# Ewe rejecting one twin?



## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

Three day old twins, both very healthy, born good weight and healthy on Monday. Kept in a stall till today.

Today was the first day on pasture. This afternoon the ewe is turning on one of the lambs, pushing him away forcefully when he tries to nurse. She looked very anxious and defensive on the pasture - stayed apart near a brush pile and actually knocked the lgd when he sat nearby.

He's successfully nursing still, when she didn't notice, and he had a full tummy.

I put them back in a stall. She was still doing it. 

I'm going to leave them alone tonight and hope she chills out.

Any suggestions? I really don't have time for a bottle baby now.


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## ShannonR (Nov 28, 2012)

Um. Sheep aren't my thing. But is there something wrong with the lamb?

The reason I wonder, is because I have seen a cow do the same--- to a freemartin heifer in that case


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## Von Helman (May 16, 2012)

read my last post in my thread 

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/sheep/552432-few-pictures-our-herd-operation-2.html


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## Maxpowers (Apr 4, 2012)

I've had ewes do this. Stick them in the pen longer, if the lamb is persistent enough the ewe might take it. If not you'll have to decide if you want to keep that ewe or not for next year, she'll probably do it again.


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## Rosepath (Feb 18, 2011)

If you don't want a bottle baby, put his pic on FB and you'll sell him. People around here sell all they can provide, as bottle babies, from a few days old to a few weeks.


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

Ok turns out they're twin ewes. Last night and this am I've held the mom to allow the rejected one to drink her fill, and I'll be keeping them in the small stall until things improve. Von Helman, I may try your trick of tying the leg if she continues rejecting. The lamb may be stealing enough on her own to stay healthy as she's not seeming weak at all.

Shannon, I've seen that before too but I can't find anything wrong with this lamb. The ewe just seems to prefer the other one and be annoyed by this one. 

One of her udders is not productive because of past year mastitis, can this make a ewe want to just feed one? She has plenty of milk on that side for two.

I'm trying to breed away from white and this is a pretty black ewe lamb so I'll bottle feed her if I must. But when they're weaned the mom is going to go to a lady who spins; the ewe's wool is exceptional, but I don't want this mothering trait in my flock.


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

Rosepath, it didn't occur to me someone might actually want to bottle feed a lamb when I'm doing all I can to avoid it! She is kind of cute though...


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

I've had her leg tied most of the day. She's not knocking the lamb away when she nurses anymore, but mainly I think because she's so stressed out by being restrained. I'm going to untie her tonight for safety and hopefully she's bonded a little better.


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## rosalind (Oct 6, 2014)

I had a ewe that was feeding twins fine til she got mastitis. Then she kept the ewe lamb and rejected the ram lamb, at least at feeding time. I've started bottle feeding him, because it's a recent injury on the mom's udder and I know she doesn't have milk for two.

My thought for you - if you like the dark ewe lamb, what about pulling the lamb you don't want and I bet the mom would take back the colored ewe lamb you like?? Could sell the other one as a bottle baby.....

If it's like in my ewe's situation, it's not that she doesn't want the second lamb, it's just that he would grab on to the sore side so she associated him with hurting, so she kicked him off. If he had been the one to be nursing on the good side, I bet she would have rejected the ewe lamb.


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

It's worked out fine. Might have even without my help/interference, who knows. She definitely prefers the white lamb, and often nudges the black one away, but both are well fed and growing fine. I notice the black lamb tries to nurse very frequently, and the ewe seems to allow what's appropriate and nix the rest. The white lamb goes in, nurses her fill, and quits. I think the black lamb might just get on her nerves.

They're napping in the sun now, and the white lamb is nestled under the ewe's chin, while the black one is napping at her back end. I've never had a ewe pick an obvious favorite like this, but as long as they're both well cared for it's her business.


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## Lady89 (Feb 22, 2014)

I don't have sheep my self but have been told by some of the old hands at it that sheep just do this some times. A mother will have 2 or 3 lambs and just pick one she hates for no real reason. An old vet once explained it to me as "she has taken an exception to his face" Some sheep are really bad about it and others only do it once, no one seems to know why, but a lot of people thing it may have to do with the sent or physical appearance of the lamb. As you have a black lamb and a white one that might be it. Sheep can be odd animals.


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

lol for "she has taken an exception to his face" - but yes, I really think that's it. I thought maybe the black one had a health problem I couldn't see. But, nope, the mom just doesn't like her.

She tolerates her well enough now, but really the black one has learned to nurse when the white one does because that's the only time the mom doesn't walk away. When they lay down, the white one is nestled under mom's chin while the black one lays near her back end. 

