[Jacob-list] Lambing...problems

[Karen]

    My first year of lambing, I think I had everything go wrong(still 
birth, prolapse uterus, too many babies and not enough milk, no poop 
hole, babies in the wrong position, Doe in labor but not really sure)  
with just about all my sheep and goats. My husband and I shed several 
tears.  I learned very fast with what to do and what not to do. Life vs. 
death with out much time to think. Convincing little babies that they 
really wanted to live. I learned having a big tool box, with anything I 
could think of inside and lots of clean towels to grab from the list.  I 
had one normal delivery that year, with one of my goats and still called 
out the Vet. because I did not know what a normal birthing process 
looked like.  I was very high maintence with my neighbors, because I was 
the one with the weird looking sheep and goats having the problems, they 
did not understand.   Actually now they call me because I was the one 
who had all the problems my first year.... to ask what to do.
    With Laura Lawson's book and what I have learned thru all of you, on 
this web site, my last couple of years have been wonderful and enjoyable 
this the spring.  Very little problems and very little graves dug.  
There was one time when I had a problem and I could not get a hold of 
any local Vets and I came in and posted to the list about my bloating 
ram lamb. I did not have the time to wait for a Vet call back before he 
would die and I think it was Neal or Fred, that mentioned to look for 
the poop hole (which he was missing) and we cut him one. Solve the 
problem- sterile razor blade or knife in kit.
    I have been amazed with just having the proper nutrition, at the 
right times of the year and how much this plays into the effect of the 
birthing process and healthy lambs. If I have not been apart of this 
list for the past couple of years... I don't know if I would still be 
raising sheep, that first year was tramitic for a city girl "thinking" 
she wanted to go country.  So thanks EVERYONE for being such a valuable 
resource for me.
Karen Sigler
www.benjaminfarms.com