This yearling ewe was in labor for a long time. We watched her try to push the lamb out on her own but we ended up having to help pull it out. It was amazing to watch and be a part of the birthing process. She ended up having twins, there was another one that we had to help her with after this one. She had a boy and a girl.

The lambs are supposed to come out head first with the two front feet out like they are diving out. If you look closely, you can see the little nose and mouth with the hooves ready to “dive” out.

A few days later, I found the second lamb looking rather sick. It is very, very important for the baby to get the mother’s first milk which contains collostrum, which contain the antibodies the baby needs to defend itself. In this case, the baby didn’t get enough of the collostrum, possibly because his sister took most of it or the mother wasn’t producing enough of it. I tried to heat him up with a heater and get some milk into him but he was too weak. Unfortunately, he died shortly after I brought him to the vet.