> Back a step
> 2 yearlings and 2 experienced ewes. 5 lambs??
> Becouse of my heighten awareness of the problems i am having i am finding problems much sooner. Today i found a ewe that had the placenta release to soon. what a mess my first thought was that ewe had already given birth but then i found a leg. and to my amazment it moved. well here was another time where the choice was to save the lamb or loose both. Nice lamb
> ...


Damn i am SO sorry you are havin such a nasty year!


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## SalteyLove (Jun 18, 2011)

For the ewe with the "placenta released to early" - she would have bled out due to damage if you delivered the kid manually or what? I'm interested in that situation. 

The most recent kidding here of triplets, I believe a good portion of the placenta was delivered at the same time as the third kid, covering it's head. I had to tear both the placenta and amniotic sac to clear the airway post-delivery. In that case, I believe the kid would have drowned if I had not been present. I could see those attachment things (cohedrons or whatever they are called) around the head. It was good fortune as the first two had already been delivered and third was presenting just as I arrived at the barn.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

SalteyLove said:


> For the ewe with the "placenta released to early" - she would have bled out due to damage if you delivered the kid manually or what? I'm interested in that situation.
> 
> what alerted me to the problem was the large amount of blood.
> i felt that she was bleeding out.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Wow what a day i am so tired and sore that i am waiting for the Advil to kick in.
15 ewes lambed 20 lambs one stilborn.
all the singles today realy messed up my ambing average. it is down to 1.86 lambs per ewe.
we had to rush and move ewe and lamb pairs out of the jugs to make room for the new arrivals

I had a ewe with pregnancy toxemia that lambed 2 days ago normally they bounce right back after giving birth. but she didn't she stopped eating and nothing i did, offered, coxed worked she passed last night.
Don't go giving me sympathy for the losses. because years like i am having go with the territory. 
One spring when i was young we had 13 ewes killed by dogs in one night. we carried guns for the next two years every where we went. killed 32 dogs on our property that year. boy were we deadly on our dear hunts in those years.
the dog kills stopped when the county dog laws went in to effect. we havn't killed a dog in years,


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

here is a photo of that 18 and 1/2 pound lamb my nephew is holding the lamb


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)




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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

How many jugs do you have for your 240 mothers-to-be?

Hm, that lamb looks like a month or even more ... Ugh! for delivering such a giant!


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

my my jugs are made with wire hog panels they are 16 ft long 10 ft wide each pod makes eight jugs I have three of them so I have 24 jugs set up


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

That makes an average of 10 mothers in the same box, one after the other? What a job just to keep them circulating! I get panty just from thinking of it! But it really looks nice and inviting on your photos!

16 x 10 ft makes about 3 x 5 meters? Os this for each ewe, or for all 8?


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Nice.


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## singinggoatgirl (Apr 13, 2016)

15 ewes in one day! Wow. 

Do ewes lamb all hours of the day? How do you get any sleep during lambing season?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Trollmor said:


> That makes an average of 10 mothers in the same box, one after the other? What a job just to keep them circulating! I get panty just from thinking of it! But it really looks nice and inviting on your photos!
> 
> 16 x 10 ft makes about 3 x 5 meters? Os this for each ewe, or for all 8?


the pods are divided in to 8, 4 by 5 foot pens. each ewe has it own pen.
moving the ewes is the hardest part. singles get 6 to 12 hours. twins and triplets get 24 hours before they get moved in to the mixing pens. this year we are using wood shavings in the jugs to keep them dry.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

singinggoatgirl said:


> 15 ewes in one day! Wow.
> 
> Do ewes lamb all hours of the day? How do you get any sleep during lambing season?


ewes will lamb at any time of day but there are hours that are more likely to lamb than others,
5am to 10am and 5pm to 10pm. are the most common times to lamb.
the least likely times are 2am to 5 am and 12pm to 5pm

I do not bring ewes in after dark because of the chance that i will miss a lamb in the shadows.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Day 11 EDITED TWO HOURS LATER
13 ewes lambed 19 lambs NOPE 16 ewes 22 lambs may have more from the three.
no assisted births
I am having a common problem with sheep.
one of the signs of a ewe starting to birth is what i call the search
the ewe will start to wander around looking and calling for her lamb.
there are times the ewe in the search stage of birth will steal a lamb from another ewe. then give birth, and a short time later will reject the stolen lamb. by the time the ewe rejects the lamb the real mother will not take it back.
in the last two days i have added 3 bum lambs to the lamb bar.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

another problem i have is when i have 4 ewes and 8 lamb in a corner of the field. I can not tell who belongs to whom. so i put the ewes in an isle and block it off. i watch to see who will feed who and mark the lamb so later i can separate then in a jug.


