One of the frustrating things each lambing season is the creep feeder. A creep feeder is made for the lambs to have access to grain in an area where the ewes can't enter. The ewes would eat until bursting whereas the lambs will just nibble so they can have 24/7 access to grain without any concerns.
I don't have a commercially made creep feeder, I just create one each year. And it evolves each year, a change here a change there. Not too many changes this year, same entrance panel, same part of the lambing pen. I did use the hay feeder as part of the perimeter which is new. Thats something I call lazy creativity :).
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Devil lambs
Well, my glee over Cybil’s milk was short lived. It looks like I'm going to have to supplement her girls, Alice and Flo. I hadn't fed them bottles since, oh it was Sunday sometime, midday maybe and yesterday afternoon they were about to take my leg off if I didn't give them a bottle. They didn't look emaciated but not full either. They're like baby birds, touch their heads and immediately turn upwards searching for nourishment.
They both sucked down 10 ozs pretty quick (and then waddled away) so more than likely Cyb isn't producing quite enough for them. I have to say, she looks quite smug while they're nursing on her. Its almost as if she's saying, "so there you bi#ch, I can feed them too!". She always looked very resentful when we were bottle feeding them and would actually come over and nudge their butts while they were sucking on the bottle.
They both sucked down 10 ozs pretty quick (and then waddled away) so more than likely Cyb isn't producing quite enough for them. I have to say, she looks quite smug while they're nursing on her. Its almost as if she's saying, "so there you bi#ch, I can feed them too!". She always looked very resentful when we were bottle feeding them and would actually come over and nudge their butts while they were sucking on the bottle.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Lambing is over!! April 17, 2010 (Jen)
Today Pewter gave us 2 absolutely beautiful lambs!! We’ve really been hoping for a grey lamb from her but she’s always given us black. We’d always bred her to Roark before so we bred her to Michael this year. Looks like that did the trick! The first was a very striking little grey and black ewe lamb, we couldn’t believe our luck!
Lambing Update – April 14, 2010 (Jen)
Our lambing season is just about over. It started tragically and has had a few bumps in the road but overall, its been a pretty good lamb crop and I’m pleased with what we’ve gotten from our girls!
On Wednesday (03/24/2010), Aliza lambed while I was at work. She had triplets and it was a cold rainy day and I had yet to remove Bella (the new guardian pup) from the lambing shed. I got home to find one already dead, another struggling and one doing ok. I got Aliza in a jug with her healthy ewe lamb, removed the dead ewe lamb and took the struggling ram lamb into the house to warm him and tube him. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. Not a good start to the lambing season. Thankfully her remaining lamb, Emma, is a ewe and has very nice blue markings. Only thing I can gather that happenend is Aliza was so worried about Bella, who was obviously very stimulated by the lambing fluids and newborn lambs, that she didn't get 2 of the lambs properly cleaned off. The one I tried to save was very chilled and I couldn't seem to warm him no matter what I did. I'll never know exactly what happened but all the lambs appeared healthy and there were no marks on them.
On Wednesday (03/24/2010), Aliza lambed while I was at work. She had triplets and it was a cold rainy day and I had yet to remove Bella (the new guardian pup) from the lambing shed. I got home to find one already dead, another struggling and one doing ok. I got Aliza in a jug with her healthy ewe lamb, removed the dead ewe lamb and took the struggling ram lamb into the house to warm him and tube him. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. Not a good start to the lambing season. Thankfully her remaining lamb, Emma, is a ewe and has very nice blue markings. Only thing I can gather that happenend is Aliza was so worried about Bella, who was obviously very stimulated by the lambing fluids and newborn lambs, that she didn't get 2 of the lambs properly cleaned off. The one I tried to save was very chilled and I couldn't seem to warm him no matter what I did. I'll never know exactly what happened but all the lambs appeared healthy and there were no marks on them.
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