[Jacob-list] rejecting lambs

[Brenda]

This may not be pertinent to anyone's particular situation, but I think I've 
put together some things I've seen, especially in pasture or group pen 
lambings. (No, I CAN'T always tell when one of the stealth bombers is REALLY 
about to lamb after 3 weeks of false labor and a week of her hind end 
looking like the red spot on Jupiter!) The first time I saw this was at a 
neighbor's, but we have done variants on the theme...

First off, I think some first time mothers get confused by lamb #2. (Many of 
our first timers have singled, and not had a problem claiming their lamb.) 
Lamb #1 is responding to clean up services and starting to move and make 
noise, so reinforces mama for paying attention. There is a real risk that 
lamb #2 will be neglected, and in fact the unequal attention might be 
getting worse. If it is cold or lamb #2 is small or weak or tired... it 
might stop trying.

Now the shepherd is getting nervous! But I also think interfering increases 
mama's stress and further distracts her when she should be claiming BOTH 
lambs. Ah ha! Let's move everyone to a jug. Let's pick up that slimey mess 
with a towel. Now everyone is jugged, mama is circling around and trying to 
reorient. And lamb #2 is not only still looking weaker and quieter, now it 
smells like laundry detergent and fabric softener. Lamb #1 at least still 
smells like a lamb. Mama is more actively ignoring or rejecting lamb #2.

The last time we strolled down parts of this path, I figured out we may have 
made the lamb smell wrong. Not being able to decontaminate lamb #2, we 
rubbed lamb #1 with the same towel, and snuck in an hour later and rubbed up 
both lambs again trying to balance out their smells. Eventually mama did 
claim lamb #2, but a couple of the earlier lambings here and elsewhere did 
result in bottle babies. Now we try hard to have first timers jugged if 
there is any reason to think they will be nervous wrecks with twins. And if 
we feel we absolutely must intervene, we try to barely slide lamb #2 between 
mama and lamb #1, and do so with minimal contact, no scented products on 
skin (or use gloves), and a fast retreat. It seemed dipping both navels in 
iodine also helped make both lambs smell the same. So- I hope thinking about 
scents will be helpful to someone in a similar situation.

Brenda