Josh tubed both the twins in the evening and I went to feed them first thing in the morning. They were up suckling from their mother so I went off to feed the outfield sheep and check around first. I intended to come back to them later. Little did I know how long ‘later’ would be.
I got the bucket of feed for the outfield sheep, called them and tried to find a dry place to tip it out. They come dashing and banging into me every time I tip the bucket slightly. I need danger money for this job! Once I had offloaded it I went and hung it on the paddock gate post for pick up after and I collected my crook from the gate. On my way to do this today, I saw an ewe and lamb rushing for food. The lamb looked new. Yep, red umbilical cord, born this morning then. And the ewe had a somewhat bloody back end. This confirmed the theory. She shouldn’t have come up for food yet 🤦♀️ The lamb was coping though so I went off to do the check.
There are some really big dips in the ground at Garth Hall. Some are likely sites of coal exploration. There is a really steep one towards the cabbage field that I used to use as a toboggan run in the snow. I used to sit on old fertilizer bags. Great fun. Anyway, in that dip was something very small and very white. I rushed off. Little new born Welsh Mountain lamb. Lovely markings. Abandoned. As luck would have it, I know what to do. You should never move a lamb unless it is grave danger. Nearly every time the mother isn’t too far away. This lamb was alive and I had a likely candidate in mind as his mother. That ewe I had seen with the lamb up feeding. I carried on with my check because I wouldn’t be long, the weather was good and I suspected she would return. I also needed to check if there were any other possible mothers. I rang Josh to say I might need help. If she didn’t go back for it, they would have to be put in the paddock together to bond.
I climbed up out of the dip and carried on up above the quarry. I got over the top of the and back into full sunshine. The weather was glorious. I had my sunglasses on, it wasn’t easy to see as I was heading directly towards the sun. Hang on, what was that? Curled up behind an ewe. A lamb? No, two lambs! So potentially two sets of twins today so far. I got closer and took a photo. It was only Neil’s number 3 ewe! When I told my father later he said “Neil’s doing well. Two lambed, both twins. Twofers” You can’t beat a two for one deal, or twofers as I call them!
Next there was an upsetting discovery. There was an ewe with a number 2 lamb. Just the one. I posted a photo of them yesterday. She was busy eating and the lamb was playing. She was not looking for her other lamb. Oh shit! I sent a quick message asking when they were last seen together. Neil replied to say at about 6pm they were all together down by Zoe’s bungalow. I would have to go and find out, if it was dead at least I would know, if it was ill or lost I could bring it up. Long walk with a lamb but there we are. I did a quick check of the nursery, nothing in there. I headed back to see if the first ewe could count. Yes, if course she could. She’s a Welsh Mountain ewe and they are good mothers. The little twin was up and both were sucking. Now for my trek to the bungalow.
In the cabbage field I saw an ewe on its own. Lambing maybe? I went over. Nothing imminent. I also rang Josh to stand him down as the twins had been reunited. I walked all the way to the bungalow corner and right down to the bottom. No abandoned lamb. No dead lamb. All I saw was rubbish, thrown over by passing motorists I suppose. Beer bottles, cider cans, a gin bottle and 2 vodka bottles. All this was from the second gate to the bungalow. Disgusting.
So what about the lamb? Unfortunately without finding her, we might never know what happened. It was possible she was taken by a fox. Very sad. I carried on all the way back. Its a long way. I passed the dip,and those twins were looking good with their Mammy. There was a little lamb near where the sheep had been fed. New one maybe? There was an ewe nearby. I went closer. Something green on it? Only number 2 twin that I’d spent half the morning looking for. Great news really though. Now to send her in the direction of her mother. I went closer, she went totally the opposite way. At least she was calling for her mother. The sun was shining so I left her to it for the time being.
After I fed the alpacas I headed to the barn. No sign of the number 2 twin. I couldn’t hear it either. Not such good news in the barn though. The little twin did not look good. His brother was up and bouncy. Oh heck. It’s such a roller coaster of emotions. I’m often on my own, making the decisions. I tend to resort to asking for advice on the Garth Hall chat. It’s good just to have someone (Josh or Neil) agree or to say “that’s a good idea”. I tubed him and hoped he was just hungry. After I had finished, he stood up to reveal a nasty coloured diarrhoea. Oh no. Now what bless him? So ill but such a little fighter. I didn’t want to leave because that would mean coming back and very likely finding him dead. As a last ditch attempt at saving him I gave him some antibiotic in case he has an infection.
