I am watching a four year old St. Croix ewe with her first pregnancy for my landmate who is out of town (and out of all cell phone range) for the next week and a half. The ewe has been doing great up until three days ago; I was out of town until yesterday but my other landmate who was watching the animals while I was gone said that she started becoming listless, less interested in food, occasionally straining in short, heaving bursts rather than one long strain. The back of her udder is covered in poop, though her vulva looks normal. She's pretty far along in her pregnancy but her udder hasn't bagged up yet so she doesn't seem like she's ready to lamb just yet.
Today I've seen her graze and drink a little, but she won't come in for the grain and alfalfa pellets that the flock normally goes crazy over, and if I try to hand feed her she refuses it. Mostly she just stands around with her head down or slowly grazes around the pasture. I went to check on her after I saw her straining again, and all she passed was one little "bean" of poop. I only smelled manure on her back end, and it doesn't look like her water's broken, nor does she smell like the sort of rot I'd expect with a dead lamb.
The flock hasn't had any new food lately; they always have a full feeder of hay, plus access to a pasture (which is pretty dry right now), plus they each get about 3 cups of alfalfa pellets and 1 cup of grain a day; the only recent change is an increase in the alfalfa a couple of weeks ago.
Any suggestions on what's going on and how I might be able to help her?
Today I've seen her graze and drink a little, but she won't come in for the grain and alfalfa pellets that the flock normally goes crazy over, and if I try to hand feed her she refuses it. Mostly she just stands around with her head down or slowly grazes around the pasture. I went to check on her after I saw her straining again, and all she passed was one little "bean" of poop. I only smelled manure on her back end, and it doesn't look like her water's broken, nor does she smell like the sort of rot I'd expect with a dead lamb.
The flock hasn't had any new food lately; they always have a full feeder of hay, plus access to a pasture (which is pretty dry right now), plus they each get about 3 cups of alfalfa pellets and 1 cup of grain a day; the only recent change is an increase in the alfalfa a couple of weeks ago.
Any suggestions on what's going on and how I might be able to help her?