Lambs ANY day!! How close is she?

Legamin

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We are new to lambing, though our two ewes are not. Rue, this brown ewe, I suspect will go first. I’ve had an eye on her for a while. How close do you think she is? Days? Weeks? Christmas lambs?!!
I’m no expert but I would say you should expect ’lamb song’ within the week. we just liquidated our goat herd and our original sheep herd and moved to a specialized rare breed (endangered species) sheep herd and I discovered that not all sheep are alike! So technically this is our ‘first lamb season’. The learning curve has been steep. But one of the things that seems fairly universal is that when the udder fills out (have you checked for active milk?) and the behind bits look amount to unfold…it’s time to grab clean towels and boil some water (or so they would order the husband to do on a 60’s T.V. Show!). I would organize your lambing pen and fill it up with fresh hay in anticipation. Put your vaccines and banding equipment, betadine solution, etc. etc. all organized on a shelf so that when the hollering starts you’re not looking for the birthing bag. If she makes it more than three days you might need to watch to see if she starts laying down too much or is acting slow. A sterile gloved internal exam might be in order to make sure everything is lined up and not wrong side forward. My experience (with the sheep I’ve had and the information I have on our new flock) is that they are particularly reliable and easy ‘lambers’ but not all breeds or breed mixes are this way. Also if you mixed the species like we did on our ‘meat flock’ you might have lambs much larger than usual and have to help them more than normal. I’m sure I’m a nervous sheep dad ‘preaching to the choir’ but from the images you posted that’s my experience viewpoint from the last five years of ’sheeping’. There are so many different breeds and so many different difficulty levels it is hard to give specific advice.
Good luck and happy lambing! To me, even though it’s a week with wet arms in subzero weather it’s just like a second Christmas!!!
 

Legamin

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Congrats!

When is your due date
They are definitely driving me crazy!!! Mostly because I just can’t wait for the cuteness. But also because I’m pregnant too. And I just need there to be babies somewhere!!!
Congratulations! As a grandpa and shepherd I feel like I get the best of all worlds! Cuteness bouncing around the farm every year! And special bonus round if the grandchildren can come up to the farm and help with the lambing. They are at the age when they are quite responsible and helpful and young enough to be filled with both confidence and wonder. I would never presume to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong but have read from several competent resources that they are some health risks associated with pregnant humans coming in close contact with pregnant sheep. I’ll offer a link if you’re interested,


Please don’t be offended, I don’t know you or how you are interacting with your sheep but since I have read about it and talked to a doctor friend that I worked with years ago I thought it worth passing on. A local shepherd friend of mine has gone as far as to ask his wife to steer completely clear of all sheep duties for the duration of her pregnancy and he even undresses outdoors in middle of Winter and carefully cleans and washes all clothing and shoes that have any sheep ‘contact’. I personally think that might be a step over the moon on the issue but I would never presume to tell anyone how they should live.
Now…how ANYONE could possibly NOT be out in the barn watching the new lambs arrive and taking hundreds of pictures and movies of the bouncing little bundles of darling I just don’t know! There must be nice safe middle ground somewhere!
Good luck with both baby and lambs, God bless your family!
 

Baymule

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Now…how ANYONE could possibly NOT be out in the barn watching the new lambs arrive and taking hundreds of pictures and movies of the bouncing little bundles of darling I just don’t know! There must be nice safe middle ground somewhere!
I KNOW! I love the lambs, Grandkids only make it all even better. They like to name the sheep. That's how I got a Frimplepants in the flock. Dunno WHERE that came from!
 

Show Sebright

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