[Jacob-list] Labor Behavior

[Neal and Louise Grose]

I have seen this behavior. It can work out well when everyone gets along and the lambs from the two ewes stay in something of a family group. On the other hand, I have seen ewes that were so obsessed with the other friend's lamb that they ignored their own when they were born. 

Neal Grose
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: R Unzicker 
  To: Jacob 
  Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 10:08 AM
  Subject: [Jacob-list] Labor Behavior


  Lambs were dropping right and left at Ivy Brook Meadows earlier in the week.   I observed a behavior I had not previously seen and am just curious how common it is.   Saphire and Stella were both in about the same stage of labor.  They stayed in the barn while the rest of the ewes went outside.   As the morning progressed I checked on them periodically.    After both water bags came out, these two ewes were together licking each other's noses, "talking" and licking the dangling water bag membranes (or what ever they are called) of the other ewe.   It was like having a birthing coach/support person in the labor room.    They were so intent on each other I finally decided I better separate them as I wasn't sure what would happen once the lambs arrived.   They absolutely did not want to be separated and I had to physically take hold of one and gently move her to a separate pen.  I just found this interesting as a ewe in labor typically wants nothing to do with anyone else.   Within minutes after moving Stella, she dropped a lamb and a second one about 20 minutes.   Saphire dropped hers about an hour later.    Both had twin rams which helped even out the count.   At that point we  had 9 ewe lambs and 2 rams.  At the moment we have six rams lambs and 10 ewe  lambs with more due today, tomorrow, Sun, and Mon.   I am wondering if Saphire and Stella may have laid in each others fluids and that is what they were picking up on.       In any case it was an exciting several days.  
  Royal
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