Please some lambing help

YourRabbitGirl

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Hi. I'm new here. Anyhow I've been raising goats for a few years now, I my 3rd year kidding. Goats always seem to be relatively easy to care for and kidding goes easy, I sometimes have to help but it's a quick process. So to the sheep, this is my first year with sheep which I was hesitant to get in the first place as I heard they are way more problematic then goats. So this morning I go to the barn to see my 2 ewes due any day now. My one ewe refused her grain and wanted to be on her own. I separated her as I figured feo. What I know from goat behavior shes going to lamb. That was 7 hours ago. Shes been moaning softly to herself and just standing there. The hips are hollow like they are supposed to be but no water bag yet and I tried to milk her and she has nothing. Am I just being paranoid. Not sure what to do . My husband has been laid off with this covid 19 as well as other family which we just had to financially help and we cant afford a vet . Any help or advice? Shes eating hay
Yeah, This virus is really having a toll on our duties as farmers, especially about our responsibilities, Im really sad about what's happening to him. I hope he'll get better.
 

ancient

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Oh my goodness, I feel like an idiot with all these questions. I've never had a single problem with kidding and this is the 3rd year for me.
Another question. I gave the lamb and mom a couple hours and went back to check I realized even without the mom walking away it wasnt possible for the lamb to feed. Not 100 percent sure the reason , either birth defect or maybe mom kicked her???her mouth was slightly deformed and she could barely close it. We brought her in (I milked mom for colostrum) and she just couldn't take a bottle. By later in the afternoon we tried several failed attempts at inserting a feeding tube. It went in once , we got a few tablespoons down and we kind of panicked and stopped. By the evening I took the needle out of a new syringe and got her to take about 10cc every hour. She looked so skinny and pathetic but was always up and walking. So it went like this from Sunday till this morning (including 4 tiny feedings at night) this morning she was starving.she took several syringes and still looked hungry but I stopped as I didnt want to make her sick. A couple hours later she was hungry and actually took a bottle I gave her probably less then a quarter cup. My question is how much and often should I feed her now. I really dont want her to get bloat but she looks like a rag doll all skin and bones
 

Baymule

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Her mouth is deformed? Could you provide a picture? With a deformed mouth, she may never be able to eat properly. An over or under bite does not necessarily mean a death sentence, but you wouldn't want to breed her and have that in your flock.
 

Mini Horses

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Glad she is nursing at bottle, possibly you can get her to latch the ewe and save everyone time. I'd at least try to have ewe take care of the lamb, to teach it to be a lamb.

But, does lamb maybe have a "wry mouth" ? This can happen in utero and while only a few hours old can sometimes be moved back into place while their bones are still soft. It usually presents as if the top & bottom jaws went in wrong directions and can't close inline with one another. The nursing action of latching and suckling may well be enough for the muscle to pull everything back in line --- if that is what it is. If the lamb has milk coming out it's nose when nursing, then look to cleft pallet.


Here's a wry mouthed goat...

Wry Mouth Stock Photos & Wry Mouth Stock Images - Alamy

Otherwise, how is momma ewe, baby and "grammy" doing?

As to your DH -- I read that to mean he was off because of closings from CV-19, not having it. Is that right? Hope so!
 
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ancient

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Not a good picture but the little one is such a ball of energy. She has learned to suck though it takes a while to finnish a bottle. Seems like shes bounced back nicely. Not worried if I cant breed her it would just break my heart to see her pass. Thanks to everyone for the help. I get worried way to easily when it comes to my animals
 

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