Good Golly Miss Polly!
Looks like Polly is beginning the process of lambing, thank goodness. I’ve never seen such a full ewe. Likely she’s got three or more in there, so I’m a little concerned about their orientation.
Polly is the big white mama in front. Look at the size of her tummy compared to Lynette’s behind her, who is just as far along.
Legs and heads can get pretty mixed up when they are all being squeezed through one small tunnel. You really want a nose to poke through the vulva first, with two tiny little hooves lined right up on either side of the lamb’s face. It’s amazing how often that is just how they come. But with multiple multiples things can get a bit crazy. Twins are the norm for most breeds of sheep, though my Finn-Rambouillet are known to have 5 pretty regularly. I’ve never had more than triplets here, but I think Polly may be my first.
So I’ve got the sheep manual close at hand for me, molasses and garlic tincture for the hard-working mama and heat pads and lamps at the ready for the babies, should they be stressed. Luckily, the low tonight is predicted to be a balmy 39 degrees! Though we’re always a bit colder here in the valley, that’s still glorious birthing weather for a sheep. It’s supposed to rain all night, so I think we might be more uncomfortable than the lambs as we run back and forth from the barn this evening.
