New Baby-Tezzy

Scott with the little lamb-Tezzy

Well lambing season is here.  We have had 4 so far, the first one I already told you about, and the second one, did not survive-and sadly, neither did her mother.  The third one was from a mother, one of the older moms (when I say older she is at least 3 years old), and she had a little boy.  Yesterday I came home to do a appointment at the office, and heard a little lamb.  We do have two of them in the barn, in what we call the nursery, so I figured it was one of them.

When they deliver, we put them in a stall-the mother and baby-like a nursery-for a couple of weeks.  This is so we can watch them and be sure of their health.

After the appointment I checked in the barn, and the mother who had just delivered a day or so ago, was not in the barn, neither was the baby.  But there was a placenta close to the area she would have been in.  I looked out in the pasture I saw her with her baby.  The sound was coming from way out in the back of the pasture. Looking out that way, I saw a small lamb, wobbling along.  It was walking but very wobbly and finally just tripped and then stayed down.  So I had to walk out to get her.  I put her in the barn by the placenta, and waited.  That one mother came in, who already had a baby, sniffed her, and acted like she wanted to care for her, but then was spooked and left.  (I had someone with me.  the sheep did not know her and they ---the sheep--if they do not know someone that might be in the barn, they do not want to come around for that reason)  Sheep are VERY shy around people they do not know.  The flock knows me--but knows my husband better.  He is the main one who cares for them, so for me---will follow me if they are very hungry and I am carrying hay!  But for my husband, they will follow him around in the barn and barn yard much easier.

Well that mother did not come back in as long as this other person was there, would not, so I wanted to get out of the barn right away, take care of the baby ---so maybe the mother sheep would calm down and wonder where her baby was.....  I took the baby into the house and waited for hubby-whom I had already texted about this new born lamb.  He called about a half an hour later and said he was on the way home.  

When he got home, we tried to get that mother to accept the baby but she was not gonna have anything to do with her. We had missed the window of opportunity.  We even double checked the other females to be sure maybe one of the younger females had not delivered her...but no such luck.  This mother, must have a double uterus.  Two wombs would allow her to carry two different babies (twins sort of) but in different uterus's and deliver on different days.  This is actually why some farms where they allow people to observe the daily activities and births, will have you in a room with one way glass....so the animals can not see 'strangers' cause it really effects how they respond to the babies.  I do think that is what happened.  My fault, I should have had that person just not come into the barn.  That mother was trying to take care of the baby at first, until she saw a stranger in and around the flock.  Observing sheep really lets you understand scriptures better too....for stuff like this!

So now I have a little lamb in my home.  This little one requires feedings about every 3 hours for the first 24 hours, then about every 3-4 hours for the next several days.  It should be ok, cause unless I have someone deliver a baby (human) today, I am home for most of the day.  Gotta leave for a few hours, but then I am here so this little one will eat on schedule!  Then tomorrow Scott is home, and for the weekend he is here-so this little one should have a good start.  But, its gonna be a long few weeks!  

We could only get her to nurse for a about a minute.  Not sure if the mother let the baby nurse right after the birth or not, hopefully she did.  If this little one did not get any colostrum, that can be a real problem!  Baby lambs and goats have died from not getting colostrum even with regular bottle feedings.  It is so important. So even thought she is doing ok so far, I never know.  Today while I am gone, I am going to try to get some from either a farmer (cows or goats would be great) or if they sell it frozen in a farm store.  In the past, with out it, even bottle feeding babies, we have lost them if they do not get the colostrum.  If only humans realized how important this first milk was.  I feel so sorry for babies who only are bottle fed.  The little ones NEED colostrum!  It is about life!  I do not think we even know all of the benefits yet of this first precious milk.  

Mean while we will care for her in the house...trying our best.  OH by the way, her name comes from our daughters nick name-since she was born on her birthday----

Tezzy-named after Anastasia, sharing the same birthday....March 7th