Wehner Homestead
Herd Master
How is the hand, the ewe, and the lamb anyway?
Mystang's Homesteading Circus
- Thread starter mystang89
- Start date
How is the hand, the ewe, and the lamb anyway?
- Thread starter
- #32
mystang89
Herd Master
Hand still feels like it's broke. The ice trick seems to help a bit though.
The ewe is in pain.
I don't know what's wrong. She's giving the short grunt like she was during the labor and she grits her teeth. I'm not sure if that is because of the lovely gash I made on her belly with the sheers or not. It might be that her udder hurts because the lamb isn't eating enough to keep her From hurting.
The lamb is an idiot.
. He still has a hard time finding the teat even though the area around them is cleared. He can't seem to see his mom or hear her when she calls to him and she's only 10 feet away. He's what I expect from a sister and brother sheep mating. (No, I did not mate sister and brother).
I'm working on my milking station since I finally finished the doors to the lean to today. Found out the rail which guides the door was a bit too small when I opened the door and it fell half off. Wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't do it again after telling myself not to do that..... And then a third time.... That ram lamb and myself might have more in common than I thought now that I think about it Anyway, once I get the milking station done I'll milk the ewe and feed that to the ram lamb to see if he'll gain weight. Should be done tomorrow.
The ewe is in pain.
I don't know what's wrong. She's giving the short grunt like she was during the labor and she grits her teeth. I'm not sure if that is because of the lovely gash I made on her belly with the sheers or not. It might be that her udder hurts because the lamb isn't eating enough to keep her From hurting.The lamb is an idiot.
. He still has a hard time finding the teat even though the area around them is cleared. He can't seem to see his mom or hear her when she calls to him and she's only 10 feet away. He's what I expect from a sister and brother sheep mating. (No, I did not mate sister and brother). I'm working on my milking station since I finally finished the doors to the lean to today. Found out the rail which guides the door was a bit too small when I opened the door and it fell half off. Wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't do it again after telling myself not to do that..... And then a third time.... That ram lamb and myself might have more in common than I thought now that I think about it
Anyway, once I get the milking station done I'll milk the ewe and feed that to the ram lamb to see if he'll gain weight. Should be done tomorrow.
Wehner Homestead
Herd Master
Yikes! Take care of yourself. The ram lamb may have had some birth trauma, be stunned, and come around.
Are you sure the ewe is done and/or passed the placenta? Just a few immediate thoughts. Your vet could get you banamine for her. That’s a prescription anti inflammatory that works wonders!
Are you sure the ewe is done and/or passed the placenta? Just a few immediate thoughts. Your vet could get you banamine for her. That’s a prescription anti inflammatory that works wonders!
- Thread starter
- #34
mystang89
Herd Master
Yesterday was definitely a trial. There's nothing worse imho, than taking the time to make something, especially when it takes all day, and then who or what you've made it for don't use it. I made the milking stand yesterday but couldn't for the life of me get the sheep to simply walk up the ramp. I finally asked on the forums and someone recommended to use food in order to bribe them. I did so, and after much coxing, begging, complaining and threatening I finally was able to get them to go up there. I started milking the newest momma so I could then give that milk to the lamb since he didn't seem to have the brains to find the nipple but it turns out she doesn't have much milk in the udder. The bag is small. The teats are small. The bag is hard. This is a sheep bred and designed for generations to give milk but this one can't produce more than a spit. It leads me to thinking. I wonder if she has mastitis. Now I haven't taken her to the vet nor can I. I haven't ever seen mastitis in animals before but from reading this really seems like it would fit. I don't know if the udder is supposed to feel hard but hers definitely felt different than the other mom ewe who has a proliferation of milk for her young ones. I'm not really sure what to do. I might try a warm compress, keep her udder clean, and try to express her milk as much as possible but I'm thinking that if it is mastitis that it might be a bit late for the normal methods of dealing with it. She's been this way for going on 4 days now. I don't know.
Anyway, getting the sheep up on the stand is definitely still a work in progress. I'm sure eventually they'll learn that food is at the top of the climb but that might take a while. I'm stubborn though so we'll see who wins. I'll take pics later.
