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LambMetrics – August 24th, 2019

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#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born today: 1
Total Lambs Born: 8
Drysdale lambs (live total): [no purebreds in 2019]
DrysdaleX lambs (total): 7
English Leicester lambs (live total): 1
Total Sets of Twins born: 2
Total Sets of Triplets born: 0
Total ewe lambs: 2
Total ram lambs: 6
Ewes lambed /68: 6  (8.8 %)
Lamb % : 133 % [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 1
Losses: 0

Notable Midwifery tales:

Beautifully sunny day today and the sheep looked very content. Only one ewe actually lambed though! No doubt the rest are waiting until the bad weather. (Which is actually a “thing”! Something to do with the drop in air pressure if I recall correctly.)

Pleased to report that the lamb with the swollen face yesterday is now looking like it has completely recovered from its squeezy entry into this world.

Chipmunk cheeks now gone!

Can only presume there may be a flurry of births tonight/tomorrow??

LambMetrics – August 23rd, 2019

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#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born today: 4
Total Lambs Born: 7
Drysdale lambs (live total): [no purebreds in 2019]
DrysdaleX lambs (total): 6
English Leicester lambs (live total): 1
Total Sets of Twins born: 2
Total Sets of Triplets born: 0
Total ewe lambs: 2
Total ram lambs: 5
Ewes lambed /68: 5 (7.3 %)
Lamb % : 140 % [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 1
Losses: 0


Notable Midwifery tales:

The set of twins born this morning were beset by “interested parties” early on and so had to be relieved of the extra attention…! Hopefully it inspires those ewes to have their own!

The English Leicester ewe lamb, Charly, that was born yesterday is possibly getting slightly less milk than I’d like but her mum has always been quite good so I’m trying to give her the benefit of the doubt and a few days for her milk to come in more. Fingers crossed there! Bub is pooping like a champion though so that is always a good sign! Hahaha

Just after lunch we noticed a Drysdale ewe who seemed a bit more “uncomfortable” than usual. Closer inspection revealed that she had a perfectly presented lamb but he was a bit of a boofa and his shoulders got stuck, much to his mum’s discomfort.

A simple assistance and his mum was relieved but he was looking a bit worse for wear. When they get stuck for a while the head and tongue swell and he seemed a bit reluctant to breathe on his own to begin with.

Tough entry to this world but we’ve decided to live.

It took a fair effort of chest stimulation and periodic hanging upside down for nasal passage drainage for him to get breathing properly. (It always reminds me of the classic Monty Python scene in “The Meaning of Life” where the doctors in the hospital birth proclaim “aaaand the Rough Towels!”)  Bub’s mum was keen to get her licking in as well. She is also a complete poser when the camera came out. She probably felt like crap but seriously – the camera was pointed in her direction and she posed sweetly then went back to licking!  Hahaha

Once bub was holding his own we left them to bond for an hour or so.

When we returned the lamb was able to stand and was feeling quite perky. His mum though was having some issues getting back on her feet. (A few key ligaments are feeling a bit stretched and sore!)

A chariot was required to convey her to the hay shed for the night!

This ewe must have been a show ewe in a former life. She stepped delicately onto the tractor carry-all platform, sat down (with a little encouragement) and then regally sat there and didn’t move/flinch/or stress about the platform going UP and then the tractor ride to the shed. Upon arrival she calmly stood after the platform descended and then walked after her lamb into the shed…. 

The lamb probably isn’t “out of the woods” completely yet (am about to go check them) but things look hopeful. You never quite know the extent of internal damage or bruising in cases like this. The tongue swelling has gone down though and he has been drinking.  All going well the ewe will be back on her feet properly tomorrow.

LambMetrics – August 22nd, 2019

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The last few years I’ve kept track of the lambing statistics in the Drysdale & English Leicester flocks). I call these “LambMetrics”.
Hopefully, they provide a little insight into the real-life “goings-on” here.

#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born today: 3
Total Lambs Born: 3
Drysdale lambs (live total): [no purebreds in 2019]
DrysdaleX lambs (total): 2
English Leicester lambs (live total): 1
Total Sets of Twins born: 1
Total Sets of Triplets born: 0
Total ewe lambs: 1
Total ram lambs: 2
Ewes lambed /68: 2  (2.9 %)
Lamb % : 150 % [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 0
Losses: 0

Notable Midwifery tales:

This year lambing is (deliberately) a little later than usual. The season was very “ordinary” earlier in the year so the decision was made to not join the commercial flocks of Merino and Castledale and only the stud flocks (English Leicester & Drysdale) would be joined.

Better late than never though! The official “due date” is from tomorrow – but two girls decided they just couldn’t wait any longer.

So, our first English Leicester is a lovely little ewe lamb to one of the experienced ewes.

English Leicester ewe, “Lacey”, with her new ewe lamb, “Charly”!

And there was a very calm Drysdale ewe who had twin boys. This year the Drysdale ewes were put to White Suffolk rams rather than Drysdale. This means that if the season looks to be poor at the end of the year the lambs can be sold on which reduces the grazing pressure on the farm over the dry summer months.

