A Shepherding Story

Today began like any other day. Early up to send hubby on his way to work, some devotionals, coffee, banana bread and emails, intermittently interspersed with visual checks on the ewes.

Around 6:30 I did a head count only to realize one was unaccounted for. Looking down under the "birthing" tree behold! there she was with one tiny black lamb on its feet.

Certain I had caught her early on I ran inside to don clothing, grab the lambing kit and camera and began to plot my path through the grazing ewes who would be sure I was carrying grain, and descend upon myself and Luca - the ewe in the midst of lambing, creating unwanted chaos.

I disconnected the electronet from the main electric fence but was unsuccessful in closing the gate fast enough to prevent greedy ewes from swarming.

I gave up trying to outwit them and made my way to Luca. With a sinking heart I could see two little bodies, motionless on the ground and I quickly assessed the situation.

Luca is one of my best ewes with triplets every year. Usually she is private when she lambs and it's common for me to find her with her lambs up, dry and nursing vigorously.

This time was different. It looked like a war zone and she herself was a bit uncertain of what just happened. I can only theorize as to the unfolding of the lambing, but herein begins the tale.

I saw two white lambs, one small, one fairly large and limbs all catywumpus, lower legs one way, twisted torso allowing upper legs to go the opposite. My first reaction was to move the limbs so that lamb wasn't twisted around and as I got closer I noted his eyes had begun to dull, like a recently dead animal does.
For some strange reason I'm never ready at first to accept death and this time I saw just a tiny, indescribable spark of life still in those rapidly dying eyes.

With a towel I scooped him up talking my chatter the whole time insisting he not leave. At the same time I turned to the other smaller lamb, also with those dead eyes and lifeless little body, and started yelling at him and rubbing him with the towel. A limb moved! A response, a good sign.

The lamb I was holding wrapped in a towel also got rubbed vigorously and inserted under my sweatshirt towel and all with only the head visable, thinking I'd begin the warming process while I figured out how I was going to move all of them to a jug, and revive the two that needed it.

In a few minutes I had devised a plan and I moved Luca and her stable, black ewe lamb out of the pasture carrying the others ( tricky and one day I'll describe it. Anyone watching would have thought me nuts but HEY, it worked ! )
I left her contentedly grazing and brought the other two inside to the bathroom - which any farmer knows it the backup room for livestock in the house.

The smaller of the two was shivering inside his towel but alert so I turned on the heat lamp, closed the door and went for the blow dryer, putting the still limp lamb inside a garbage bag with his head out, to trap the heat.

I did this for a time and realized I needed more extreme measures and turned to the kitchen sink. Filling it with hot water, I took the lamb tucked into the the garbage bag, and submerged him to allow the hot water to flow over and around him. I set the oven timer for ten minutes and waited. It went off, and I set it for another ten. 8 minutes into the second round, he began to shiver ever so slightly. His jaw was clenched tightly and what I could feel of the inside of his mouth was like ice.  I wondered how I would ever get a tube in there once he warmed up.

I took him out of the sink after 20 minutes to check on everyone else. The bathroom lamb was attempting to stand, and Luca with her other lamb were still in the same place looking at ease so back to the sink we went. If anyone had wandered in they would have thought me up to something sinister I'm sure, and there were moments when I questioned if I was doing the right thing. Not being one to take defeat I tossed aside the doubt and added more hot water.

He began to shake more vigorously and I let the water into the bag itself to give even more warmth. He started to move his head on his own, and when the timer went off for the third time, I drained the water and took him out of the bag, towel wrapped, into the bathroom for more blower dryer heat.

Now, all three lambs are secure in their jug with mom, having been given or gotten on their own mom's colostrum which is like a magic elixir. The little guy who had the bath is wearing the trademark sweater for extra support with body heat regulation but mom has welcomed them back without hesitation. I'm a big fan of dams' raising their own lambs!
Still monitoring closely we are not out of the woods yet, so the story isn't over.  So far it's looking good.
 I've never worked so hard to save a lamb in my life -  there is a first time for everything. May this be the last :-)
Pics to follow.
Thank You God for giving me the means to help this little guy pull through.

 Time to go check and see how they are.

Regards,
Kathryn