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## elvis&oliver (Jun 28, 2018)

Wow what a great thread. Good luck to you if I was closer I’d volunteer just to learn from you. I only have 2 little goats so nothing to offer but I’ll be following and wishing you luck and good rest soon


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

:crazy:... and it is not at all certain that out of 4 ewes and 8 lambs there are exactly 2 lambs to every ewe ... :crazy:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

:hughighfive)


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Day 12
I needed a day like today.
2 ewes lambed 4 lambs
we got so many things done that i have been putting off while in the lambing barn.
the change in pace was a welcomed.
I think the change in the weather is what slowed down the lambing. we are having a rain storm for the next two days.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Others take some days off from work to attend births, you have a day off from births, to do some work ...


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Day 13
8 ewes lambed 10 live lambs 1 still born. lost two older lambs i let my guard down 

Its crazy but i have put down 12 ewes in the last two weeks and tonight my house cat gets hurt I new he needed to be put down and i couldn't do it, i went to the vet


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## 808momof4 (Apr 1, 2019)

fivemoremiles said:


> Day 13
> 8 ewes lambed 10 live lambs 1 still born. lost two older lambs i let my guard down
> 
> Its crazy but i have put down 12 ewes in the last two weeks and tonight my house cat gets hurt I new he needed to be put down and i couldn't do it, i went to the vet


I am so very sorry. This has been such a hard time, and to loose a cat on top of it. My heart is breaking for you.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Feelings and emotions! I am happy you do love your cat!


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## NigerianNewbie (Jun 6, 2018)

Sorry to hear about your beloved house cat. :hug:


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Day 14 RAIN!
I am amazed how rain can take a stressed lamb and crash it. i didn't watch the weather yesterday and i turned a group of lambs out of the mixing jugs and in to the pairs band. this mourning i had three lambs in trouble. I lost one. one is still in guarded condition but is back with mother. Edited the third lamb past away tonight.
The drop band has not missed a beat.
11 ewes lambed in the rain. 19 lambs born
lost 3 lambs one to suffocation. i have to shear before lambing next year. the ewes don't feel the lambs through 4 in of wool.
I did take an unplanned two hour nap this afternoon.
we are about half way through lambing. we are near 100 ewes lambed and about 180 live lambs


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

I bet you had good use for that nap! Sorry for the lambs. Here, sheering is promoted well before lambing, due to the ewes eating better without the thick wool. They say. I tried one year, but my ewe just shivered from cold.


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## Robinsonfarm (Jul 17, 2015)

We typically shear before lambing for several reasons. Its easier for the lambs to find the teat and they dont suck on dirty wool trying to eat, its easier to monitor body condition on the ewes, the ewes will seek shelter sooner because they are cold and they wont keep the lambs out in the wet and nasty weather as much, and less likely hood of them laying on lambs. Raising sheep for handspinners shearing before lambing also keeps the fleece better quality, the stress of lambing typucally causes a small break in the fibers.


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

Yes, that is what I was told. Only my ewes had not heard it.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Robinsonfarm said:


> We typically shear before lambing for several reasons. Its easier for the lambs to find the teat and they dont suck on dirty wool trying to eat, its easier to monitor body condition on the ewes, the ewes will seek shelter sooner because they are cold and they wont keep the lambs out in the wet and nasty weather as much, and less likely hood of them laying on lambs. Raising sheep for handspinners shearing before lambing also keeps the fleece better quality, the stress of lambing typucally causes a small break in the fibers.


you forgot that a cold ewe eats more. moves more preventing koci Pregnancy toxemia and the lambs have better brown fat at birth.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I normal do shear before lambing but the day i had planned to shear it was -10F with a 28 mile an hour wind. so i postponed shearing for a week. it was still too cold and i couldn't get in the barn because of the snow drifts.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

