Fertility

houndlover · #1 02/06/11, 11:26 AM

How is your lambing season going? I have mixed breed black face (suffolk, hamp, shrops) and it's insane. All my maiden yearlings are having twins, and a couple of my older ewes have had triplets. Mostly good mothers, even the first timers. Lambs coming out my ears (and pens), and more bottle babies than usual. So far 50/50 ewe/ram ratio. 49 lambs and only lost 6. It's a good sheep year.

MWG · #2 02/06/11, 01:33 PM

8 lambs, 6 female, 2 male. Haven't lost a single lamb yet but did loose a ewe.

Another is in labor as we speak. All twins and only bottle feeding the two that were orphaned.

plowjockey · #3 02/06/11, 03:47 PM

Not so hot.

A great veteran ewe (twins each time) had triplets. Two born dead the third stuck under a barn door.

One struggling ram lamb, mother not a good producer.

Yearlings are late, one may not even be bred.

8 lambs surviving so far, 7 are doing great.

1 set of twins and the dead triplets were the only multiples. I should have flushed them, as the summer pasture was not that great. Did not flush them the year before and had all twins.

Oh well.

houndlover · #4 02/07/11, 02:35 AM

I did not flush my ewes - I wasn't even in town the weeks leading up to turning the ram out. They were on grass only.

I know some breeds have triplets, but it's pretty uncommon with the black faced breeds. Surprised all of us.

thequeensblessing · #5 02/07/11, 07:07 AM

We've had 11 lambs so far, (1 set of triplets, 3 sets of twins, and 2 singletons). Out of those 11 lambs, we've had 3 ram lambs and 8 ewe lambs. We did lose the set of triplets and came close to losing the mother, but with the help of an awesome vet and lots of diligence on our parts, she's pulled through and is doing great! She does have mastitis this year, so we're not sure if we'll cull her or not. She 's got a 60% chance of repeat mastitis according to the vet, so we'll give her one more breeding and see how she does before we make the ultimate decision. We still have 4 ewes to lamb this spring. We'll breed them all back in late spring/early summer. I love hair sheep!

MWG · #6 02/07/11, 07:08 AM

Spoke too soon. I have an ewe that can't get up and is having real trouble breathing. At what point do you go in and get them out?

The babies are kicking the devil out of her and I don't know if she will have the strength to push them out.

Our Little Farm · #7 02/07/11, 07:13 AM

We sold all but two ewes last year and one ram. Both ewes have had twins and all doing well. 3 rams and 1 ewe. No help needed with either mother, we never have to. These are Jacobs.

thequeensblessing · #8 02/07/11, 07:41 AM

MWG, is she ketonic? Or is she actively pushing? There's a difference and the treatment is different? If she's been pushing for more than an hour with no result, we go in. Ewes get tired easily when there's a problem, and prolonged pushing with no result can end up with dead lambs and/or prolapse. If you are positive she's been in labor, there's no problem with going in and seeing if you can feel a stuck lamb or if the cervix has dilated properly. Has this ewe lambed before?

VA Shepherd · #9 02/07/11, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWG

Spoke too soon. I have an ewe that can't get up and is having real trouble breathing. At what point do you go in and get them out?

The babies are kicking the devil out of her and I don't know if she will have the strength to push them out.

Has she started pushing at all? If she's got goo already, you can reach in and begin to carefully stretch the cervix (don't tear it, unless you want mutton in the fall), one finger at a time until your hand goes in, then see if you can find a nose and toes. Sometimes when they're breech or sideways it slows things down.

If she's really close but labor hasn't really started yet, you can insert a couple of fingers and massage the cervix a little, then watch her for a while. Sometimes that little bit of pressure is enough to get things going.

If she seems to be in real distress, though, and you're worried about losing her, some oxytocin in addition to the massage will really speed things along, if you've got a vet nearby who won't charge you an arm and leg.

Good luck!

Our Little Farm · #10 02/07/11, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thequeensblessing

MWG, is she ketonic? Or is she actively pushing? There's a difference and the treatment is different? If she's been pushing for more than an hour with no result, we go in. Ewes get tired easily when there's a problem, and prolonged pushing with no result can end up with dead lambs and/or prolapse. If you are positive she's been in labor, there's no problem with going in and seeing if you can feel a stuck lamb or if the cervix has dilated properly. Has this ewe lambed before?

When I worked on my friends huge sheep farm in the past, we had to do this quite a few times, especially if it was a first timer and multiple lambs.

Hope she does ok.

MWG · #11 02/07/11, 07:59 AM

She is not pushing. Very labored breathing and the lambs are trying to kick teir way out. I don't think the muscus plug has come out yet. She is very tired already so I don't know if she will have the energy to push them out.

