SteepedInSheep
True BYH Addict
Why do you build the jugs? Is it just ensure that they bond and feed their babies for the first little bit?
Baymule’s 2026 Lambing + December 2025
- Thread starter Baymule
- Start date
SteepedInSheep
True BYH Addict
I think afterbirth fluids and smells are also a contributing factor. I have a ewe that I assume has hard bag. She bags up but has no milk come through...this is our third lambing of this with her. She acts very maternal and cleans off her babies. I take her lamb/s for the day and bottle train them. I return them asap once they learn. She always takes them back and "raises" them. She's a good mom, despite the no milk problem.
Mini Horses
Herd Master
Yes, jugging mom & babes give them time to bond & kids to learn to nurse. Plus we humans time to watch -- the beginning is SO important. This is more critical if a large number that are kidding close. If you only had 1-3, they generally do ok if not jugged, because moms keep them close. I have goats and do similar. Usually only takes a few days -- unless there's an issue. Gives time to separate feed moms for a few days when she might not get to the communal feed trough due to protecting kids. Plus kids to unfold and get some strength.
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- #74
Baymule
Herd Master
Yes, especially with new moms. Dusty, the bottle lamb’s mom is real flighty and I’m hoping she calms down a little. Just came in from church and rolled down the driveway, windows down. Sure enough, a lamb was crying. I turned car slightly, shined headlights on the jugs full of babies and one had slipped through the pallet slats and was in the wrong jug. So I returned her to her momma.
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- #75
Baymule
Herd Master
Tinkerbelle is modeling the latest in lamb winter wear!
She scampered around for awhile then snuggled up to Carson,
She scampered around for awhile then snuggled up to Carson,
Ridgetop
Herd Master
Bottle lambs ARE adorable, when you have young chidren to feed them for you. LOL When we had a barn full of dairy goats we bottle raised all the kids. Now with sheep who feed their own babies, bottle babies are more of an annoyance and a lot of work.
I used to hope that we would have a couple ewe lambs that needed to be bottle raised, but not any more. Snowflake is the closest we have to a bottle baby, and she can be very annoying wanting attention. All the other lambs born the same time as Snowflake are extremely tame too. They are all out of the same sire and we notice that that sire produced very docile friendly sheep. He was our best ram too, now several years dead. His daughters and granddaughters are nicely tempered, and we keep all of them.
I used to hope that we would have a couple ewe lambs that needed to be bottle raised, but not any more. Snowflake is the closest we have to a bottle baby, and she can be very annoying wanting attention. All the other lambs born the same time as Snowflake are extremely tame too. They are all out of the same sire and we notice that that sire produced very docile friendly sheep. He was our best ram too, now several years dead. His daughters and granddaughters are nicely tempered, and we keep all of them.
- Thread starter
- #77
Baymule
Herd Master
Sandy had twins this morning! A ewe with a few spots and freckles and a ram that is take my breath away gorgeous. Best part is, they are 87.5% and eligible for full registration at a year old. I’ve never kept a percentage ram, preferring to keep a ram from both parents fully registered, BUT I’m keeping this one!
I took the divider out between Ariel and Beauty, making a “group home” and lured Sandy in the pen with her babies.
Sandy and the ewe lamb
The ram! Tricolored, gorgeous! He has the “frosting” now I have to watch the “cake” bake. He’ll have to have the conformation to match the color, to be a flock sire.
The group home. I brought Tinkerbelle outside while I worked, she is laying next to the blue bucket. It took awhile, but the ewes figured out she didn’t belong to any of them and they all started beating her up. I had to grab her, I put her in an empty jug.
Lamb count 22
I took the divider out between Ariel and Beauty, making a “group home” and lured Sandy in the pen with her babies.
Sandy and the ewe lamb
The ram! Tricolored, gorgeous! He has the “frosting” now I have to watch the “cake” bake. He’ll have to have the conformation to match the color, to be a flock sire.
The group home. I brought Tinkerbelle outside while I worked, she is laying next to the blue bucket. It took awhile, but the ewes figured out she didn’t belong to any of them and they all started beating her up. I had to grab her, I put her in an empty jug.
Lamb count 22
- Thread starter
- #79
Baymule
Herd Master
While I was watering sheep this evening, Pancake had a lamb! I ran for feed and closed the rest of the flock up in the small pen. I let 2 ewes out of the jugs, with 3 lambs. Bedlam ensued with lambs BAA BAA for mom, moms yelling for their babies, babies trying to go back in the jug, I picked up Pancake’s lamb, she was running up to the screaming lambs, frantically searching for her lamb. She had toes poking out and I wanted to get her in a jug before she dropped the second lamb. Finally got her and lamb in a jug, she had the second lamb. I smeared Tinkerbelle with birthing goop and put her in with Pancake. Didn’t fool Pancake and she butted Tinkerbelle. It just wasn’t Tinkerbelle’s day. I don’t know the sex on Pancake’s lambs, I’ll check tomorrow. And take pictures!
Lamb count 24.
Lamb count 24.
- Thread starter
- #80
Baymule
Herd Master
Wow, he's beautiful!Is having a tri- color rare?
Poor baby...
A ewe had one marked like this last year, born dead. I was so disappointed.
In February 2021, I had 3 tricolored rams born, they were so splotched with color.
I’ll be watching this little guy grow up.