We finally received some of that rain I've been hearing so much about thankfully! We had gone for 3 or 4 weeks without any here so my plants were hurting. Cut the grass just before it dropped too. My son told me he wished he had cut the grass before it rained too. Yep....old man might know a thing or two
Yesterday my good mom ewe, Betsy Mae, started headbutting the lamb from the bad mom ewe, Clara Belle, when he went to feed off Clara Belle. Asked on the forums again and was told that Betsy might just be a hormonally good mom who's defending her milk sac. I'm separating the two for now until the behavior calms down and the lamb is a bit older/healthier than he is now. At 4 days old he's still a bit wobbly on the feet. We are giving him formula now. The wife had stopped at the local farm store and picked up a bottle to feed him with but the nipple was the largest thing I've ever seen. He wouldn't take it so she went and got a baby bottle from inside. He seems to do well with that so we'll stick with it.
@Wehner Homestead Yes, she passed the placenta about 3 hours after birth. I'm assuming since the placenta is out that there aren't anymore lambs stuck inside her. I really hope that's the case anyway.
Just another day. No pics today since no sun.
Anyway, getting the sheep up on the stand is definitely still a work in progress. I'm sure eventually they'll learn that food is at the top of the climb but that might take a while. I'm stubborn though so we'll see who wins. I'll take pics later.
We finally received some of that rain I've been hearing so much about thankfully! We had gone for 3 or 4 weeks without any here so my plants were hurting. Cut the grass just before it dropped too. My son told me he wished he had cut the grass before it rained too. Yep....old man might know a thing or two
Yesterday my good mom ewe, Betsy Mae, started headbutting the lamb from the bad mom ewe, Clara Belle, when he went to feed off Clara Belle. Asked on the forums again and was told that Betsy might just be a hormonally good mom who's defending her milk sac. I'm separating the two for now until the behavior calms down and the lamb is a bit older/healthier than he is now. At 4 days old he's still a bit wobbly on the feet. We are giving him formula now. The wife had stopped at the local farm store and picked up a bottle to feed him with but the nipple was the largest thing I've ever seen. He wouldn't take it so she went and got a baby bottle from inside. He seems to do well with that so we'll stick with it.
@Wehner Homestead Yes, she passed the placenta about 3 hours after birth. I'm assuming since the placenta is out that there aren't anymore lambs stuck inside her. I really hope that's the case anyway.
Just another day. No pics today since no sun.
Wehner Homestead
Herd Master
I’m not a sheep person and know very little but we used Today for mastitis treatment in a goat (and several cattle over the years.) It’s for cattle so you won’t need to use the whole tube in one session.
If you go this route, the milk is safe for the lamb. Clean the teat before inserting the smaller of the two tips. Insert until it feels full, then massage up. Treat twice daily after milking out as much as possible.
You might also see if a vet will give you an antibiotic or buy some OTC antibiotics to give an actual injection to jumpstart her beating it. Going untreated is painful and she could lose her udder.
Here’s a link to show you the message I mentioned...
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...MIsZWMjPaw2wIVD77ACh2NsgVOEAQYASABEgI_QvD_BwE
If you go this route, the milk is safe for the lamb. Clean the teat before inserting the smaller of the two tips. Insert until it feels full, then massage up. Treat twice daily after milking out as much as possible.
You might also see if a vet will give you an antibiotic or buy some OTC antibiotics to give an actual injection to jumpstart her beating it. Going untreated is painful and she could lose her udder.
Here’s a link to show you the message I mentioned...
https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...MIsZWMjPaw2wIVD77ACh2NsgVOEAQYASABEgI_QvD_BwE
Sorry that the ewe is dry... Is this her first lambing? I ask because sometimes on a first freshen, they don't produce milk till after the birth but 4 days is way too long. Generally speaking, I believe hot and hard indicates mastitis. Not sure what hard and small/nonexistent" means... 
Regardless, I'd recommend she be culled and replaced when the time comes.
