As I was squatted down with a wee babe of a lamb between my legs nursing from its bottle, its mother once again broke from her corner and raced across the pen and slammed into me, driving me into the wall..
Now the reason I was in that spot was because not a min or two earlier, she had done the same thing but by me and have knocked down her own son in the process.
That ewe is heading to freezer camp!
First off, she didn’t bond correctly, I can forgive that, I can work with her and train her to understand that she needs to bond with the baby, and I can help her by putting her in a jug, with her own water, feed, bedding and a safe smaller space so she can’t be pushed around by more dominant ewes.
Then she would not make enough milk, so if you catch her and stand her, she will freeze and allow the lamb to nurse (I have never seen him successfully nurse yet by asking her, she moves on him always) and he is a strong nursing lamb.
Ok, there is no reason that she should not have milk, but I babied her, I added in a touch of grain her to feedings, I added in a bit of the higher protein pellets, and some dried herbs to see if she could increase her milk.. so far.. nothing, and trust me, normally what I have added is enough to send the milk production souring.
I will own up the fact that this no milk was sending her to freezer camp, but I was still feeling a bit, well should I give her more of a chance..
Bla, I think not.. she won’t settle.. I mean none of the ewes like to be jugged, they are a herd animal, and I get that, I really do but they all are jugged and normally after one or two feedings the girls react a) meet me at the gate, I’m so happy, I get grain and all my fix’n delivered to me, I like this breakfast in stall.. happy, happy, joy, joy or its a quieter female, she will stand at the back in a corner and watch me do her dishes, feed, water and clean her pen, wait till I am done and then move up and get down to the business of being a content sheep.. I am good with both of the sheep above..
But this young female is on day three now of being jugged and she is not being either of the above, she either freeze’s in place or she runs from one side to the other, and back again, she has no respect for me, my personal space, or her offspring..
I won’t stand for it.. she will get to stay around long enough to keep him company but she is on the fall list.. she is not a good momma and I have no room for a breeding female that is not!
Just another Day on the Farm 
Are you okay? hugs…
Hi Deb, I am fine, I took the brunt of the crash to make sure that baby Goon, didn’t! I am grumpy that she did it, there was no reason for it.. none..other then she felt she could..
O and when I went down to check my squash hills, all the pumpkins are up and rocking along.. all the cucubmers are up and doing so well but something is going after the squash seeds, they are not digging them up, they are pulling them up, roots and all.. and in many cases not even eating them.. so I repotted all the ones I could but I think I might need to replant a few of the hills, they went from three or four per, to one or two.. wonder what did it?
Baby chipmunk?
Never seen a chipmuck in the area but it is odd..
Coon, skunk, squirrel, some other curious rodent? But, most likely a playful baby something: )
to which I reply.. get busy farm cats.. do your job! 🙂
Sounds like the ewe earned her karma. What is “jugged”?
She has indeed, Jugged means a small pen that you put the expecting or in labour or newly delivered mother ewe in so that she can bond with her babies and normally they spend 48 to 72 hours, it allows you to make sure of bonding, the lambs to get bigger and stronger and for you to closely monter the mother and the babies for health, eating, poo etc..
I’m not sure if it would work or if you are capable based on her size, but would knocking her to the ground like you were going to hog tie her be an option? When we have goats that get an attitude (so far only males), we “show them who’s boss” a couple of times and anybody who doesn’t get it after that goes to freezer camp!
Oh yeah, we still see such misbehavior during the rut but I stay away and let man-folk deal with it.
hi pam, she has a collar on, so it would make more sense to add a short tie out clip in the stall, catch her, clip her and allow her to learn to self-correct her own flight intinicts, but the truth is, I believe she has a hormone issue that is effecting her on a number of levels.
At least if she is tied, she can’t run me or the lamb over, If really need to, I can catch and do the sheep, rump sit and lift to make me in control, but so far that has not been needed.
That’s what I’m talking about, rump sit and lift. Establish dominance. Is this her first baby? Perhaps her hormones will straighten out by next go ’round?
o, sorry, I thought you meant something different, yes, I can do this, its how their feet are trimmed etc
it is first baby and no she won’t be getting chance for a second.