Quads and more

On March 22, one of my Katahdin ewes gave birth to quadruplets: two ewes and two rams. They ranged in weight from 6 to 8 lbs. and are all healthy and doing well. After they were a couple of days old, I started offering them a bottle. I don't figure any ewe has enough milk for four lambs.

The last time I had quads was in 2003. After a couple of days, I removed one of the lambs for bottle feeding. This time I'm going to leave all the lambs on the ewe and supplement them as necessary. I don't mind bottle feeding when I'm not locked into a strict schedule.

The ewe that had the quads is a 3-year old ewe that I call "Frecks." Her mother is Freckles. Everybody with a Katahdin flock has a ewe named Freckles. Freckled faces are common in the breed. As a yearling, Frecks had twins. Last year, she had triplets. This year, quads. I hope she doesn't have quintuplets next year!

Frecks is a good mother. She's got a nice udder on her. I'm pretty much giving her all she wants to eat. I feed her a grain mix three times per day, plus all the alfalfa hay she can eat. I still have her and the quads in a pen by themselves. Soon I will put them in a group pen so they'll have access to creep feed.

My 28 mature Katahdin ewes lambed in 16 days (March 10-March 26). They are raising 61 lambs among them. The ratio is almost 60:40, ewes to rams. A good ratio when you're selling ewe lambs for breeding. Freckles hasn't lambed yet. I'm not sure what's going on with her. She's eight years old and has had triplets for the past five years. She's passed on prolificacy to all of her female progeny.

I had to pull the first lamb in two years when I saw a big head sticking out of one of my black ewes, #454. When I investigated, I determined that both of the lamb's front legs were back. I righted one of the legs and was able to pull the big black lamb out without too much difficulty.

The big fella was lifeless when he came out. He seemed dead. His head wasn't swollen much, so he couldn't have been sticking out for long, but still it had obviously taken a toll on him. I worked on him and got him breathing. I breathed a sigh of relief as he quickly came to life. I checked for a second lamb. There was one, but I left it for the ewe to deliver. Best to interfere as little as possible.

The ram lamb weighed over 12 lbs., which was big for his mother who is not one of the bigger ewes in my flock. Its twin is a ewe lamb. Both are solid black, not a white hair between them. I dubbed the ram lamb "Titan."

Round 2 of lambing season began this morning when the first yearling, #715, a ewe I got from my dad, gave birth to a single ram lamb. I don't mind when a yearling has a single lamb. It's like a mature ewe giving birth to twins. There's almost always enough milk and no need to fuss with them.

There are 10 more yearlings to lamb. Several will give birth to Ears's first progeny. I'm anxious to see his lambs. Two of the yearlings were bred late and should not lamb until close to May. The rest are all bagging up.

The 2008 lambing season is going well. I'm enjoying it.

More lambs

It happens at some point during the lambing season. I've lost count of how many lambs there are. Yesterday, there was a set of triplets and twins born. A 3-year old, part Dorper ewe, #550, greeted me in the morning with two rams and a ewe. The ewe lamb is the smallest and sometimes its mother will not let her nurse. I held 550 for awhile last night (she fought me the whole time) to let the little one nurse, but other times, I see it nursing on its own. I'll keep an eye on it.

Yesterday during feeding, a 4-year old ewe that I call "Pretty" (#461) gave birth to twin ewe lambs. Of course, she ate her grain first. She didn't want to miss a meal. I decided that she is a good, but lazy mother. She stayed down after the lambs were born. Did most of her licking from the prone position. When she got up, the lambs nursed right away. They are strong, nice-looking lambs. They are sired by Bull's Eye and have about 8% Dorper in them. I'll probably keep one for breeding. Hopefully, one will be RR.

Late last night, (early this a.m), another set of triplets was born. Two ewes and a ram from #13, last year's top performing ewe (pounds of lamb weaned). She is seven years old. I was there when the first lamb was born. It was up in about 20 seconds. It was the most active newborn lamb I've ever seen. It's mother had to follow it to lick it. I had to get it out of two pens that it managed to slip through during its travels. 13 was in no hurry to have any more lambs so I went to bed.

