Norseofcourse's lambing thread - 2015 - over, or not?

norseofcourse

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Less than 3 weeks away from my first possible lambing date (March 16), so I thought I'd start a lambing thread (we need some balance to all those kidding threads :p ) !!

I got a few pictures today. First up is Number 3, this is her first lambing. She is a nicely built, chunky little girl.

number3022515.jpg


Her mother is Rose. This will be Rose's third lambing. This is Number 3 and Rose together:

number3rose022515.jpg


And finally, we have Gracie. This will also be Gracie's third lambing. She is the only one so far who has had more than a single. Last year she had twins. Here she is sampling hay out of the cart, as Elding, my ram, looks on:

gracieelding022515.jpg


I didn't get a good full-body shot of Elding today, but there are pics of him on my BYH journal. He is the sire of all of this year's lambs. He's also the sire of Number 3.

Here are all the sheep at the hay feeder. It was a bit dark in the barn. From the left they are: Number 3; Brosa (who aborted her lamb a couple weeks ago); Rose; Gracie; and Elding. Brosa and Gracie have longer wool because they were not sheared this past fall. Once the weather starts to warm up, I'll be starting to shear them.

flock022515.jpg


I've been checking udders every Friday for over a month. Rose has the most udder development, but by the looks of their vulvas, they look within a couple weeks of each other. Rose has lambed first of everyone the last two years, and I suspect she'll repeat that this year.

March 1 is supposed to be the beginning of a warmup - finally!! I sure hope they are right. We need some nice days to melt all this snow and ice before lambs get here.

And so the waiting begins :)
 

bonbean01

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:) Love lambing threads!!!! Just one thing....Number 3 is beautiful and really needs a good NAME before she lambs!!!!

And good for you checking udders only every Friday...LOL...my poor girls got their privates and udders checked every feeding for a good month and they didn't appreciate it ;)

Looking forward to # 3's naming and for your lambs :)
 

luvmypets

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Beautiful!

Im thinking number 3 has a betsy kind of look. You could also do Molly or if you want her name to be like her mom try Daisy.
 

SheepGirl

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Please remind me... these are Icelandic or shetlands? I can only tell them a part when I see them side by side, lol. I'm thinking they're Icelandic since you milk them.
 

norseofcourse

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Thanks everyone! I keep trying to think of a good name for Number 3! Except for my first two, Rose and Gracie, I've been going with Icelandic names. So far nothing has felt right.

@bonbean01 - lol you don't know how hard it's been to check udders only once a week! This is my third lambing season, and I'm trying to be somewhat less obsessive, and trust what I've learned from the signs I've seen before. I'm probably just delaying the inevitable, though! :lol:

@SheepGirl - yep, BrownSheep is right, Icelandics. And I"ll be milking them again this year, I'm looking forward to it.

Tonight was my weekly udder check. All 3 pregnant ewes are doing well, udders are still gradually increasing. Rose still has the most udder development. Her daughter appears to be following in her mom's footsteps, with an udder and teats that seem decently sized.

Just 17 days till the first possible lambing date! I have been gradually increasing their grain, checking their body condition score now and then to make sure they're not getting too fat or too thin. Keeping their minerals filled. Gathering stuff for my lambing kit. And hoping for an end to this super cold weather we've been having!
 

goats&moregoats

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couple of name suggestions for #3 Gróa is pronounced like "gro-a". Eydís is pronounced like "eighties". There is also Anna and Hanna.
 

Fireflyfarms

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Good luck! i have been driving myself nuts checking utters but that was wrong, the other ewe that was less bagged up went first, i think they do this on purpose to just drive us crazy...
 

norseofcourse

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couple of name suggestions for #3 Gróa is pronounced like "gro-a". Eydís is pronounced like "eighties". There is also Anna and Hanna.

Thanks - I've worked my way down to a 'short list' and now down to Birta (brightness) or Lukka (luck). I'm leaning towards Lukka.

Good luck! i have been driving myself nuts checking utters but that was wrong, the other ewe that was less bagged up went first, i think they do this on purpose to just drive us crazy...

lol - yes, they know how to drive us crazy! The one that drove me craziest last year was Brosa - she lambed six weeks after the others, and I swore she was going to lamb 'any minute now' for about a month! This year, I am expecting Rose and Gracie to lamb within a week or so of March 16. Number 3 is a first-timer, but judging by how her vulva looks compared to Rose and Gracie, and Brosa's vulva last year (I have plenty of pictures, lol), she should lamb in about the same time frame. Just watch her prove me wrong and wait a month - LOL

I've been reading my notes from last year, and I noted that Rose 'dropped' (the lamb shifted lower, giving her that hollowed-out look in front of her hipbones) five days before she gave birth. I wish I had noted when I noticed Gracie or Brosa had dropped. Another thing to obsess over... *ahem* take note of this year.
 

norseofcourse

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Yesterday was another Friday night udder check :) All 3 sheep have nicely developing udders. The ewes are also getting wider, and I'm sure I saw some movement on Rose's right side (tried to feel, but it was hard to feel through all her wool).

Then, this morning, I finally caved, and checked their udders again! I told myself it was just to see if there was any difference between morning and evening. I didn't feel much if any difference, so I'm going to try very hard not to check again, till next Friday evening.

I've been re-reading my notes from last year. There are two signs that may be good indicators for mine. First is the ewe looking like the lamb(s) have 'dropped', several days before lambing. Second is looseness of the vulva lips, that seems to happen within a day or so of lambing. So those are the two things I'm going to watch for the most.

Size, heat and appearance of udder doesn't seem to help me tell how close they are to lambing. Neither does behavior - or, rather, I read way too much into their behavior for it to be a useful predictor. Goat people talk about the 'doe code' - let me tell you, sheep have their own version that drives you just as crazy :) Various kinds of discharge seem to come and go at random for weeks before they lamb. And I haven't had much luck with checking ligaments.

Only 9 days till the first possible lambing date!! And thankfully, the weather is finally starting to moderate, with daytime temperatures above freezing all next week. Great timing for getting things ready for the little ones.

Horray for spring and lambing season!!!!
 

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