Bill Fosher Posted April 11, 2003 Report Share Posted April 11, 2003 We're about halfway through, and had a bit of a lull today; only seven ewes lambed. We have 188 lambs on the ground out of 124 ewes. The pace peaked earlier this week with about 15 ewes a day lambing, and will probably remain slow until the beginning of the second cycle breeders, which will come around April 20 or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eileen Stein Posted April 12, 2003 Report Share Posted April 12, 2003 I had my last lamb on St. Patrick's Day -- or so I thought. Two years ago I had a ewe lamb born on Easter day whose mom and twin brother died. I had my hands full, so I gave her to a local family who thought it would be fun to bottle raise her (!), and she grew up in a house with two kids and a Dalmatian. Of course, she was weird and useless when she came back, but she has a nice fleece, so eventually I put her in with the ram to keep him company. Last fall when I put the ram in with the ewes to be bred, she went along. I thought she might have already settled, and would lamb way before the rest of them. But she didn't, and she wasn't marked (I use a harness on the ram), so when she hadn't lambed and showed no signs of pregnancy at lambing time, I took her out and put her back in with the ram, mentally chalking her up as headed for the freezer. She also showed no signs of pregnancy when she was sheared toward the end of March. I was away most of last week, and barely had a chance to glance at her and the other sheep when I passed by to feed the ewes with lambs. Well, yesterday--after a night of horrible cold and rain--I go up and she's off by herself with a nice little ewe lamb at foot, dried off and well fed, and seeming no crazier than any other lamb. A nice little surprise -- and a likely reprieve for the mom. Bill, you must be exhausted! Do you lamb indoors or on pasture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fosher Posted April 14, 2003 Report Share Posted April 14, 2003 A little exhausted, particularly today. I pulled the 3 a.m. check, and so much for the lull. We've had nine ewes deliver in the last eight hours. Nothing too tricky. A set of triplets to slime graft one of onto a ewe with a single ... worked like a charm. One big lamb that needed a wee tug. We are lambing in a spectacular barn this year. It was built as a sheep shed, and it's about four years old. It's airy and bright. 120 by 220 feet. Right now we're here on a temporary arrangement, but I'm hoping that it becomes permanent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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