Sometimes I wish I didn't have a farm. Sometimes it can be hard. Sometimes it can be heartbreaking. Sometimes it can be frustrating. Sometimes I wish I didn't have a farm.
My goat Louise had quadruplets. One was smaller than the rest. I thought it was a doe. I thought it had a hernia. Instead it was a male. If I had bothered to check I would have seen that it didn't have a vulva. It didn't have a scrotum either, but you could feel the testicles in its body cavity. It had bad plumbing. The hernia wasn't a hernia, it was urine. The poor little guy's urinary tract was messed up. He was in pain. He was retaining urine. He had no future. He had to be euthanized. There's something especially heartbreaking about euthanizing a baby animal.
Never had a chance
I don't think I've ever had a ewe lay on one of her babies. It happened twice today. Both dead. One was a sick ewe with triplets. She was in a big pen (8x8) but still managed to suffocate one of her babies. She lays down a lot, seems to have some discomfort. She doesn't have much of an appetite, but is still chewing her cud. I'm treating her with antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory, and nutrition. Fingers crossed. Now she's only got twins to raise. That might be better. The dead lamb was a male. The whole litter is. It's hard to make money bottle feeding a male, if that's what I end up doing with her lambs (if she doesn't get better). Last year, she gave birth to a dead lamb (single). She was a yearling. Her time in the flock is probably limited.
The other ewe that crushed her lamb, had a difficult birth and was also laying down a lot. Yesterday I pulled two lambs from her, plus a mummy. She laid on the bigger, more vigorous lamb (of course!). She was in a 5x5 jug. I've tube fed the small lamb twice. Hopefully she'll raise it. A red ewe lamb. So was the dead one. I'm afraid she's going to lay on this one, too, but I can't be there all the time. Not sure why she couldn't deliver her lambs yesterday, but she was in distress all day and is still a little off.
I kept a ewe from last year that had mastitis. In fact, part of her udder had sloughed off. So why did I keep her? I'm asking myself now. Until last year, she was one of my best ewes, raising triplets each year. A really good milker. Part dairy. I thought she might be able to raise one more lamb (on her good side) and I'd raise anything extra she had. But she's been sick for a week now. Still hasn't lambed. Big udder. No fever. Makes these strange sounds with her throat. I've been providing nutritional support: yogurt, molasses, and red wine. Don't know how this is going to turn out.
I kept a 10 year old ewe that used to be one of my best ewes. She raised two nice lambs last year. I raised her third one and kept it for replacement. I was glad when she only had a single. But I soon learned she didn't have much milk, even for one. I'm bottle feeding her ram lamb. I keep ewes I shouldn't. When ewes can't maintain their body condition, even with extra feed, it's time for them to go. Another lamb I am bottle feeding is part of a litter of triplets. The dam has plenty of milk, but the lambs won't nurse from one side. The teat is bigger than normal. I've had to hand milk that side a few times. Too much milk. That's a new one!
Bottle feeding the 10 year old's lamb
Another ewe with triplet ewe lambs had one lamb with a broken leg. Don't know if it happened before or after birth. Since it would be too hard for the lamb to compete with two siblings I removed it for bottle feeding. It's in a pen by itself in the garage with the goats. I the lamb Tippy. I put a cast on her leg twice (paint rollers and vet wrap), but she's managed to get it off twice. Her leg seems fine now and she's doing well.
Besides the aforementioned ewes, I've got ten ewes left to lamb: yearlings and 2 year olds. Some don't seem to be bagging up or even look pregnant. Time will tell. I'm not sure I care anymore. I'm so exhausted, physically and mentally. I'm just ready for lambing season to be over. Maybe I'm getting too old to have so many sheep all on my own. Maybe I care too much about them. I try to do things right, but there are so many things I can't control and so many things that happen regardless.
I started raising rabbits a few years ago. I started with good stock and invested good money in cages and other equipment. I went in thinking there was a good market for rabbits (for meat). There is not. I cannot find a consistent or decent market for the fryers. I'm able to sell some for breeders, but that is hit and miss. Plus, I hate having to use Facebook to sell rabbits. I'm planning to keep just a few rabbits (for now) to produce my own meat. The reds. I'm still trying to sell the whites. Bertha, one of my original rabbits, died unexpectedly last week. I found her dead in her cage. She looked peaceful. It was probably for the best. This way I don't have to sell her to someone else (or for meat).
Oh, and the basement sink is backed up.