Regardless, I'd recommend she be culled and replaced when the time comes.- Thread starter
- #37
mystang89
Herd Master
I agree latestarter. She's be the one to pull when the time comes. I just don't think that time is doing to come for another year or 2, maybe longer depending on how the wife deals with it. Yeah, this is her first time lambing which is also making me want to give her another chance, kinda like what I do with rabbits. Only difference is, rabbits are ready to matter right after gestation and my sheep are once a year lol.
- Thread starter
- #38
mystang89
Herd Master
Last year we had planted our grapes. I trellised them all nice and pretty but they didn't really do anything. In fact, one of them looked like it had died. Didn't even think it was possible to kill a grape vine so I went out this year and bought a replacement. Turns out the one from last year sprung up and the one from this year is doing good too. Now we have 3 grape vines. Going to be some GOOD grape jam this year I hope!
Where we moved from there lived a mulberry tree right on the edge of the neighbors property. I kept it nice and trimmed for him since it was a good shade tree too, however we never actually received any ripened mulberries as the tree takes a male and female to produce the ripened fruit. Fast forward to our new house and we have around 5 mulberries that produce ripe mulberries now! Love my life here. The wife, children and myself went out Sunday and picked about 6 cup fulls until we felt we had enough for a cobbler. I got around to making it yesterday and boy was that delicious. I'd always wanted to try it but unripened mulberries leave much to be desired lol. The mulberry cobbler has such a...clean? taste to it. Clean probably isn't the right word. It just doesn't have any overwhelming taste too it. Not too sweet, tart or tangy. Just refreshing!
Our old house had strawberries we'd planted and loved picking. Everbearing. However, I planted them in a 10x10 square. So if you wanted that nice juicy strawberry right there in the middle, well, try to tip toe through all the rest to get it. I looked up some practices for planting strawberries when I moved here and found one that I think works well. You plant the strawberries in rows, spaced about 2 feet apart. Every 2-3 years, you let the runners from the strawberries start to grow into the row that isn't being used so the next 3 years you have grapes there. The previous strawberries are tilled in, given to the chickens, sheep, rabbits, compost....you get the point. Well, this year they started to really get loaded up, and surprisingly even without any netting around them I haven't seen many eaten by the wild life around here. So we picked those too, along with the rhubarb I planted last year.....strawberry rhubarb cobbler....heaven.
Tomorrow I'm going to melt some almond chocolate and then put the strawberries in the melted goo and let it firm up. Strawberry almond chocolate sounds yummy. My oldest child said he wanted to make strawberry cheese cake, which sounds pretty darn good if you ask me, so that will be in the works too.
Tomorrow I'll also need to trellis up the tomatoes and cucumbers. Since I've been working around the clock on the lean-to my garden has been neglected by me. If it wasn't for the children you wouldn't be able to see a garden at all, but they go out there each week and weed the garden. Good children when they want to be.
On the sheep side of things, Clara Belle is still hanging in there. She doesn't eat or drink anything that I see. I have been giving her the milk replacer with a turkey baster, (hey, it works better than any drenching tool I've seen). She takes to the milk well. I bought some electrolyte mix as well which I will be giving her too. Also gave her an anti-inflammatory with her drench as well. She's a tough sheep but I don't hold high hopes. Her lamb is hanging in there with his mom. Somehow the little runt is still alive. I give him the milk replacer too about 4 times a day and I see him still trying to eat off his mom.
Yesterday I ordered "The Original Henry Milker". After trying to milk sheep by hand and seeing all the crud that ended up inside the milk container I opted for this route. I'm all for doing things all natural.....but seeing that stuff in my milk was just nasty. They haven't been completely sheered yet so trying to keep the dirt and crud out just isn't a feasible option.
Speaking of shearing, I did call someone and ask if they'd come out to sheer two sheep. They laughed and said no one would do that....I'm slightly stubborn and took that as a challenge. I found someone who said he'd come out this way but I think I need to be a squeaky wheel and call him again just to remind him.
