We knew that we would be having a baby lamb any day if not two. Twins are very common in lambs. We left for a trip two weeks ago, and we knew that while we were gone, the ewe would most likely give birth. We had several people checking in on the Ranch regularly, and sure enough, two days after we left, twin lambs were found in the shelter with their momma.
Everything looked to be going well. Momma seemed to be caring for both and letting them feed. This is good because ewes are sometimes known for rejecting their young. We have had mothers reject one of their twins before and forced to care for the lamb find someone else to care for it. Caring for a bummer lamb is a major commitment (that makes me think about Spencer, the bummer lamb… if you don’t know the story, look for a future blog on him soon).
Two days after the lambs had been discovered, they were checked on again. Unfortunately, the mother had rejected one of the twins. I know this is disheartening, but that is farm life. Death happens. The rejected lamb was disposed of.
Yes, if we were home and checking on them multiple times a day, we could have probably caught the issue and bottle-fed the lamb colostrum within the required 24 hours, but we cannot put our lives on hold for these types of events.
The lamb that the mother did care for is doing great. Now, at two and a half weeks old, she is full of life and energy.
It took Greg a good half hour to catch her the other day to be able to dock her tail. If we would have been home, we would have done it within the first few days of life when they are easy to catch, but at a week old, it took some work! (Note: Lambs tails are docked to reduce the build-up of feces and fly strikes)
She is already sold and is scheduled for butcher next fall.
Regarding the rejection of lambs by their mothers, Greg thinks we have had more than our share. Therefore, he is researching possible reasons. One serious option that is on the table to consider is replacing the small flock with new lambs that come from a stock of proven good mothers.
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