The first mom was a good mom, and took care of her babies well. The second two moms, were new mommas and needed a little encouragement, but did well once the bonding began.
This third momma -also a first time momma, delivered before we got her into her own little stall(although the other two new mommas did this too and they became good mommas anyway). We find that if they are not off on their own, in their own stall, they really struggle with being a great mom. The herd will tend to the babies, drying them and all, but only the mother can feed them! If her time alone with the babies is interrupted, then she struggles with the fact of being a mother.
This last mother was doing just that. We did force her to hold still so the babies could nurse and get some colostrum, but she would not cooperate her self, and allow them to nurse. We left them alone for a couple of hours, hoping that would work (sometimes that does) but for her, it did not. She continued to kick at the babies, push them away (harmfully) with her nose, walk on them, so the babies were officially rejected. Into the house they must come!
That means artificially feeding them...when the next mother delivers, and if she has only one baby, we might be able to get her to accept one of the babies, (we have to be there when she births, and use the placenta to rub onto the baby so the baby would have her scent-sometimes that will work)
What a long night! I think I got more rest feeding my babies at night than I did with these lambs! But finally after midnight they were satisfied, and settled down for the night. I still had to get up and try to feed them every couple of hours, so not much sleep. But they are doing ok so far.
It sure is easier when the mother does the work! But this also shows how very important it is that the bonding process is NOT interrupted ~! I think that (from what I have seen) even the first time mothers, do well when they are left alone, not bothered by humans or other animals!
Right now our cat Todd is bigger than these lambs are! The two in the house are twins-a boy, (the black one-called Ink) and the girl-(the white one-called Page).
Well-soon hopefully they will be out running in the pasture with the herd, in the spring on new grass!
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