So we recently took back Sarge and Timmy, lambs from our last lambing season. Their owner had never gotten up good fencing for them. They have not been shorn, and it seems like they have not had their hooves trimmed, been wormed, or had their shots. They also seem to like the mineral salts a lot. We will get them tuned up and then see if we can find a better home for them.
It is a hard decision taking back animals we have sold. Sometimes we have chosen to take them back, sometimes we haven’t. It depends on our circumstances and the circumstances of the animals involved. We do support New Moon Rescue as well. I am not sure if that can assuage our guilt, but it might help.
So today we had a new lamb. Dete, our Cotswold ewe, lambed this afternoon. Her labor seemed perfectly normal until she started pushing and not making much progress. So after 15 minutes I pulled the lamb out. It was quite depressed and meconium stained. She did breath and have a heart rate, although somewhat slow. So she did not need CPR but we dried, stimulated and suctioned her. She was blue, but I do not have oxygen in the barn to give her. She never became vigorous, but her heart rate and color improved, and she started lifting her head. She would not stand, but I tried to get her to nurse laying down. After one hour she had only taken a small amount. I had also given her Nutridrench. But not it was time to get serious about the colostrum. So we milked 1 cup of colostrum from her mother, which was a complete battle. We tried to bottle feed it, but she took very little. So we tube fed her. She still seems weak, and I am not sure she is going to make it. It is sad because she is such a gorgeous little Easter lamb. Wish us luck with this little one.
I do wish you luck…it’s so hard to see the little creatures that we give our hearts to and love so much struggling to get thru the first difficult hours. Bless you…
Thanks Jan! It is hard and heart breaking at times.
I sure hope she is ok. Hugs.
Thanks Colette!
Oh I hope she makes it 🙂
A shame about the other two lambs…why the heck do people take the animals in the first place!
Thanks Jody! I think he had the best of intentions but did not follow through. The thing he did right was to call us when he realized he was not providing a good home for them. I have all sorts of horrible tales of what people have done that resulted in the deaths of animals I sold to them. I try to screen better now but people can be SO stupid.
I’m glad the guy called you, Donna – that says a lot about him, and you too, of course.
I hope Dete will be okay, and Lambikins too. I’m starting to get nervous (Pebbles is so small…). Both of them are starting to bag up. Next weekend is shed cleaning and fresh straw, and putting up my panels so the wethers are kept out – the one leader is such a jerk. I said it last year but I think it’s going to happen for sure this year – after his summer job at my friend’s place, I’ll probably send him to the butcher; and maybe the other horned wether, too. I’m envious of your big barn (barn envy?) – watching the goat video (so cute!) – but maybe I’ll get it all perfect at the next place, whenever/\ and wherever that may be. 🙂
Dete and Lambikins are doing well. I have not had the birthing problems I had with Dete with the Shetlands so you should do fine. We do have a rule that aggressive animals get eaten. You cannot keep them and you cannot sell them. We do have a nice barn now after a lot of work. You should have seen the shed I started out with at my prior place!
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