Farm A first for me

[Broken Arrow]

Today was a first for me.

I've had single leg presentations, no leg presentations, twins, triplets, and completely normal births, but i've never had this kind!
Miss Spota was in labor, and it was not very obvious that she was. A few contractions, a bit of teeth grinding, but nothing that would indicate to me an imminent birth.

Until I saw the water bag coming out. And then it broke. Start the timer! 30 mins with no baby and i'm going in!!
30 minutes passes and no baby. Got hubby to hold her front while I started feeling around inside.

WTF? Nothing is right here. I've got 3 legs and no head. Keep feeling around and finally found the head. Upside down and the chin was locked under the pelvis.

So picture this if you can. If your looking at the back end of the sheep, the head was at the 5 O'clock position, one leg was at 9 O'clock, one leg at 10 O'clock, and the third leg at 12 O'clock.

Found the little upside down boogers chest and pushed him backwards to get that chin loose, then did a series of counter clockwise "rolls" to get him in the right position. Figured out which two feet belonged together and pulled.

I got very lucky! He came out. Mom was less than thrilled with the whole ordeal.

His sister came out a half hour later all on her own in the correct position. All three are doing well at the moment. All dry, up and nursing. Mom is drinking and eating and being a good mama!!

 

[Cardinal]

Congratulations on being a grandma!!
And good job being a midwife.

 

[Broken Arrow]

Thank you! Always a new and exciting adventure each lambing season! LOL

 

[Cardinal]

Thank you! Always a new and exciting adventure each lambing season! LOL

I just got thru talking to my next door neighbor. His mom has a ranch on Navajo land, and he said she just got 20 new babies. He said that 2 died because they did not get the bag they are born in off in time and they smothered. I'm surprised momma sheep doesn't do that.

 

[Broken Arrow]

They should have cleaned off the baby asap. Wonder why they didnt. Maybe they started on the wrong end. I try to be present all our births, and make sure mom gets that bag off them.

 

[LYKURGOS]

Today was a first for me.

I've had single leg presentations, no leg presentations, twins, triplets, and completely normal births, but i've never had this kind!
Miss Spota was in labor, and it was not very obvious that she was. A few contractions, a bit of teeth grinding, but nothing that would indicate to me an imminent birth.

Until I saw the water bag coming out. And then it broke. Start the timer! 30 mins with no baby and i'm going in!!
30 minutes passes and no baby. Got hubby to hold her front while I started feeling around inside.

WTF? Nothing is right here. I've got 3 legs and no head. Keep feeling around and finally found the head. Upside down and the chin was locked under the pelvis.

So picture this if you can. If your looking at the back end of the sheep, the head was at the 5 O'clock position, one leg was at 9 O'clock, one leg at 10 O'clock, and the third leg at 12 O'clock.

Found the little upside down boogers chest and pushed him backwards to get that chin loose, then did a series of counter clockwise "rolls" to get him in the right position. Figured out which two feet belonged together and pulled.

I got very lucky! He came out. Mom was less than thrilled with the whole ordeal.

His sister came out a half hour later all on her own in the correct position. All three are doing well at the moment. All dry, up and nursing. Mom is drinking and eating and being a good mama!!

View attachment 263718

I’ve had some similar experiences about 25% run off and leave the lamb due to delivery stress then we have to jug them for a week. Your story is good for momma and baby. I love happy endings may have to give momma antibiotics after that trauma

 

[Broken Arrow]

I’ve had some similar experiences about 25% run off and leave the lamb due to delivery stress then we have to jug them for a week. Your story is good for momma and baby. I love happy endings may have to give momma antibiotics after that trauma

touched base with my vet re antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds. He felt no need for antibiotics unless she didn’t clean out (she did pass the entire placenta) or I smelled a foul odor. Recommend Exceed for it. Said anti-inflammatory meds (banamine) would be good, so she got that.

 

[LYKURGOS]

We watched for any cloudy discharge two days after hand deliveries. They were usually fine we just kept the antibiotic handy. I was always leery with my hairy skinny arms. Those delivery issues were always spur of the moment usually no prep wash before when I was involved. God gives those critters pretty amazing immune systems

 

[Broken Arrow]

Apparently this is the YEAR OF THE WEIRD BIRTH POSITIONS. Just pulled a big single ram lamb who was trying to come into the world butt first. Another first for me also, as well as the ewe! Managed to wiggle out one back leg at a time to get him out. He was up and nursing unassisted within 20 mins and mom is doing great!

 

[summerthyme]

Ah... the interesting parts of farming. James Herriot always said that lambings were child's play compared tomcalvings (which are themselves childs play compared to foalings!)... and I agree completely. That doesn't downplay the skill needed to decipher the slimy/wooly puzzle, but compared to trying to manipulate 2, 100 pound calves locked together in entertaining variations... yeah, sheep and goats are fun!

Something I found to work 100% on metritis in cows- colloidal silver. I won't repeat the whole story here, but after it literally saved the life of a nice 2 year old heifer who was dying of a uterine infection after a tough calving, and then cured a second a couple weeks later, we never used anything else. In fact... we used colloidal silver to treat the uterus of 4 cows over 11 years old, who hadn't conceived. Normally, they would have been milked out and sold for beef when they slacked off, but we were planning a dispersal and our lines were in demand. Amazingly, after synchronizing two heat cycles in 20 days (to get any infection flushed out) all four conceived using AI and seven from a bull we'd bred and raised, and knew his conception rates were very high! They all found new homes and later had healthy calves!

Note... these were animals who the vet had checked as healthy. Granted, we didn't do swabs, cultures or ultrasounds... couldn't justify the cost. But none had conceived after multiple AI attempts. They had to have had an occult infection, which the silver cured.

In cows, we used 120 ccs (originally I experimented with 500 cc, which worked, but was simply unnecessary). I'd say for a sheep, 30 cc would be sufficient. You'd use AI techniques to infuse it into the uterus.

Interestingly, the silver is clearly absorbed and has systemic effects. Hubby noticed cows whose uterus I had treated with silver quickly resolved udder edema and inflammation, which can be a real problem, potentially leading to mastitis. He was shocked to see serious cases, especially in high producing 1st calf heifers, resolve within 24 hours of the uterine infusion.

It's part of my vet toolbox that got heavy use.

Summerthyme