Drysdale ewe with White Suffolk X lambs. (Lambs are less than 12hrs old)

However….. the Drysdale ewe was not alone! There was a younger ewe hovering around the lambs and getting a bit keen that she should “have one too”! The strong maternal instinct is a wonderful thing in the Drysdales but it can manifest in some dedicated “lambnappers”!! So, to remove the extra ewe from the scene the lambs had to be carried to the paddock gate and then the ewes could be sorted – leaving the new mum and her bubs free from interference as they bonded. Luckily, most Drysdale ewes can count!

Having quiet ewes is really important as each morning and evening the ewes are calmly shifted between a day paddock and a night paddock. (Hopefully, some of you were able to see the live Facebook video we did when moving the sheep recently?) It enables us to drift off the pregnant ewes from the new mothers and lessens the lambnapping incidents.

As an example of how quiet the ewes can be – when a lamb has been born we check them out and tag them (another important tactic to match the right lamb with the right mother!) The ewes don’t run away as they are very used to us. The ewes will also follow us when we carry the lambs up the paddock to change paddocks.

Lacey hovering over her lamb as Charly’s eartag is applied.

So, that is it for today! The new bubs are tucked into the shed tonight as -3 is forecast overnight. The DrysdaleX lambs don’t need extra shelter (so much wool already!) but I’ll sleep better knowing the English Leicester is in the shed.

Charly having a good drink. (Not wearing a coat now because her mum was a bit upset by it)

Hopefully, we will have more lambs tomorrow!

LambMetrics – Drysdale & English Leicester lambing, Sept 4th

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It’s been a very quiet few days in regard to births! But, hopefully, we will be up-to-date now. 🙂 

#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born last few days: 10
Total Lambs Born: 91
Drysdale lambs (live total): 53
DrysdaleX lambs (live total): 23
English Leicester lambs (live total): 10
Total Sets of Twins born: 30
Total Sets of Triplets born: 1
Total ewe lambs: 38
Total ram lambs: 50
Ewes lambed /72: 58 (80.5 %)
Lamb % : 148% [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 4
Losses: 1 ewe, 5 lambs

Notable Midwifery tales:

It’s all been twins pretty much since the last update. Even the maiden ewes are having twins. 🙂

Only one single, and that was stillborn unfortunately. 😥  The poor mother was very upset. Some ewes don’t seem to care and others care very much. I couldn’t even give this ewe a baby to care for as it turned out her milk hadn’t come in properly (and, I presume therefore, that hers was actually a little bit premature). 😥

The English Leicesters that lambed have also required a bit of attention. One had mismatched sized twins and the little one has been missing out at the “milk bar” so he has been supplemented. And there was another special little boy born (all the English Leicesters are boys this year, bar one!?) who must have been deprived of oxygen so he’s been a bit “special” for the last few days. Thankfully, he’s headed in the right direction now! He will end up silver in colour, like his grandmother.

LambMetrics – Drysdale & English Leicester lambing, Aug 27th

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#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born today: 4
Total Lambs Born: 80
Drysdale lambs (live total): 49
DrysdaleX lambs (live total): 21
English Leicester lambs (live total): 6
Total Sets of Twins born: 25
Total Sets of Triplets born: 1
Total ewe lambs: 34
Total ram lambs: 46
Ewes lambed /72: 52 (72.2 %)
Lamb % : 146% [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 4
Losses: 1 ewe, 4 lambs

Notable Midwifery tales:

Been a busy few days with several more sets of twins born.

Amusing thing this morning – noticed a ewe had had a lamb, could tell she was on the second and decided to go check it out. Found it hanging out back feet first (supposed to be the other way around!) but she didn’t need my help at all and just delivered it with no effort. Not bad for a maiden ewe. 🙂 

Ooops!

Challenging thing was a beautiful English Leicester lamb born yesterday that isn’t quite “right”. Am hoping it will come good. Its mum is very attentive to it in any case.

In better English Leicester news: here’s a young ewe with her twins enjoying “breakfast in bed”. 😆 

LambMetrics – Drysdale & English Leicester lambing, Aug 22nd

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#LAMBMETRICS for the day

Drysdale & English Leicester Flocks

Born today: 6
Total Lambs Born: 52
Drysdale lambs (live total): 33
DrysdaleX lambs (total): 15
English Leicester lambs (live total): 2
Total Sets of Twins born: 14
Total Sets of Triplets born: 1
Total ewe lambs: 23
Total ram lambs: 29
Ewes lambed /72: 35 (48.6 %)
Lamb % : 143% [live]
Assisted/Dystocias: 3
Losses: 1 ewe, 2 lambs (stillborn)

Notable Midwifery tales:

Today was the that young Hermione finally lambed. Hermione has an interesting parentage: her sire is an English Leicester and her dam is a Drysdale. This year she was put to the English Leicester ram.
Hermione’s mother (commonly called the Kimmy or “Her Imperial Highness”) has a well-documented history of “lamb thieving”. (In the end she had to be mated so she lambed first… it saved fights….!) These things appear to have some heritability – today Hermione had her own try at such behaviour. 😕 

Only her first lambing season but she tried to take someone else’s lamb as she had hers.
This actually occurs more commonly than a lot of farmers realise – some ewes look after the stolen lamb fine, others will abandon it when they have their own. This accounts for some of the neonatal deaths when there are quite a few twins. (More common with twins because the birth mother gets distracted while having #2)

Hermione and her lamb