Too many moms

photo by Dave Ellison

3 A.M.

I walked into the barn to find a new lamb being mothered by three ewes. First I set up a jug, a 4’X4’ pen, and put the lamb and the ewe I thought was her mom into the pen without letting the other two ewes in. Then I had time to really look at the situation. The ewe with the lamb didn’t look as if she had lambed. The two other ewes, still baaing at the gate of the pen didn’t look as if they had lambed either.

I paused to take a breath, looked around the barn and saw a second new lamb at the north end of the barn. I set up a second jug and put the second lamb into it. Finally, I saw 38 red. This ewe had a glistening gold sack of amniotic fluid hanging on her udder and a new lamb beside her. I couldn’t find any other fresh moms.  I chased all the other ewes away and put all three lambs in a pen with 38 red.

I wasn’t completely sure that all three lambs belonged with the same mom, but by now it was 4:45 A.M and my brain wasn’t functioning at top speed. I milked out the ewe, gave all three lambs some of her colostrum, and went to bed.

Guest post by Dave Ellison