catchall for birthing issues
It was a dark and stormy morning last Thursday. I was in town and Steve was running the lambing operation solo. Delighted to find Fulmar with a big (5 lbs, 4 oz) ewe lamb in the area reserved for pregnant ewes, he jugged them and then went about the normal routine of quieting the din […]
When last we met here, Otley was a 3-day old, unusually small lamb who already had seen the world and was none too pleased with it. As you will recall, Otley not only arrived at less than two and a half pounds after her mother struggled mightily to deliver her, she also ran away from […]
Some of the indications that a Soay ewe is about to lamb are seen only in an experienced ewe. If she is going to twin, she usually looks like a propane tank. Even if carrying only a single lamb, an older ewe will develop saddlebags and a waddle. The yearling ewes (“gimmers”) who are lambing for the first time exhibit more subtle signs of approaching labor, oftentimes surprising […]
A number of regular and usually supportive readers, including my brother Jim, have expressed skepticism here and elsewhere about the notion of “jugging” described in an earlier post, and where it fits in the greater scheme of things in our Soay sheep world. One observer questioned the very existence of jugging, suggesting in polite tones that perhaps I made […]
Quite by accident, I found myself a couple of days ago in the Maternity Ward with my camera just as Sandpiper started to lamb. Our first year as shepherds I dutifully photographed every birth, but no more. A person can get worked up about a still shot of an amniotic-sac-covered lamb just so many times […]
Now comes the fun part, working with our lambs instead of endlessly talking about them! I already used up the “every picture tells a story” line, so let’s just say one of our cooperative new lambs and my trusty digital camera will show you how we work our newborns. Remember the Lambing Kit? As soon as our first lamb arrived, the […]