Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[fuzzi]

@fuzzi Creep is both a style of feed and a feeder. You can feed lambs formulated for when they first start eating solids that normally is medicated called creep. A creep feeder or creep gate is adjustable so lambs can "creep" thru the bar spacing but mama ewes can't fit in and eat the feed reserved for the lambs

Premier 1 creep gate
.View attachment 114162

Oh, that's helpful!

 

[Baymule]

Oh, that's helpful!

Kinda hard to visualize this stuff we talk about if you’ve never seen it.

 

[farmerjan]

The creep gate for the calves looks like the one for the lambs but without the bar across it... it is just smaller and narrower than the cows can get through, but the calves can get through.

 

[Ridgetop]

Went out this morning before the rain/sleet arrived and found 8219 had just lambed. One dead lamb, one nursing, and one on ground being cleaned up. No wonder she was skinny. Went to break up the ice in the tubs and found that they were almost empty. Dumped the ice out and went back to connect hoses and turn on water. Walking through the barn (and flock) I was surprised to see that the "dead" lamb had its head up and was wriggling around! Mama was still occupied with the other two so I picked him up and dried him with the towel I had put there for lambing. Moved him to a jug and went back for mama and brothers. Yes, triplet rams. 8219 had just passed the afterbirth and Ozel was enjoying the tasty snack.

Got mom and siblings in one of the jugs I had built in the sheep pen. Since she is the only one to lamb so far she will be more comfortable in sight and hearing distance of the flock. Once I have several with lambs they can all go be moved to the jugs in the side barn. Now I had to get feed and water for the jug. All the hay tubs I had filled were in the side barn jugs. Went out and pulled off a tub full of hay for mama. Then got hanging feeder and gave her some sweet feed. Now water. The rams' water trough was almost empty so instead of breaking the several inches of ice, I dumped it out when I fed them their grain. Watering became a time consuming adventure. DH had connected the hoses with Quick Connects to make it easier for me. One hose near the house also had a shut off. I went to turn on the hoses and had to connect all the hoses back together. I started with the ram pen since it was just one hose. Then walked the hose line and put all the hoses together. Turned off the ram hose and turned on the ewes' water hose.

Went back to the barn and found that my clever idea of turning the garden fencing upside down so the sheep would not get injured on the fancy top prongs was a bust. One of the newborns had walked through the fence into the adjacent jug. Mama was not happy and baby was screaming. Other ewes were crowded around watching. Fought my way through the group, returned baby to mom, and realized that I would have to change those garden fence panels right side up. Also needed to get a sack of the 13% protein feed and the alfalfa pellets out of the truck o I could feed them to the lactating ewe. To do ths I had to retrieve the wheelbarrow from the back field and take it through the sheep pen and up to the carport where the truck was parked to avoid ruining the feed. Several gates later I had the wheelbarrow at the back of the truck and realized that the feed I wanted was underneath the other bags.
Move the top bags and pull out the 50 bs of alfalfa pellets and the 40 lbs of stock feed. Into the wheebarrow and up one step, out the gate, across the yard, through another gate, and across the barnyard. I measured the barnyard the other day - it is 200' from the house yard gate to the barn. Today I reailzed I must have mismeasured. Pushing that wheelbarrow with 90 lbs. of feed it felt like 400' or more. Finally got the wheelbarrow through the gate into the barn and parked at the tack shed door. I went to check the ewes' water. Nothing! I went bck and checked all the hoses and that it was actually turned on. It was on but no water coming out of the end of the hose. I checked again and behind the toolshed I found another Quick release that was not attached. This one had a shutoff on it so I shut off the water and reattached the other hose. Back to the barn to manhandle the bags of feed up the step into the room and into the metal trashcans. I fed the ewe a ration of alfalfa pellet and checked the babies. Their tummies did not feel very full. They were trying to nurse and crying so I decided to make them a supplemental bottle when I went back in the house.

Now to address the garden panels that I had to return to their proper position. This meant cutting off the zip ties, removing the panels, flipping them over, and reattaching them. I got one set done and went to check the water which by now should have been overflowing. No water. This was getting old! Back to the house (the only water spigot is on the house wall) to turn off the water and recheck the hoses. The Quick Connect at the first junction (behind the tool shed) was apart. I replaced it, turned the water back on and went inside to made the bottle since I was at the house. Time for a potty break too. Mixed up 8 ounces of formula, added some cream, and Karo. The only bottle I had was a super thin water bottle, but beggars can't be choosers so I put on the nipple and headed back to the barn. I finished switching the garden panels around and fed the small babies some of the formula. The nipple leaed and had to be held in place while feeding. Was nothing going to go right today? Then checked the water and again NO WATER!!! Went back along the hoses and the first Quick Connect was undone again. This time I reconnected it and watched it immediately come apart. Finished with this nonsense I removed the Quick Connect and just attached the hoses together. Mission Water accomplished.

Back to the barn where I finally filled a bucket for the ewe with triplets. The babies are pretty lively. One is considerably larger than the other two so I checked around to see if it might have belonged to someone else but no one had a drippy butt or was crying for a lost lamb. The ewe also did another Ridgetop First. She passed 3 afterbirths. I watched her pass each one! Ozel got 2 and Hazine got the last one. She seems very happy with her 3 lambs.

Inside for a while now to warm up. I will have something hot to drink and prepare for anther cold trip to the barn to check everyone. I have a bag of old clothes fr Godwill and I think there may be some stretched out socks of DH's in there. I will make little coats for the tiny lambs since I don't have electricity to hang a heat lamb. Hopefully the 3 boys will snuggle up together and keep each other warm. I might try to get them to take more warm formula tonght as well.

 

[Margali]

@Ridgetop Sleeves off a old sweater also work as baby jackets.

 

[Mini Horses]

Nice start to lambing -- triplet part! . The rest, well we were all smiling for you. Good job. You still got it!!

 

[murphysranch]

Why yes, yes we were!!

 

[Baymule]

You have had a full day! Congratulations on the triplets! The lambing avalanche has begun.

I had lambs in the 2021 Snowmeggdon. I blocked off the wind and put down plenty of bedding. They all did fine, I didn’t put out a heat lamp. Temperatures got down to -6 degrees. Didn’t lose a single lamb.

In your big barn, with the carefully constructed jugs, all the extra care you are providing, your lambs will flourish and be just fine. You are doing fantastic!

 

[Finnie]

Haven’t heard from you since Thursday. Am concerned about those wildfires being so close to your CA house.

for your family

 

[murphysranch]

The family and property are ok at the moment. The fire in Sylmar (to the north) is visible at a distance from the house. The one in Altadena is not visible but is several miles away.

Ridge's Calif home and family are AOK, per her Wednesday post. I was worried too!!