Four Texels in a Day

If anyone had asked me which of the pet ewes were due to lamb first, I would have picked either Penny or Olive. They were both (forgive me, girls) very wide with huge elders. I waited and waited while all of the other ewes gave birth until only Penny and Olive remained. Finally, on 16th February, I arrived in the shed to find Olive standing with twin boys at her feet. I knew then that Penny wasn't likely to be far behind - and sure enough, that afternoon, Penny needed some help delivering twins of her own. I had brought the camera to the shed to take photos of Olive's lambs and found Penny in trouble. Once the lambs had safely arrived, I sat with them for a while.

The white lamb was born first - Eunice was huge, so big that I thought that Penny was only having a single lamb this time around. It turned out that Penny had another surprise in store. The second lamb was coming backwards and the birthing fluid had turned orange from the stress. Thankfully he was none the worse for wear.

Olive was curious about the newcomers.

Despite the difficult birth, Penny was very attentive to her babies immediately. Eugene getting his attention:

Eunice feeling left out:

Eunice tried to stand, landing on top of her brother.

Eunice wasn't giving up and soon she was on her feet again.

It wasn't long before Eugene was standing on wobbly legs as well.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the shed, the ewes and lambs were keeping a respectful distance.

Elodie and Elsie were snuggled at the door.

Olive was with her lambs, only a few hours older than Penny's. This is Enzo.

And this is Ernest with his distinctive spot above his eye.

Elodie and Elsie were so content where they were, I was able to open the door and step over them without them moving away.

I always find lambing the pet ewes quite stressful so I was pleased to get it finished - there was a lot more drama than usual. Now all I have to do is keep everyone alive and well and wait for the rest of the sheep to start lambing too.

Emily the Enigma

Tilly had twins in the morning on the 15th February. By the afternoon the boy, Eamon, was doing well but Emily was too quiet for my liking. I sat and observed her behaviour - despite Tilly's attention, she made no move to drink or respond to her calls. When I approached, she just stood there.

We tubed both Emily and Eamon with colostrum - while Eamon was warm to the touch, Emily was much colder and more lethargic. I decided to bring her into the house to get warmed up. Eamon stayed with Tilly.

On the same morning that Tilly had her twins, Heather had a stillborn single lamb. Heather was very upset and spent a few days out in the field, calling for her lamb. It was a sad sight to see. One vet trip later, Emily was looking a bit better but we still couldn't convince her to drink from a bottle. I thought that there was an opportunity to ease Heather's heartbreak by attempting an adoption. As I type, the adoption is a work in progress but I'm hopeful that Heather will accept Emily as her own soon. 

Meanwhile, despite the drama, the other lambs are doing well. Eli is doing especially good.

Eddie Goes Outside!

Now almost a week old, Rosie's Suffolk lamb, Eddie, is thriving as a pet lamb. I took him out for a little walk around the yard.

I love his floppy ears but I suspect they'll become much more upright as he gets older - he is a quarter Kerry Hill, after all.

He looks so much like his mummy to me.

Three Afternoons

O N E

On 27th January Dad and I decided it would be a good idea to bring the expecting pet ewes into the shed. Their field is big and even though they're pets, they can sometimes be hard to catch when they're in trouble. I would be able to monitor them more closely indoors.

On Wednesday I sat with the girls and took some photos. I wasn't sure if Heather was indeed pregnant but I decided to bring her in with the others just in case. I know now that it was the right decision and that she is indeed pregnant.

The girls have access to a lick and as much silage as they can eat.

One by one the girls came over for some strokes.

Rosie has had some serious health issues over the past couple of weeks. A sore hind foot became infected which led to the early stages of pregnancy toxaemia, otherwise known as twin lamb disease. The additional weight of her lambs put more pressure on her sore foot which made it more painful to stand. She couldn't walk to get food or water so became weaker, and although I brought over food and water to her, she didn't always feel like eating it.

After a few days she started showing sings of recovery - being able to stand up by herself, then walk further distances, and showing more interest in food. For two days all was well, before she suffered a vaginal prolapse, or reed. My home care was no longer sufficient and the vet was called. He pushed the reed back in and stitched Rosie up. Now she would need help giving birth so it was a tense wait to see the first signs of labour.

Tilly.

Olive.

Penny's been very round, grumpy and uncomfortable recently. The sooner she has her lambs, the better.

T W O

On Thursday morning I went out and there was a lamb lying near Flora, as quiet as a mouse, and a little ways away there was another. Flora had twin girls! Both lambs were up and looking really healthy. After the stress of keeping Rosie alive over the previous week, it was great to see Flora just get on with things. I went out in the afternoon with my camera to get some photos of the new arrivals.

Heather inspecting Elodie.

Flora checking on Elodie - she has a busy time keeping track of her two babies.

Heather.

Elodie.

Flora's other lamb, Elsie.

T H R E E

The following day saw further developments in the lambing shed... but not for Elodie, who has chosen this spot as one of her favourites for a nap.

Rosie went into labour at last, meaning we had to cut her stitch and help her give birth. First to arrive was Eli, a tip lamb out of John, and then Eddie, another tip lamb, this time out of Poundland. When I went to check on them in the afternoon Eddie wasn't in the best shape, lying flat on the straw and shivering. Rosie didn't have enough milk for two anyway, after all that she'd been through, so I decided to bring little Eddie into the kitchen for some extra care.

Meanwhile, Eli was thriving under Rosie's care. He's more lively than this brother.

Eddie's floppy ears are adorable.

I brought Eddie into the house, and returned half an hour later to find Elsie relaxing.

Elodie in another comfy spot.

Rosie had moved with Eli to the back of the shed and was protecting him - or using him as a pillow!

Elsie remained seated.