Well, it snowed here all day yesterday and looks like a bit though the night as well, its cold but typical for the time of year, but the windchill add’s quite a bit to it..
This was a well broke trail yesterday, today its all filled in and only my breaking of it yesterday just barely shows, you don’t want to go though this, at its deepest, its hits at least three feet
Well, the critters were happy to see me, and finally Carmel has had twins, one lovely strong little one, up and nursing well, and sigh, one that is laying down, weak and chilled.
I popped a finger in its mouth and its core temp is not bad, its clearly newborn but not as strong as I would like.. so I hold mom (who know’s that this is her little one and is not fighting me but also been a sheep, has no time for weak little ones, when she has a big strong one right there with her.. Little Chilled lamb does not want to suck.. Not a good sign, so milk a little out of mom’s full side, the other sib at the moment has a clear teat, and bundle up Miss Nobody down two layers of cloths for warmth and to protect her from wind chill and start trudging back to the house.
So first order of business after getting baby in the house is to get her checked over, looks good but still covered with birthing fluids, which means that I am now to.. so get her double wrapped in a wool blanket, and onto my big plastic heated dog bed to start gently warming her back up.. she is sleeping now, but has stopped shivering, and I will let her sleep for another few min and then see if she has a suck reflex to her and get a ounce of her mom’s colostrum in and then it will be a day of barn work, I don’t want this little one to become a bottle baby if at all possable, but I need to get her warmed up and nursing well before being left to fend on her own..
The key to remember is that you can’t feed a chilled baby even if its willing to nurse, as it will cause more problems to do so.. you need to warm the baby first, then offer small amounts at a regular time, never overfeed a little one.. small and often is just what momma would give and that is what we want to do as well.
So here is litttle Miss.. just before her rest, she has now had a bit of milk, still does not have a strong suck reflex but we got some in and she has enough energy to be standing in her little crate, give her another hour and another tiny feed or two and we will see if we can get her strong enough to go back to the barn and join her mom and sib in the jug.
Once I get her settled down, I need to go back out and finish hauling hay and starting to shovel some snow..
Update: Wee One is with us and coming along, she is mouthy and getting much better at nursing either the bottle or her mom, her sibling is doing very well.. I only have a few more ewe’s to go and I am looking at the down hill part of this years birthing time, here is hoping that they are all normal births with no issues.
Just another Day on the Farm 
Congrats! Those first hours are touch and go. I remember last year when Isabelle and Sophie were born. I wasn’t sure Isabelle was going to make it through the night. But she did and she’s a strong doe today expecting her own in a few months. I pray that the rest of your lambing season goes well. It’s such a cold time for babies to be born…in 3 ft of snow.
Thankfully my girls have all birthed in the barn, be it front (where the stalls and jugs are, or in the back, where they have open access to the outside by a door but otherwise have a huge area all done in straw for their bedding down in the evening.. I think it would be called a lofting area (full roof and sides) just instead of stalls its a big open area, and in the summer, its triple the size, but in winters, we tarp if off to create even more of a wind free area.
Its me that has to deal with the snow..but as for the cold.. yes that it is.. but other then the risk right at birthing, the cold is better for the little ones then being born with its warmer, but it more work.. I have seen pro and con’s on both sides. Thanks for stopping by and so far so good on wee one..