I also filled 5 empty bags with hay to take down later. Then I headed home because I was starving. It had been a long morning. I had a very generous portion of cheese and potato pie with baked beans. That’s the way to stay fuelled for another afternoon of work.
I went into the barn filled with dread. There they both were! I mean he didn’t really look much better but he was still alive. I’m not saying it out loud, but in my head I’m referring to him as Lazarus. He has such a sweet little face and is a fighter. I fed everyone else in there and the outfield sheep. Neil arrived then and we went to the barn. We decided to take the little ones temperature. It is down a bit below where it should be. We’ll have to see what happens next.
Then Neil went to see his number 3 ewe and her twins. Both girls. I had numbered the other twins as 4 so number 3 ewe could have number 3 twins. Neil got the marker spray out of my rucksack. I let him do the honours. I lifted the lamb up. He sprayed it. When I turned it to do the other side I realised what he had done. He’d written 4 on it. Really?!?! “You tit!” He had a go of changing the 4 to a 3. It now looks like Q 😂 The other side has a very neat 3 on it. Luckily the second lamb is correctly numbered. We then got the mule and took feed and hay down.
After the alpacas and jail had their food we went to check on the number 3 twins. They weren’t cwtched up together. Not good. The one was curled up and listless. It hadn’t been long since we’d been with them. We had to act fast or she would die. Another dilemma. If I cwtched her into my coat, her mother could reject her. But she was hypothermic. Without being warmed, and fast, she would die. “You take her. I’ll get troop transport.” He rushed off on the quad. I picked the tiny little lamb up and tucked her inside my coat. Once in the barn I tried to take her temperature. When I reached in to pick her up, she let out a pitiful and heart wrenching cry.
Her temperature was so low it did not register on the thermometer. I set about making a glucose solution. When lambs are hypothermic they must not be given milk. It kills them. They use too much energy digesting it. I got the tubing equipment and began passing the tube into her. I then gave her warm glucose solution. It was then that I noticed how cold her mouth was. The ONLY way to warm her is to get this warm solution into her. It might not work but it’s the only thing we could do.
Neil turned up with number 3 and the other lamb. The other wellfield sheep got in the way and the ewe got spooked. He went round and round a few times and swore a bit too. Then Molly, Munchie, Ted and Pandora got in the barn. I had to go out to help with the little lamb still tucked inside my coat. On the next pass, the ewe saw the other sheep in the barn and decided to go in. Phew. From there we put her and her one lamb into sick bay. Both lambs were given lamb boost. It is something I bought and is also energy rich like the glucose. I tried her mouth again. Even colder. Like ice but she began to suck. She also started shivering. I felt as though she was warming slightly. It could be wishful thinking.
Neil was worried that her mother would reject her so he put her in the pen with his Garth Hall hoodie wrapped around her. “What else can we do to warm her?” “People warm lambs in the warming drawer of their Agas or Rayburns. Best place to warm a lamb. How about a hairdryer?” “Great idea. I’ll go home for one. You go home now.”
I was shattered and thirsty. I came in and had a cup of tea straight away. I had lamb wee down my leg but was too tired to shower at that point. With some tea inside me I came around a bit and had something to eat. There was a message from Neil to say her temp was 34°. An improvement though because it wouldn’t even register before. He continued to try warming her gently with the hair dryer on its lowest setting. He sent a video of her with her head up a bit. He then gave her more warm glucose via the tube. I’ve been busy with the blog because there isn’t anything else I can do for now.
Then the messenger noise went off on my phone. “Temp at 36.4°” I don’t know why I didn’t think if this before, tiredness I suppose. I did some Internet research on hypothermia in lambs. So far we had been doing the right things. But, once she started shivering, we could have tried her with milk. I let Neil know and he put the lamb on her mother’s teat. She suckled for a while from her mother. The best we could hope for at this point. The ewe doesn’t seem overly keen on her anymore. Too much intervention by us I would imagine. It’s intervention or death though. Neil has left her with her mother. We have done all, we can at this stage. She is warm, safe and full of milk. Let’s hope she pulls through. I’ll update you tomorrow.
The idea of twin lambs is great. A twofer deal. The reality can be a lot of hard work and heartbreak. But let’s stay positive. We’ve learned a lot about hypothermia. How to prevent it, recognise it and treat it.
Helen x