I have another 5/8 east fresian ewe who is calm as can be, and both her daughters came out tame and calm and gentle from day one. The three of them are inseparable, sneak into the dog's bed during the day to snooze together, graze together. That's the kind of mothering I want to see. I'll be watching this skittish ewe's daughters close next year to see if they inherit her mothering issues. If it's an inherited issue then she and they will all have to go -- I don't want high maintenance lambing every year.


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

Update, I've started supplementing the little black lamb with replacer. Leaving her with her mom and the flock, but I want to help her catch up. She's less than half the size of her sister. She looks like the twin of another lamb half her age. She doesn't look sick, has plenty of energy and a good attitude, but she just needs more nutrition than the sips she's able to steal from her mom.

I gave her two 1 cup feelings today to let her rumen adapt, and tomorrow I'll step up to the recommended feeding for a bummer lamb. The first bottle this afternoon she took but looked confused, and the one tonight she sucked straight down like, well, like a famished lamb.


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

Rosalind, it might be this. The mom had mastitis on one side last year. I checked and she was producing milk on both sides, but it might not feel good to her. And knowing she's only got one normal side might have caused her to pick one to favor. 

They're both ewes, and I like the black one better. Wouldn't want to get rid of the favorite and risk the mom still rejecting the black one. I've decide to supplement the black one with a bottle but leave her with her mom and sister. I feel like they're emotionally and socially better off with the flock, on pasture, than hanging around with me. Although my gosh she is the cutest thing.



rosalind said:


> I had a ewe that was feeding twins fine til she got mastitis. Then she kept the ewe lamb and rejected the ram lamb, at least at feeding time. I've started bottle feeding him, because it's a recent injury on the mom's udder and I know she doesn't have milk for two.
> 
> My thought for you - if you like the dark ewe lamb, what about pulling the lamb you don't want and I bet the mom would take back the colored ewe lamb you like?? Could sell the other one as a bottle baby.....
> 
> If it's like in my ewe's situation, it's not that she doesn't want the second lamb, it's just that he would grab on to the sore side so she associated him with hurting, so she kicked him off. If he had been the one to be nursing on the good side, I bet she would have rejected the ewe lamb.


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## hastyreply (Nov 10, 2012)

I had a ewe do that. She is older and had singles the last couple of years. She had a hard labor and had a water belly that died after an hour. It was another 2 hours before she had its identicle twin that lived. I thought she was done and lef her mothering her lamb only to find another smaller lamb with her over an hour later. He was 2#s smaller than his sites and she would not let him nurse unless I held her. I tried doing that for 2-3 days before supplementing him with a bottle. I left him with mama and sister but bottled him. She would let him sleep with them and she kinda,sorta cared about hi but never let him nurse. I think she was exhausted from the long labors and just forgot about him. She had raised twins before no problem.


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

I wish I'd started bottling her sooner. I have to leave town in one week and the person I have to watch them won't be able to bottle feed. If I can get her to 30 pounds before then I'll feel ok leaving her to wean to pasture -- she'll be 6 weeks old by then and she is getting *some* milk from her mom. But as small as she is, if she's not at 30 pounds when I leave I'll have to think about bringing her along, and I think a cross country trip and suddenly being away from her flock will be very stressful for her.


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## rosalind (Oct 6, 2014)

My sheep advisor agrees with you - least stressful to leave them with the flock. 

Mine's getting three bottles a day, and tonight I saw him nursing on his mom, so I know he's still getting a dab here and there - but what's nice is that even though I'm his new "milk bar", he still hangs with the group and sleeps by his mom. My mentor says the moms tolerate them a lot better if they're not super hungry trying to nurse on her all the time. This way, if he gets in a sip or two, she doesn't mind, and she doesn't have to get stressed out with him pulling on her all the time!

Could your watch person give one bottle per day? Might be enough to tide her over til you return?


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## Willowdale (Mar 19, 2007)

The regular watcher won't but I'm hoping my niece may. My pasture is FAT now so all I need is water troughs filled and dogs fed. She couldn't manage when the sheep needed feed because they pushed her over.

You're right, I'm pretty sure the ewe is tolerating this lamb better now that she's not starving. And I have another week to get her up to snuff. She'll be a full month old, and if she's healthy weight she should be fine. Might be my imagination but she already looks a little bigger.

I just wish I could see her eating grass. I've only seen her chewing cud once or twice.


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## alabamagal (Jun 12, 2016)

We place our lambs when born in a jug (stalls) for 3 days minimum with the ewe. This helps them bond and less stress on the lamb(s) It truly does wonders, or at least it does for us.


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