I'm still looking for someone to bale my pasture. I honestly don't know the first thing about it but if I had the equipment I'd do it myself. Even if it can't be used for food, I can still use it for bedding. Unfortunately, being new around here, I know nothing and no one to ask. If anyway knows anyone around the Charlestown IN area that wouldn't mind doing it for a reasonable amount or even splitting it, let me know
Where we moved from there lived a mulberry tree right on the edge of the neighbors property. I kept it nice and trimmed for him since it was a good shade tree too, however we never actually received any ripened mulberries as the tree takes a male and female to produce the ripened fruit. Fast forward to our new house and we have around 5 mulberries that produce ripe mulberries now! Love my life here. The wife, children and myself went out Sunday and picked about 6 cup fulls until we felt we had enough for a cobbler. I got around to making it yesterday and boy was that delicious. I'd always wanted to try it but unripened mulberries leave much to be desired lol. The mulberry cobbler has such a...clean? taste to it. Clean probably isn't the right word. It just doesn't have any overwhelming taste too it. Not too sweet, tart or tangy. Just refreshing!
Our old house had strawberries we'd planted and loved picking. Everbearing. However, I planted them in a 10x10 square. So if you wanted that nice juicy strawberry right there in the middle, well, try to tip toe through all the rest to get it. I looked up some practices for planting strawberries when I moved here and found one that I think works well. You plant the strawberries in rows, spaced about 2 feet apart. Every 2-3 years, you let the runners from the strawberries start to grow into the row that isn't being used so the next 3 years you have grapes there. The previous strawberries are tilled in, given to the chickens, sheep, rabbits, compost....you get the point. Well, this year they started to really get loaded up, and surprisingly even without any netting around them I haven't seen many eaten by the wild life around here. So we picked those too, along with the rhubarb I planted last year.....strawberry rhubarb cobbler....heaven.
Tomorrow I'm going to melt some almond chocolate and then put the strawberries in the melted goo and let it firm up. Strawberry almond chocolate sounds yummy. My oldest child said he wanted to make strawberry cheese cake, which sounds pretty darn good if you ask me, so that will be in the works too.Tomorrow I'll also need to trellis up the tomatoes and cucumbers. Since I've been working around the clock on the lean-to my garden has been neglected by me. If it wasn't for the children you wouldn't be able to see a garden at all, but they go out there each week and weed the garden. Good children when they want to be.
On the sheep side of things, Clara Belle is still hanging in there. She doesn't eat or drink anything that I see. I have been giving her the milk replacer with a turkey baster, (hey, it works better than any drenching tool I've seen). She takes to the milk well. I bought some electrolyte mix as well which I will be giving her too. Also gave her an anti-inflammatory with her drench as well. She's a tough sheep but I don't hold high hopes. Her lamb is hanging in there with his mom. Somehow the little runt is still alive. I give him the milk replacer too about 4 times a day and I see him still trying to eat off his mom.
Yesterday I ordered "The Original Henry Milker". After trying to milk sheep by hand and seeing all the crud that ended up inside the milk container I opted for this route. I'm all for doing things all natural.....but seeing that stuff in my milk was just nasty. They haven't been completely sheered yet so trying to keep the dirt and crud out just isn't a feasible option.
Speaking of shearing, I did call someone and ask if they'd come out to sheer two sheep. They laughed and said no one would do that....I'm slightly stubborn and took that as a challenge. I found someone who said he'd come out this way but I think I need to be a squeaky wheel and call him again just to remind him.
I'm still looking for someone to bale my pasture. I honestly don't know the first thing about it but if I had the equipment I'd do it myself. Even if it can't be used for food, I can still use it for bedding. Unfortunately, being new around here, I know nothing and no one to ask. If anyway knows anyone around the Charlestown IN area that wouldn't mind doing it for a reasonable amount or even splitting it, let me know
Baymule
Herd Master
You need to get out and meet your neighbors. We will stop if we see someone outside and introduce ourselves. We have had people over for coffee, some turn out to be good friends, others are just acquaintances. But we have built a network of people we know or know of, that have skills or other attributes that we might need from time to time.
