One More Ram Lamb and a Dead Ewe Lamb

I knew I had another ewe getting close to her delivery date, but since I didn't really know when my ewes were due, it was really a guessing game.  I judged them based on the size of their udders and how long it has been since they started bagging up.  This ewe I noticed bagged up suddenly about two weeks ago.  Her udder grew even more over the weeks but for some reason I thought I had at least two more weeks before lambing since the other ewes generally lambed about 30 days after bagging up.  I told my husband that very thing just yesterday and so didn't worry about separating her from the flock in their barn stall overnight.  Usually if I know they are due, I like to place them in the lambing pen where they have the place all to themselves and if they deliver then it is plenty of room for mom and lambs to bond.  But I didn't do that last night because I sincerely didn't think she was due for a while.  And this morning my bottle lamb was screaming hungry early in the a.m. so I didn't head out to the barn bright and early as usual.  If I had, I might have found the new lambs.  And possibly before the one died.

I really have no idea how it died but my suspicions are a) was rejected by mom but think it would have still been alive when I got in there or b) was sat on or more likely bullied by the other sheep to death.  Now let me explain the last point.  Sheep are not bullies, as a matter of fact they welcome any new sheep into the flock.  However, when a newborn is first born it searches for it's mother by looking for her nipple.  Other sheep don't like that.  And if the baby lamb continues this their rejection gets stronger.  They will gently nudge it away but then the nudging becomes more harsh and the baby can get slammed against walls, feeders or anything that could knock it out and kill it.  Hence why mothers and newborns are kept separate.  So I feel terrible that I hadn't gone out bright and early to check in on the sheep.  Even if I hadn't believed the ewe was ready to deliver, I had newborns in the barn and should have been checking in and making sure all was well.  But I didn't and whether the baby was killed or died at birth I'll never know.  I'm pretty dang angry at myself for not having separated her or at the least gone to the barn earlier than I had.  But what is done, is done.  Though I am doubly miserable because the dead lamb was a ewe, we are left with her huge brother.

I've got one more ewe to deliver within the month and will definitely be keeping her separated once I see her udder bag up.  She is already looking enormous so it could possibly be sooner rather than later.  And with this latest incident, I'll definitely be planning on sooner.