Last night, just before bed, I noticed one of the only three pregnant ewes with some gook stuff hanging out of her butt. So I jugged her, fed her, gave her clean water, dry straw, and left the jugs to the left and right of her open and went to bed.
I woke up this morning, and that ewe had had twins -- two ewe lambs. The jug next to her had one of the other ewes in it -- and she had ewe twin lambs also. One alive and one dead.
Off to the side in one of the large pens is my big, giant fat ewe. She was obviously in labor. About 10 feet away from her, standing in the morning mist, is her first little ewe lamb. White. Upon further inspection of momma, I see she's got a head sticking out of her butt. Just the head.
Shit.
I grab my gloves, and do a more physical inspection. No hooves sticking out. I dial Janie. Moral support. I try shoving the lamb's head back in so I can fish around for a hoof. No go. She is pushing quite hard against me. I have no idea who long she has been attempting to pass this lamb. I am having no luck. I hang up with Janie, and try again. I've determined the lamb is dead so I am just pulling down on the head as much as I can. No go. I am really not sure what to do now, but I do not want to lose my ewe. I call Dianne. She convinced me basically to just make my hand fit in there. I hang up with her, and I pull the head out as far as I can, force my hand up in her canal, and grab whatever I found. It turns out it was a hoof. Pulled the hoof out a bit, and the other hoof came with it. Yay. Pulled down on all of it, and out came a black lamb.
And it took a breath!
Wow! I was shocked. I thought for sure it was dead. Tongue out and all. Anyway, momma cleaned it up for the most part. But momma was still not getting up off the ground.
I looked at her again, and wasn't sure what was black sticking out of her butt. it was a head. Oh good grief! Triplets! Went over and pulled that one out with very little effort, and it was, in fact, dead.
Mom still wasn't getting up. Waited a while, to no avail. Tried to help her up and around ... that wasn't working. She can't get her legs underneath her. The white lamb was still nursing off her. I had to go to work. My sister bottle fed the black lamb a couple of times through the day. When I got home from work, there wasn't much progress with the ewe standing or using her rear legs. We got some steroids and anti-inflammatory from a very much appreciated (unnamed) friend (thank you!) and Janie brought them by and administered them. We tried to get the ewe up and walking, and while there was a little progress, it wasn't much. Janie and I then caught the ram lambs from last week and made them wethers. (I already docked all those tails a few days ago.) I then docked the tails of the three healthier lambs that were born yesterday while Janie bottle-fed Fatty's little black ewe lamb, we got everyone fed, and relaxed for the evening. Later on in the night, I brought the black lamb in, fed it, and bedded it down in a straw-lined crate.
Got up this morning early and fed that little black lamb and put her back outside with her momma. Momma is still not doing well. She is still unable to get fully up on her back end and there appears to be some nerve damage or something. I'm bummed. I don't like the implication. I've had her since she was a lamb. She was one of my first sheep. The white lamb was busy nursing from her when I got out there, and the black one was quickly head butted by mom when she got close. I left her out there anyway. Everyone is now laying down quietly ... mom with the white lamb in her crook, and the black lamb about 3' feet away curled up in a ball.
I'll have to get some photos later.
Tails,
Jodi
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