[Jacob-list] Update & another question

[ACAMDA at aol.com]

Thank you all for your advice on supplemental feeding our weak lamb.   I did 
supplement one bottle, while standing in front of Natalie so she could see  
what was going on.  Natalie is one of our nicer ewes, so she didn't mind me  
handling the lamb.  Today both lambs were beginning to "bounce" a little  bit, so 
they felt MUCH better.  Natalie too is on the road to  recovery.
 
That makes 2 ewes and 3 rams which were born over 3 days.  Then this  
morning, one of our older ewes delivered triplets!  Two were up and  nursing, but the 
third was very weak and barely breathing.  Our attempts to help her were for 
naught, so she's at the vet school now where  they're keeping her warm and on 
oxygen and antibiotics until morning. Then  we'll see how she's doing.  Core 
body temperature was very low, and she had  not been able to stand to nurse.  
They think she is very septic and may not  pull through.
 
Because of this I tried to milk Hannah for colostrum to give the weak  one.  
I think I have bruises on every limb.  Even with my husband  holding her, she 
bounced around like a ball.  And she never did give up any  milk.  Are sheep 
like cows and withhold milk when they are stressed?   I'm not an expert milker, 
but I did expect at least a drop.  In the sheep  magazines I've seen ads for 
milking machines.  Do any of you use a pump of  some kind?  I want something 
inexpensive, yet effective, since I don't  think I'll use it often.  This is 
probably only the second time I've ever  needed one.  Anyone tried a human 
breast pump?
 
Second question: do droopy ears mean anything in a lamb?  It may  be a dumb 
question, but both ewes have ears that remind me of a lop-eared  rabbit.  The 
ram's ears are perky and stand up normally.  Maybe it was  positioning in the 
uterus?  Could it be a sign that they feel bad?   With two "sickly" lambs so 
far, I'm a little gun shy and may be  overreacting, but thought I'd ask the 
experts.
 
Thanks for all your guidance.  It's wonderful to have a someone  to turn to 
when problems come up.
 
Kathey
Athens, GA 



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