[Blackbelly] grieving sheep
Georgette: I can't answer you question for sure, but thought I would share a recent experience. After ten years of raising AB, I had my first ever birthing problem. An older ewe tried to deliver twins at the same time. They were so tangled up in there that I could not make it happen so we made an emergency run to the vet. Lost the lambs but saved the ewe. When we returned to the farm, the ewe stole or adopted a new born lamb from another momma that had delivered twins that day. The other momma was not very happy about it but the lamb thief was the alpha female in the herd. 4 days later we had a young ewe completely reject (nearly to the point of physical harm) at birth one of her twins. We tried to get the aforementioned thief to adopt the rejected lamb - without success. We now have our first bottle baby in 10 years. It has been a week and a half and everything seems okay with the new apportionment of lambs. Now I'm looking for advice on the bottle baby. It stays in a large dog crate except for feeding time. I usually make it run/jump/play for 1/2 hour at each daytime feeding (it follows me and the dog around yard). I took it down to the pasture today (6 days old) to see if it would play with the other 8 baby lambs. No luck. At what point can it be reintroduced to the general population? I'm afraid that I can't teach it how to be a very good sheep (what to and not to eat, watch out for the ants, etc.). Suggestions/Experiences? John Carlton Double J Farms Spanish Fort, Alabama 251-625-2519 doublejfa...@wildblue.net ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] grieving sheep
We took in rejected lamb about two years ago. We got her back to health with cilostrum and milk replacer. She lived at our house in the city for about three months . We tried to get her back into the herd when we were at the farm, but she had no interest. We finally decided to leave here at the farm when she was about 4 months old. She died with in a week on the steps of the farmhouse. I do not think she could adjust to the rigors of herd life. I think as heart breaking as it may be to we humans, there is a reason some lambs are rejected by their mothers.Sorry for my negative input, but this has been my experience. Carr Sent from my iPhone On Jun 23, 2009, at 12:24 PM, Double J Farms doublejfa...@wildblue.net wrote: Georgette: I can't answer you question for sure, but thought I would share a recent experience. After ten years of raising AB, I had my first ever birthing problem. An older ewe tried to deliver twins at the same time. They were so tangled up in there that I could not make it happen so we made an emergency run to the vet. Lost the lambs but saved the ewe. When we returned to the farm, the ewe stole or adopted a new born lamb from another momma that had delivered twins that day. The other momma was not very happy about it but the lamb thief was the alpha female in the herd. 4 days later we had a young ewe completely reject (nearly to the point of physical harm) at birth one of her twins. We tried to get the aforementioned thief to adopt the rejected lamb - without success. We now have our first bottle baby in 10 years. It has been a week and a half and everything seems okay with the new apportionment of lambs. Now I'm looking for advice on the bottle baby. It stays in a large dog crate except for feeding time. I usually make it run/jump/play for 1/2 hour at each daytime feeding (it follows me and the dog around yard). I took it down to the pasture today (6 days old) to see if it would play with the other 8 baby lambs. No luck. At what point can it be reintroduced to the general population? I'm afraid that I can't teach it how to be a very good sheep (what to and not to eat, watch out for the ants, etc.). Suggestions/Experiences? John Carlton Double J Farms Spanish Fort, Alabama 251-625-2519 doublejfa...@wildblue.net ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
Re: [Blackbelly] grieving sheep
I have raised 4 bottle babies that are now in the flock and have 4 more that were born in March that I am weaning from the bottle now. The latest ones are in the yard with my 5 rams. So far there is really no problem. My first bottle child is with the flock and has been there for about 4 years with no problems. My second one just had a lamb and is a great mother, my third and fourth ones are raising lambs and I cannot really determine which ones they are. They were all pets and I enjoyed every one when they were ready to go with the flock they went, when they wanted back in the yard they came back. All my ewes are penned next to the house yard each night. this may have helped them to adjust, or I just have good luck.. My four little ones in the yard cry out each morning when they see a light on in the house. Now all they really want is a scratch behind the ears and a pat.. Since it is so hot here I give them a bottle of water morning and afternoon Cecil in OKla Carr DuPuy wrote: We took in rejected lamb about two years ago. We got her back to health with cilostrum and milk replacer. She lived at our house in the city for about three months . We tried to get her back into the herd when we were at the farm, but she had no interest. We finally decided to leave here at the farm when she was about 4 months old. She died with in a week on the steps of the farmhouse. I do not think she could adjust to the rigors of herd life. I think as heart breaking as it may be to we humans, there is a reason some lambs are rejected by their mothers.Sorry for my negative input, but this has been my experience. Carr Sent from my iPhone On Jun 23, 2009, at 12:24 PM, Double J Farms doublejfa...@wildblue.net wrote: Georgette: I can't answer you question for sure, but thought I would share a recent experience. After ten years of raising AB, I had my first ever birthing problem. An older ewe tried to deliver twins at the same time. They were so tangled up in there that I could not make it happen so we made an emergency run to the vet. Lost the lambs but saved the ewe. When we returned to the farm, the ewe stole or adopted a new born lamb from another momma that had delivered twins that day. The other momma was not very happy about it but the lamb thief was the alpha female in the herd. 4 days later we had a young ewe completely reject (nearly to the point of physical harm) at birth one of her twins. We tried to get the aforementioned thief to adopt the rejected lamb - without success. We now have our first bottle baby in 10 years. It has been a week and a half and everything seems okay with the new apportionment of lambs. Now I'm looking for advice on the bottle baby. It stays in a large dog crate except for feeding time. I usually make it run/jump/play for 1/2 hour at each daytime feeding (it follows me and the dog around yard). I took it down to the pasture today (6 days old) to see if it would play with the other 8 baby lambs. No luck. At what point can it be reintroduced to the general population? I'm afraid that I can't teach it how to be a very good sheep (what to and not to eat, watch out for the ants, etc.). Suggestions/Experiences? John Carlton Double J Farms Spanish Fort, Alabama 251-625-2519 doublejfa...@wildblue.net ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info ___ This message is from the Blackbelly mailing list Visit the list's homepage at %http://www.blackbellysheep.info
