Tuesday, April 7, 2009
What day is it anyway?
Life became a blur over recent weeks with the advent of lambing. Right out of the gate we had problems which gave me a sense of foreboding for the remaining ewes. The first ewe to go delivered twins which did not survive. It was a sad outcome and moved us into the unfortunate position of needing to separate her for feeding due to her reduced requirements. I held out hope that another would soon deliver triples (which she had done every year) and that would allow us an attempt at putting one of them on the other mother.
I hadn't really thought much that another would step up soon but the next night, 3:30 a.m. to be exact, I awoke and decided I would sleep better if I went and checked on action, or inaction, in the barn. Walking toward the barn I heard too much noise to be normal, baa baa baa. As I entered, all are standing looking at me, looking in and walking around. Hmmm. I walked in further and heard the characteristic mumbles the ewes do when talking to their newborns. Happily, there is LouLou with twins. One up and walking, the other in the process of being cleaned, not yet able to stand. They looked good and healthy, YES! I was hopeful but there are no more. Too bad. But let's not be greedy, two healthy lambs is a wonderful thing.
Ken and I went ahead and did the necessary doctoring and put the three of them in their own small pen, called a "jug" for reasons I don't know, to let them get acquainted without other smells or distractions. They need to know each other by smell and it makes it easier for the little ones to feed. By the time we were finished with everything, it was after 5:00. Just enough time to catch a little more sleep before we needed to get up and get ready for work! I was right, I did sleep better for having checked on things in the barn. We both fell right back to sleep, zzzzzzz.
The rest fell in line and we finished with lambing in a little over a week. A few assorted difficulties but there are 7 lambs from the 4 ewes that had live births. They are good for some laughs and I always learn a little more about what can go right as well as wrong in the process. A couple of the last lambs developed coughs. My goal of not needing the vet went by the wayside. I did get to pick his brain after her got us started with medication that seems to have nipped the pneumonia bug. I asked him about the first ewe's labor and delivery. He suspects there may have been an infection of some sort and the lambs were delivered because they had died. I don't know either but, as usual, I have learned there are some things which we cannot control and this was one of them.
Some of life's greatest lessons come from our failures. They are not enjoyable but we are all better from them if we put them in perspective and learn from them. Life and loss are lessons for the ages. Yawn, time for a rest.
I hadn't really thought much that another would step up soon but the next night, 3:30 a.m. to be exact, I awoke and decided I would sleep better if I went and checked on action, or inaction, in the barn. Walking toward the barn I heard too much noise to be normal, baa baa baa. As I entered, all are standing looking at me, looking in and walking around. Hmmm. I walked in further and heard the characteristic mumbles the ewes do when talking to their newborns. Happily, there is LouLou with twins. One up and walking, the other in the process of being cleaned, not yet able to stand. They looked good and healthy, YES! I was hopeful but there are no more. Too bad. But let's not be greedy, two healthy lambs is a wonderful thing.
Ken and I went ahead and did the necessary doctoring and put the three of them in their own small pen, called a "jug" for reasons I don't know, to let them get acquainted without other smells or distractions. They need to know each other by smell and it makes it easier for the little ones to feed. By the time we were finished with everything, it was after 5:00. Just enough time to catch a little more sleep before we needed to get up and get ready for work! I was right, I did sleep better for having checked on things in the barn. We both fell right back to sleep, zzzzzzz.
The rest fell in line and we finished with lambing in a little over a week. A few assorted difficulties but there are 7 lambs from the 4 ewes that had live births. They are good for some laughs and I always learn a little more about what can go right as well as wrong in the process. A couple of the last lambs developed coughs. My goal of not needing the vet went by the wayside. I did get to pick his brain after her got us started with medication that seems to have nipped the pneumonia bug. I asked him about the first ewe's labor and delivery. He suspects there may have been an infection of some sort and the lambs were delivered because they had died. I don't know either but, as usual, I have learned there are some things which we cannot control and this was one of them.
Some of life's greatest lessons come from our failures. They are not enjoyable but we are all better from them if we put them in perspective and learn from them. Life and loss are lessons for the ages. Yawn, time for a rest.
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