MWG · #12 02/07/11, 08:01 AM

And yes, she had a single lamb last year but she might have triplets this time. She is huge!

And... the vet is on the way. I called uncle because I don't really know what I am doing in this situation...

thequeensblessing · #13 02/07/11, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWG

And yes, she had a single lamb last year but she might have triplets this time. She is huge!

And... the vet is on the way. I called uncle because I don't really know what I am doing in this situation...

I had a huge ewe who did this same thing this year. She acted so tired all the time and her breathing was labored and she was as bagged up as my jersey cow gets! The vet came out and examined her (internal and external) and said she needed to be induced. He did so, and it didn't work. 2 weeks later, she delivered a set of triplets, one HUGE ram lamb and 2 teeny tiny ewe lambs. The two ewe lambs died within hours of birth, the ewe went down with fever and malaise. Despite her large bag (not hard or hot) she produced very little milk. We took the ram lamb off and bottle-fed him. The ewe had gone through such a terrible ordeal that she ended up with sepsis and nearly died. The vet pulled her through for us. The ram lamb died the following week, never having been very hardy despite his huge size.
The vet ultimately said that he believes the ewe bred twice, on different occasions and conceived the ram one cycle and the ewes the next. The ram being so large, was difficult to push out, which exhausted the mother. Of course, they were born while we were away from home for the day and couldn't aid her.
Not a horror story meant to frighten you, but a heads up that sometimes when things like this happen, you really need to be diligent. I'm just thankful we managed to save the ewe, but sad we lost all the babies.
Good luck with your ewe.

Our Little Farm · #14 02/07/11, 08:50 AM

We had the twice bred situation last year. Our ewe delivered one ram and then a couple of weeks later she delivered two ewes, thank goodness all did ok. It was a huge shock to us.

I think you have done the right thing in calling the vet. I'm praying he can help deliver the lambs safely and the ewe does ok.

VA Shepherd · #15 02/07/11, 09:01 AM

Wow, I never heard of breeding on two cycles before! I can see how that would have been a bit of a surprise!

We had an Icelandic ewe with an oddly shaped uterus. She would deliver one lamb, we'd check for a second, but there'd be nothing in there but goo. 12 hours later: another lamb! One horn of the uterus goes way, way back, we joke that she keeps one close to her heart. She did it twice, the first year both were fine, the next year they both died, and she singled the year after. Our vet taught us to lift up gently on her uterus from the inside: if it moves, she's done, if it doesn't, the show's not over yet.

They do keep you guessing, don't they?

Our Little Farm · #16 02/07/11, 09:13 AM

It is because they have two horns, like rabbits and goats. It is rare, but can happen. This year she has just had twins and shows no sign of still being pregnant thank goodness!

MWG · #17 02/07/11, 07:06 PM

So I am out $185 so far. She is better though and I am glad I called the vet. We gave her an IV and several shots. She is now getting up and eating again. I really think is is going to explode... we thought 2 weeks ago she was going to be the first one to deliver and so far she is the next to last.

We induced her so we shall see what happens. So far if she is in labor it is very small. My guess it will be the middle of the night tonight or tomorrow.

houndlover · #18 02/07/11, 09:00 PM

MWG, get yourself some tubes of CMPK and an applicator gun. Likely your big ewe was calcium deficient. Make sure she's getting some alfalfa hay or pellets.

VA Shepherd · #19 02/18/11, 04:49 PM

I spoke too soon: one of my ewes just delivered two dead lambs 10 days before her due date. One was enormous, the other one was tiny and hadn't fully developed. She definitely conceived on two cycles (I must have missed the first topping), but her body couldn't figure out what was going on, so it tried to split the difference.

The vet says she's still okay to breed again, though, so it's not all bad, I just hate to see her alone on the pasture all year! That's all my bad luck for the year, I'm sure....

thequeensblessing · #20 02/18/11, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VA Shepherd

I spoke too soon: one of my ewes just delivered two dead lambs 10 days before her due date. One was enormous, the other one was tiny and hadn't fully developed. She definitely conceived on two cycles (I must have missed the first topping), but her body couldn't figure out what was going on, so it tried to split the difference.

The vet says she's still okay to breed again, though, so it's not all bad, I just hate to see her alone on the pasture all year! That's all my bad luck for the year, I'm sure....

This was my first experience with it too, and it's ok with me if it's my last. It would have been ok I guess if at least the huge lamb had survived, but I suppose too long in utero is about as bad as not long enough. But yes, our vet said we should breed our ewe next year too.
Good luck with the rest of your lambing season.