It is still raining not hard but it is still wet and cold.
Day 15
13 ewes lambed 18 lambs
lost 1 lamb considering the rain and cold i feel that is doing real good.
today i got real stressed out then mad so i left the barn went in the shop and fixed the old 1977 ford high boy and got it started. Then i hooked it to the horse trailer. Now i can bring multiple ewes up at a time. to day i brought 5 ewes up in one load. that gave us the time to get the final hay i need for this year. some times a good mad is all it takes.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I went I went down to get three ewes and I came back with five one is 







was laying down in the front giving birth to another lamb


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

A lot better than walking one ewe at a time. Good going, take care of yourself. They all depend on you.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

we have lambed out 120 + ewes and have over 200 lambs the lamb number keeps changing mostly up so it is hard to give exact numbers


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## Trollmor (Aug 19, 2011)

fivemoremiles said:


> I normal do shear before lambing but the day i had planned to shear it was -10F with a 28 mile an hour wind. so i postponed shearing for a week. it was still too cold and i couldn't get in the barn because of the snow drifts.


-23°C, not exactly the best time to take off the warm winter coat ...

Poor ewe to give birth when being transported, probably not on the most even of roads! <3 But the closest one does look wet, I imagine they did appreciate it to come in and have one of your inviting jugs!


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Is the upcoming snow storm going to effect you? (I sure hope not!)


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Goats Rock said:


> Is the upcoming snow storm going to effect you? (I sure hope not!)


You made me check the weather forecast. we are low enough that we will get just a skiff of snow. we already had that today so no big worries, but just three miles away in the mountains they are predicting 3 to 6 inches.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

RAIN AND LOTS OF IT.
having a three day gully washer don't come this early in the year often. 
I am surprised how well the lambs are doing. but the real test will be in a few days when Pneumonia kicks in.
i nearly got stuck in the pasture today that is how soft the ground is.
we had 9 ewes lamb one lamb still born 11 live lambs. Lost one ewe another detached placenta. I saved the lamb. I have 22 bum lambs


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Talking bum lambs I thought I would share my new lamb bar


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)




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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)




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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)




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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)




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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

That stand is great! (I like those nipples, too. Better than the leaky Pritchards).


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I like that stand.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

things are starting to wind down now. we have less than 100 ewes in the drop band.
9 ewes lambed 12 live lambs 1 stillborn
the rain calmed down just a few brief showers. the mud in front of the barn is awful
i need to find some straw close to the ranch, then escape the lambing barn.


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## LockeEstates (Nov 25, 2017)

And here I get excited when two of my three kid....I cannot imagine more. Keeping ya’ll in my prayers.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

today when i was watching a ewe lamb the drop band spred out and i was able to get a good count of how many sheep were there.
82 taking out the 5 rams and the 4 ewes that have lost there lambs. I know there are about 20 yearlings i don't expect to lamb. so i think i have about 55 Ewes left. at the current rate of births we will be done in a week.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Day 17 I think 
8 ewes lambed 10 lambs 
we had a lot of yearlings lamb today all had singles
I have one ewe and lamb still in the field. the ewe has wool over her eyes and is extremely scared and i cant get her in. not the first time i have had a scared ewe because she was wool blind this year. But it is the first time this year the ewe was so much faster than we are.
we had a ewe that had pregnancy toxemia lamb today. twins. huge twins. i think they will be added to the bum lamb pen. ( I need a bigger pen that will make 26 bums). The ewe perked up after she was given warm molasses water. and is eating well.
Was reminded why i like sheep better than goats today. I had two does kid today. i have spend three times more time with the 5 kids than than i had to give to the ten lambs. as i type i still have worries on three of the kids.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

My wife has a little Blackbelly ewe lamb that is hilarious to watch bouncing around like she is on a pogo stick. Do your pens look like that, only with more bouncies?

If any way possible, after lambing, could you or your wife post a video to youtube and a link to it on here?
Thank you.


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## Iluvlilly! (Apr 6, 2019)

Hope everything goes well ,and hope all the little ones make it:7up::rose::rose::angel:


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## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

Hope things go OK.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Dwarf Dad said:


> My wife has a little Blackbelly ewe lamb that is hilarious to watch bouncing around like she is on a pogo stick. Do your pens look like that, only with more bouncies?
> 
> If any way possible, after lambing, could you or your wife post a video to youtube and a link to it on here?
> Thank you.


