[Jacob-list] new to orphan lamb raising, questions

[Kristin Filseth]

Hi, I just joined this list.

I am a newcomer to sheep, I have (had) 3 sheep (2 jacob ewes and a ram). One
of them had twins monday and went down shortly after and died with I think
both hypocalcemia and toxemia... took her to a vet but calcium only helped
somewhat (made her less stiff but didn't help the weakness). All I saw was a
little wobbliness a few hours after lambing, she was not off her feed, she
ate some sheep pellet feed I fed her a few hours after, at the time I didn't
realize looking tired and wobbly was a big deal, I thought well she just had
twins, I'd be tired too.

The twins seem to be doing OK, I am pretty sure they both got at least some
colostrum because the mom did not go down until about maybe 8 hrs after they
were born, I saw them attempting to nurse but didn't actually stay to see if
they did nurse. I also milked her later after she went down and split the 20
ccs I got between them about 12 hrs after birth (which I'm guessing wouldn't
be enough if it was all they got).

I have a question on what is the normal appearance of stool in young lambs.
The girl has soft reddish brown toothpaste consistency feces which is I'm
guessing an ok type of feces? The boy has worse stool, diarrhea, yellow to
dark brown syrup to ketchup consistency, but only a few spots of it and only
just right after I feed him, he is not getting dehydrated or anything like
that. I may have overfed him the first day, I allowed him to suck down 110
mls of formula every 4 hrs several times the first day. The girl took longer
to be interested in the bottle so initially she only got maybe 20 ccs each
feeding that day. Should their stool look like adult sheep feces, dark
pellets, or what is normal?

I also on day two gave them a dose of lamb/calf electrolyte and vitamin
supplement. Is that something I should give again?

Now I am restricting them both to 60 mls every 4 hrs, and 6 hrs overnight.
And am feeding it room temp not body temp which I read helps decrease
overfeeding. Both nurse well, the girl seems content with that amount and
the boy wants way more. He is more active, nudging me and so on anytime I go
over to them. The girl (better poop) seems quite content to rest, but will
get up and run around right when I'm about to feed them and for a few
minutes after. Should I be concerned she's not as active as the boy?

Should I be more alarmed at the runny feces of the boy? If so what action
should I take? I read about switching to feeding only electrolytes but that
seems really extreme.

And lastly my other ewe is due sometime soon, I am worried she could run
into the same issues. So yesterday I gave her a 1/2 cc of Vitamin A + D
shot, and 60 ccs of a Ca-Mg-Phos-dextrose thing yesterday. She seems perky
enough but won't leave the barn area. When we caught her to give her the
supplement she was easier to hold than when I catch her for shearing, but
maybe that is just being so pregnant? She is still quick on her feet, not
sluggish, just was easier to hold on to than usual.

Thanks for any input anyone has.

Kristin