# Ewe won't let lambs eat.



## ONG (Dec 7, 2006)

Hi folks one of our American Black Belly ewes named "Wild Woman" won't let her new lambs nurse. At least while we are around.

We bought her last summer, and we were told that she was a good mother, seller is from this forum and I believe her. 

Wild woman (named by us because of her hate of human interaction) lambed this morning, had twins, one was nursing as I walked in the barn. We put her and her 2 lambs in a seperate pen, with feed and water. I have checked on them several times today and when the young ones try to nurse WW moves out of the way. She hasn't cleaned either if that makes any difference. 

So what do you think leave mother nature alone or is there something that we can do?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> She hasn't cleaned either if that makes any difference.


That's not normal for her not to clean the lambs.
I'd put them in a pen just large enough for the ewe to turn around in, and leave them for 24-36 hours.
And it wouldnt hurt to make sure she's producing milk


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## ONG (Dec 7, 2006)

Oops maybe using cow terms for sheep, she has not lost her afterbirth yet. We know cow talk but sheep is what we are learning now. Lambs are squeaky clean.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Cleaning is correct 

Yes, ewes can be very restless and hesitant to nurse the lambs, if they haven't cleaned.
Has she done this since you posted last ?

It is somewhat a cycle since nursing can help the uterus contract and pass the after birth too.

Hopefully, you have made sure the lambs have gotten the colostrum they need.

Maybe if you change her name she might settle down a bit, lol ?

Deb


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

ONG said:


> Oops maybe using cow terms for sheep, she has not lost her afterbirth yet. We know cow talk but sheep is what we are learning now. Lambs are squeaky clean.



LOL I hadnt heard that term.

What I have seen is sometimes the afterbirth gets lost in the bedding, so if you werent there the entire time, she may have "cleaned" without you knowing. 
Also with mine, if they lamb in the pasture, the dogs take care of anything that could attract predators

I'll try to remember the "cleaned" term next time


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

When our cows didn't clean quickly we treated them with oxytocin when the ewes don't clean... we use oxytocin. A let down dose plus 50%, you don't want to throw out the bed do you? Could be A and B have sharp teeth, you could float them with some emery.


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## derekv (Jan 31, 2007)

when you moved the ewe to the pen how much did you handle the lambs?


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## mawalla (Oct 28, 2002)

Check the lambs' mouths. If they are warm they are nursing and doing it when you aren't around. If the mouths are cold then they aren't nursing. I've had nervous nellies in my flock that I thought weren't letting their lambs nurse. In truth, they just wanted me the heck out of there so they could attend to their babies in peace. Once I let them alone in their jug, all was fine.

Also, the ewe could also have eaten the afterbirth, or quite a bit of it with the rest getting buried in the bedding.


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## ONG (Dec 7, 2006)

Well this morning my wife went to the barn alone. The sheep trust her more than me. The ewe allowed the one lamb to nurse but would paw at the smaller one and turn from it. My wife checked the small one's mouth, it was warm and the teeth did not seem particularily sharp. So we are taking a wait and see attitude, thanks to mawalla we are assuming that both are eating, perhaps not at the same time?


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## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

Check the ewe's teats for damage and the lambs' mouths for sharp teeth. If the lambs have unusually sharp teeth they can damage the teats. You can use a bit of sandpaper to take away the pointy edges.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

It would worry me that the ewe is rejecting the smaller lamb. Watch close for weight gain vigor. Sometimes for one reason or another a ewe will not accept both lambs, maybe it tried to nurse off somebody else, or smells different. I've had good luck tying the ewe up for nursing in a jug so she has to hold still and can't push the lamb away. After a few days to a week generally the ewe has relaxed a little and gotten used to both lambs. Are there any other ewes jugged near her? She might be more relaxed with sheep company nearby. I will also keep track of ewes who do this, if she does the same thing next lambing then it's 86 for her.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Bearfootfarm said:


> LOL I hadnt heard that term.
> 
> I'll try to remember the "cleaned" term next time


LOL, Are there very many cows in North Carolina ?


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Ditto on what Wendle said.... I would be concerned about the lamb not getting what it needs especially during the first couple days when colostrum is so important. There is also the problem of the ewe being so concerned with the lamb she is rejecting, that the other doesn't get enough either.
I would make sure the udder is not tender on one side and milk the ewe and give the lamb the colostrum it needs, as well as tying her if the lamb is not too afraid to nurse.
Usually, the ewe prefers if the lambs nurse at the same time.
If this is not happening the one side she is not allowing the lamb to nurse on may be sore or will get that way.
If she has not accepted the lamb by now, it might not be possible to force her to take it (I have not had much success in doing this), and you would need to care for it to insure it gets the nutrition needed and doesn't get injured.


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## derekv (Jan 31, 2007)

if you have a dog that will listen have it stare the ewe down or even better if the dog is a good one have it jump in run around the ewe a number of times and jump out what you are wanting to achieve with this is causing the ewe to forget that she is rejecting that one lamb while shes trying to protect the "good" one. this works well if you want to foster a lamb onto a ewe also


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

derekv said:


> if you have a dog that will listen have it stare the ewe down or even better if the dog is a good one have it jump in run around the ewe a number of times and jump out what you are wanting to achieve with this is causing the ewe to forget that she is rejecting that one lamb while shes trying to protect the "good" one. this works well if you want to foster a lamb onto a ewe also


Careful of this method, yes it can work, but while the dog is running around the lambs can get run over by the ewe . I much prefer the dog to quietly hold the pressure in one place so the ewe will stand up to the dog but is less likely to run around. This will take a dog that is able to handle getting smashed by the ewe, or on the other side of a fence. 
I just had a ewe here that was involved in a lamb mix up. Tying her up worked great, she is now raising twins, but it took about a week of close observation and making sure the foster lamb was nursing. 
Good luck!


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

eieiomom said:


> LOL, Are there very many cows in North Carolina ?


LOL!

Lots of cows, but I've never raised them myself, and never really talked with anyone about breeding them.
I just know a LITTLE about sheep

I sold a young ram to a lady from Atlanta, but she was originally from England.
She sent me a deposit check, and in her letter she called it a "deposit for one "TUP".
I had to look that one up also!


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## emptycupranch (Jul 13, 2008)

I will be closely following this thread as I am dealing with the same situation! I have been holding the ewe for the rejected one to nurse a few times a day. I will try tying her and see how that goes.

Thanks everybody, and good luck ONG with your little ones.


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## ONG (Dec 7, 2006)

Well folks, the update is----the rejected female lamb is doing fine. The technique that she has developed is to allow her brother to start nursing and then slide in between him and the ewes back leg to get the tit on the other side. When the ewe turns her head to sniff butt she smells the male and all is well----two little tails wiggiling like crazy.


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## wendle (Feb 22, 2006)

Thanks for the update. Sounds like she's doing great


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