We call it the running of the lambs. tonight was the first time they ran. it wasn't that good but they were practicing. next week at this time it will be wonderful.

the running of the lambs is why i work these crazy stressful hours for days


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Last night i felt like i was in a emergincy room. i tried to save 5 lambs. up tell 3am lost two.phnumonia i found late and never was able to get ahead of the ball
i got sun burnt to day
2 ewes lambed 3 lambs 
why do they wait tell bad weather to lamb?
we got lots done. turned a mixing pen out in to the pairs band.the barn is empty.
i had a dead out bee hive i cleaned out so i can use it for a split, (a split is a hive division, making one hive in to two)
had friends come to see the lambs that was fun, 
almost forgot our nigies started kidding today, Quads,


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I hate this walking pneumonia that i have from the rains last week. I checked every one is good two hours later nope one is down and out, 
lost another lamb to pneumonia. 
easy day 2 ewes lambed this evening 4 lambs. the barn is empty by Saturday we will take down the jugs to give the sheep more room to bed down.
to get ready for some tours next week we built a temp fence and moved the milking goats, then moved the bums to the petting zoo. mixed chicken feed. i think we are ready for the next 50 ewes.

took my wife out to eat. I have missed our Wednesday lunch dates


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

day 21 
10 ewes lambed 9 live lambs one stillborn
there was a yearling that had a pixy lamb 
and another yearling had a holsteene --- well that is what the color reminds me of black and white spotted.
have about 50 ewes left. the last twenty ewes are as hard to lamb as the first 20 for some reason they have many problems. I fear the last fifty will drag out for another two weeks since i did not take the rams out of the herd.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

What is a pixy lamb?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Most of my lambs weigh 7 to 12lbs but the lamb born today weighed about 3lbs
she is doing very good now she had a rough start though.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Here are photos comparing a normal lamb and a pixy lamb


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

I didn't know i had holsteins on the ranch lip


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

big chang in management today. we are leaving the single lambs with the drop band, we just bag nd tag the lamb mark it with paint and leave it. there are so few ewes in the drop band we don't need to move them. the twins are still being brought to the barn so the lambs can learn how to find mom.
three ewes lambed today one was stilborn. the giant singles are just not making it through the birthing. 2 live lambs and one stillborn. 
I had a group come see the lambs was fun but i just don't have the time for tours this year. I moved my lambing up two weeks this year (not going to happen next year) and the late spring i am just too far behind the curve.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Wow. Big difference in size. But they are all too cute!


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

Big difference! Are the pixy lambs as vigorous as regular size?


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Dwarf Dad said:


> Big difference! Are the pixy lambs as vigorous as regular size?


No they are not i think they are a little premature.


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

fivemoremiles said:


> I didn't know i had holsteins on the ranch lip
> View attachment 152975


I think i neeeeed this lil adorable nugget!


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

well that about raps it up for this year.
some things that i am frustrated with

My inability to count. that is right i can not count sheep. in bed or in the field. I guessed i had 240 it turns out that i only had 215. i feed for 240 and got huge lambs. I never was any good at counting sheep.

Some puzzles were why so many ring womb and detached placentas. what caused it and could i prevent it,

I didn't keep up with my salt and mineral in February and i payed for it in March
by April i had corrected my mineral and have had no problems since.

I have a personal goal to have 300 live lambs. well i didn't get there this year. 
we had 263 lambs. 

i have 22 bum lambs that is a little less than normal
we lost as my memory recalls about 25 lambs had 6 stillborn, what realy hurts are the 16 ewes that i lost. that is the worst that i have ever had. normally i loose 3 to 5.

I will add some photos and video of the lambs in the next week but tonight is the last daily log i will give.


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Congratulations on a finished season. Sounded like a tougher year than normal. I hope you get some rest.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Bum Lambs in the Sun today this photo was very hard to get because if they see me they come running
when I Drive by the pen in my pickup they all run along the fence with the







pickup


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Cute! They sure love sunning!


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Here is the lambs playing tonight



__ https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10213779019219114


I wish the vidio quality was better

I wish the video quality was better


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

fivemoremiles said:


> Here is the lambs playing tonight
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Would like to see. I don't Facebook.


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

Im sorry i tried for four hours to post the video but couldn't 

Is there any one that knows how to post this video for me?


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## Sfgwife (Feb 18, 2018)

fivemoremiles said:


> Im sorry i tried for four hours to post the video but couldn't
> 
> Is there any one that knows how to post this video for me?


Upload it to youtube then it gives you a direct link to share. Copy and paste it. . This is the easiest way for me.


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## Dwarf Dad (Aug 27, 2017)

I haven't done that.


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## purecchem (Apr 23, 2019)

Hello


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## fivemoremiles (Jan 19, 2010)

purecchem said:


> Hello


Hi welcome to the party


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