This sleepy, fairly small lamb was born first. She cleaned and cleaned and cleaned on him. He ate and ate and ate. And no second lamb came. I knew by the size of her belly and the size of her udder that she should have at least one more lamb.
I finally got nervous enough that I checked her. I could feel two feet and a head, so I knew it was positioned correctly, but bigger, so helped her get him delivered. If he'd been small as well, I'd have known there was a third. With his size it was possible she just was just going to have twins.
Nope, out popped a third, sort of. A tiny little lamb she maybe didn't even know she'd had. Or halfway had. I saw her lying down...but cleaning on the second lamb (?). That was odd because lying down, she should have been having a lamb. If she was just cleaning the second, she should have been standing up.
I rushed over and saw the front half of a lamb, still in the intact water bag (!). I climbed over the gate, she jumped up and the rest of the lamb whooshed out. I broke the sack and got her nose and mouth cleared as fast as I could, but I was worried she'd already drowned.
Nope, that little pipsqueak coughed and sneezed and shook her head, coughed and sneezed some more and even made a little cry to let everyone know She Was Here. Whew!!!
She actually got nursing before the big second lamb did. And she nursed and nursed and nursed...to the point that both boys were full and sleeping and she was Still Eating. It was almost like, as the tiniest lamb in the "litter", she'd been getting the short end of the stick all along and was now making up for all those lost lunches :-).
The big boy.
Here's a short video. If you are reading via email, apparently the embedded video doesn't show up. You'll need (and want ;-) to go to the actual blog to watch it. If you are already reading on the actual blog then you are already here :-D.
Final Frontier Farm
26 comments:
Oh that is the sweetest, glad things went well.
Sweet babies all but especially that little girl. Hope all goes well and that she catches up to her brothers.
Bravo to you for being the sheep midwife and helping lambs 2 and 3 to be born safely and well. Your heart must have been pounding with pride after all that.
Thank you for the video of the new family.
I bet you were a bit stressed !! so happy all is well :)
It's a good thing you know what to look for! A woman of action! I love that little ewe - she's adorable!
Mostly I just got really lucky and was in the right place at the right time. I provided some details not to "look like a hero", but to share some tips in case anyone is reading who might find themselves in a similar situation.
Learning is truly the biggest part of Lamb Camp! I really appreciate all the experience I get on both farms and am glad when I can pass some along...and some cute pictures and videos :-).
"I know it's gotta be here SOMEWHERE!!!!"
What a good mama, taking care of so many! So glad you were there to help when needed!
Thank you, and thank you for sharing them with us. :-)
Cutest thing EVER!! What a MOM! She's going to have her hands full with three babies! That had to be a bit stressful for you as well.
That is one HUGE udder! =:-O
Your sheep and lambs are so endearing! I look forward to reading your blog daily.
This is just beautiful and amazing!
I'm glad Little Miss is up and feeding (I love to see the tail wags as lambs nurse!). Here's hoping she thrives! Being a runt myself, she's definitely my favorite. If she can busily nurse while her bigger brothers are lazing about, she can catch up with them. Get lots of that lovely colostrum, Girl!
How on earth do you manage to turn a lamb around inside the Mum? It must make incredible spatial visualization, patience, and courage!
You have to keep us posted as to her progress!
Yes, get it while it's good and you're not pushed around by your bigger sibs. what a sweet girl, one who knows what she wants. Does look like the udder can accommodate all three! Good job Sara.
I have been reading your blog for about a year, can't even remember how I found you. Boy do I LOVE seeing and reading about all the sheep and the lambs!! My current favorite is the jumping lamb gang from Instagram. So Cute! But this entry is right up there with all the Bullwinkle stories from last year.. What will you name her?? She is going to be a character, we can tell already!
Thank you for keeping this blog and keeping active in Instagram!
Here Comes The Midwife! Sometimes a Mom just needs a little help.
I think the number of tail wags is directly proportational to how much milk a lamb can hold. That is one tiny wiggley tail.
Deb
My ewe, Dora, decided to have quads again this year! All four are big hefty lambs, and already running and jumping around. Dora does not even act tired! I plan on giving one of the quad girls away. You should come up and get her!!! Good job and the midwifing!
Wow, that was great. Good job. Did not realize three was a possibility, let alone four, farmbuddy. All the things you learn.....
so glad you were there to help her out!! :)
I love how Mama positions her teat so baby can find it!
Oh, what a great lambing story and it also shows what a good sheep mommy you are attending to her when she had difficulty delivering triplets!!! So glad it all turned out well.
Such a beautiful Mama with three lambkins. Wow. Triplets.
May they all have happy healthy lives.
Soooo.... which one is following you home?
What a day! How wonderful you were there to assist the new mother of 3. Thanks for sharing the video; what a great way to start the day!
Amazing birth story with a happy ending to new beginnings!!! Great job, Sara!!! Who knew that you had all this talent delivering baby lambs!!
TRIPLETS!!!! Two bucks and a tiny ewe! Do you get to have one?
I'm reading your posts from "newest to oldest" and will stop here and say that I'm always humbled and grateful when someone like you is there at that moment to know exactly what to do. You truly make a difference for these precious little ones! --And that Biscuit melted my heart, like butta! :-)
Gorgeous! :)
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