More horrid weather and weather warnings issued for the next 2 days (possibly heavy snow, more likely sleet and heavy rain). Everybody in the vicinity is commenting that their lambs look thin and small this year due to the cold and wet Spring.
I haven't turned any ewes out of the shed for the last 4 days due to the weather warnings, and will wait until they have past.
A couple of days back i found a little ewe lamb with probable joint ill.....barely able to stand and problems with both of her back legs, and unable to walk. It seemed unlikely that I would coax her mother who had a fit ram lamb across two fields, so I bought the little one in, thinking that I had the dual problems of trying to treat a sick lamb and to persuade her to take milk from the bottle having been on the ewe for 10 days. For once luck was definitely on my side. I heard a ewe bellowing, checked to spray mark on the lamb's side and...wonder of wonders....the bellowing ewe was the mum to my joint ill lamb. Carrying ill lamb carefully back, who then started to bleat to mum. Over runs ewe mum with her ram lamb, who I scooped up, and easily led mum into the sheep shed. I penned her up with the two lambs and gave the sick lamb Metacam and Penicillin/streptomycin. 3 days on and little ewe lamb is back up and using her back legs almost normally. Ewe mum is a truly excellent example of good mothering and is very happy to be in the sheep shed. I expect that the ewe lamb will make a full recovery, even if she will get to hate the sight of me with her 10 days of injections. A little success amongst some disappointments always goes a long way.
Marilyn's ram lamb is looking huge now and she is quite the doting mum. The lamb is called Marshall......my daughter ran a competition amongst the class of 8-9 year olds she teaches. They came up with Marshmallow....WHAT????!!!....so a little tweaking and he is Marshall. They have named a couple of other orphan ewe lambs Lady Baa Baa (yes, an old one) and Stacey. As 'Lady Baa Baa' is a mouthful I've shortened it to Baabaara. Children always surprise me.....