Our first little lambs arrived yesterday, April 1! We got 4 on the first day! All healthy and resilient little cuties. Because this year is colder than other springs, Johnny and I have started to try something new. We have read that in cattle, if they are fed in the evening versus the morning, they are more apt to have their calves during the daytime, which makes it safer for mother and calf. If you were a lamb, wouldn’t you prefer to be born in the warm sunshine versus the wet and cold nighttime? With temperatures well below freezing at night, it’s something worth trying. So far, all the lambs have been born during the day. We got a new set of twins this morning. We put them in a warm jug with their momma where they can snuggle up close for warmth. Momma licks all the wet goo off, they get that first vitamin-rich milk and they are off to a great start. We hope to have a very successful lambing year this spring. I will keep you posted on whether the change in feeding time works;)
Category: Animals on the Farm
A sad day…
One of our two rams developed a blockage in his urethra. At first we didn’t know what was wrong, as it is difficult to determine what might be going on in a ruminant animal. We tried antibiotics with no improvement. We tried an electrolyte flush and probiotic for his stomach issues. This showed a little improvement, most likely because he wasn’t drinking or eating much. We noticed him straining, which I thought was bowel related, but then noticed consistent wetness on the belly where their penis is located. He was leaking urine and straining to release it.
We have tried our hardest to be good shepherds of our flock, making sure all of their basic needs are met all while trying to keep them healthy and happy animals. As for this situation, we don’t really know what caused it. He had access to fresh water daily and salt needs. Fed daily roughage and mineral and has a nice wooly coat to keep him warm. Unfortunately, he is in a lot of pain and the vet stated that there is nothing more he can do for him.
This ram is only 4 years old, with only 3 years of breeding under his belt. Rams can live a good working life for 10-12 years. These past few weeks since his symptoms started, I’ve been beating myself over the head trying to figure out why this happened to such a young ram and I have come up with nothing. If anyone who reads this blog has an answer, please share!
So this evening, I made the decision to put him down. He was in a lot of pain, straining daily to rid of his urine. Under the veterinarian’s agreement with my decision, we put down an otherwise healthy stud of a ram who did a great job breeding our ewes for the last three years. RIP big stud.