Post by daisyhill on May 7, 2013 22:55:11 GMT -5
This was a disastrous day. I got a new roll of electric netting so I could let the sheep out to graze. They've been in the winter paddock eating hay because I didn't have a good enough fence to let them out in the pastures.
They were really excited to get out, and I was trying to be so careful of them--I waited until after they had eaten their hay this morning, not wanting them to over-do on grass their first day out.
I checked on them around lunch time and I was a bit concerned about them because it was pretty warm today, and they were looking like they were uncomfortably hot (breathing too fast). They had shade and water. I decided to keep an eye on them, and put them back in the barn if they still looked unhappy. The lambs were very happy to be out and frisked all over the place. One ewe, Mabel, I was pretty anxious about because she was panting, but the others were just breathing too fast. I almost put them in the barn then, but thought I was being silly, and they needed to be out on grass.
Well, the next time I checked them (about two hours later) Mabel was fine--laying in the shade chewing, with her twin lambs beside her. All the other ewes were lying down near her, except Thelma, who was lying in the sun a little way away. I thought she looked odd, so went to check, and she was dead. Thelma wasn't even the ewe I was concerned about! She was all bloated, but I honestly don't know if she died of bloat, or bloated after she died (she was even huger by the time I got her dragged out of the pasture).
I wish I knew for sure what I did wrong. Is it common for a sheep to bloat and die that quickly (if it was bloat)? Was she too hot? It wasn't really all that hot today, around 75 I think, but we had snow last week so it feels like a contrast.
My main question is about her lamb. The poor baby is crying for her mama, and I find this very distressing. She was born April 5, so she's four and a half weeks old. What does she need? I don't even know how long lambs need milk. This is my first experience with sheep, and I'm finding out that there is way too much I don't know, even after studying my sheep books.
Will I be able to get her to take a bottle at this age? We did try this evening, with warm cows milk, but she would have nothing to do with it. I doubt if the other ewes will let her nurse--they each have twins already.
I'd really like some advice for caring for the lamb, I feel like I'm floundering.
They were really excited to get out, and I was trying to be so careful of them--I waited until after they had eaten their hay this morning, not wanting them to over-do on grass their first day out.
I checked on them around lunch time and I was a bit concerned about them because it was pretty warm today, and they were looking like they were uncomfortably hot (breathing too fast). They had shade and water. I decided to keep an eye on them, and put them back in the barn if they still looked unhappy. The lambs were very happy to be out and frisked all over the place. One ewe, Mabel, I was pretty anxious about because she was panting, but the others were just breathing too fast. I almost put them in the barn then, but thought I was being silly, and they needed to be out on grass.
Well, the next time I checked them (about two hours later) Mabel was fine--laying in the shade chewing, with her twin lambs beside her. All the other ewes were lying down near her, except Thelma, who was lying in the sun a little way away. I thought she looked odd, so went to check, and she was dead. Thelma wasn't even the ewe I was concerned about! She was all bloated, but I honestly don't know if she died of bloat, or bloated after she died (she was even huger by the time I got her dragged out of the pasture).
I wish I knew for sure what I did wrong. Is it common for a sheep to bloat and die that quickly (if it was bloat)? Was she too hot? It wasn't really all that hot today, around 75 I think, but we had snow last week so it feels like a contrast.
My main question is about her lamb. The poor baby is crying for her mama, and I find this very distressing. She was born April 5, so she's four and a half weeks old. What does she need? I don't even know how long lambs need milk. This is my first experience with sheep, and I'm finding out that there is way too much I don't know, even after studying my sheep books.
Will I be able to get her to take a bottle at this age? We did try this evening, with warm cows milk, but she would have nothing to do with it. I doubt if the other ewes will let her nurse--they each have twins already.
I'd really like some advice for caring for the lamb, I feel like I'm floundering.