The next morning I found one of the lambs on its side, kicking in place. The ram lamb. He does not have use of his hind legs. They are floppy. His belly also seems to be swelled. Obviously, he did not get any colostrum during the night. He has a good appetite and I have been feeding him colostrum with a bottle, a few ounces every few hours. He's a tough little guy, always struggling to get up. I don't know what will become of him. Sheep need use of all their legs.

Two days ago, the matriarch, #92, gave birth to a split set of twins. #652, a 2-year old ewe, had twins ewe lambs on the same day. She is RR and bred to Snow Wolf, so both ewe lambs are RR. Yesterday, I put 92, 652, Darby, and 308 (the ewe that I treated for mastitis) in a mixing pen with their lambs. This is the first chance the lambs get to romp and play and make lamb friends.

Thirty-three lambs

There are 33 lambs on the ground now. My favorite ewe, Darby (#309), greeted me with twin lambs, a ram and a ewe, yesterday morning. Neither lamb has big ears like one of her lambs from last year, who I dubbed "Ears" for obvious reasons.

One of my original ewes (#90, from the Grantsville Stockyards) gave birth to triplets yesterday. She is nine years old. She's had a sore leg (perhaps arthritis), so the delivery had to be a big relief for her. I was hoping she'd only have a single lamb, so it would be easier on her. But these Katahdins are so darn productive.

At the beginning of lambing, it was mostly ewe lambs being born. Then came the boy run. Yesterday's drop was mixed, 3:2, ewes to rams. Overall, there are 17 ewe lambs and 16 ram lambs. No singles. There are two black lambs and two brown/red lambs. The rest are white. Many have colored markings and spots. A couple of the ram lambs have single brown legs.

One of the ewes that had triplets last week developed mastitis, only the second case of clinical mastitis in seven years of raising Katahdins. She smothered one of her lambs. I took her other two lambs away for a couple of days so I could treat her. I tubed and/or bottle-fed the lambs, who I dubbed "Summer" and "Dirk" after characters in the Clive Cussler novel that I'm currently reading (Trojan Odyssey).

The ewe came back to milk yesterday and I put her lambs back in with her. At first, she was reluctant to let them nurse, but after a short time, she welcomed them back as her own. So far, she and the lambs are doing fine. I've got my fingers crossed that she'll be okay and able to raise her lambs. Bottle feeding is too much work!

My big Weeks ewe (#426) had twin ram lambs for the second year in a row. The biggest lamb was 14.2 lbs. That's BIG for a Katahdin lamb. I named him Thor after the Norse god of thunder. He should make a good stud ram. There's a 50:50 chance that he's RR.

My oldest black ewe (#22) gave birth to triplets while I was at work: two rams and a ewe. My dad put them in a jug. This is #22's second set of triplets since she had a c-section in 2006. One of the rams is jet black, not a spot of white on him. The other ram lamb is red with a white blaze on his forehead. He's a chunky lamb.

The ewe lamb has a fawn colored face and a brown body. I may keep her. They are a beautiful set of babies. #22 is a wonderful mother with lots of milk. She's in a pen with a 3-year old ewe (#526) who is raising triplets for the second year in a row.

My 10-year old ewe, #11, had twin ewe lambs out in the field. She's not much too look at any more, but she's been a productive ewe. During the early part of her gestation, she had gone off feed. I suspected she had a tooth abscess. I treated her and kept her with the ewe lambs until shortly before lambing.

#11 has raised twin lambs every year. She's never required any assistance or intervention -- my kind of ewe! I have two of her daughters in my flock. Darby is one of them. In my flock, I value easy care, prolificacy, mothering ability, milking ability, and longevity. It's a bonus -- but not requirement -- that the ewe look "good."

I've got one pen with two ewes (#'s 513 and 624, half sisters) and their four ewe lambs. They -- the ewes and the lambs -- can't decide who goes with who. I've seen all four lambs nurse both ewes. Both ewes allow any of the four lambs to nurse. I haven't eartagged the lambs yet because I'm still trying to figure out who goes with who. It's an unusual situation that may never resolve itself. But at least all the lambs are being taken care of. Katahdins are such good mothers.

McComb is enjoying the lambing season. It's a race to pick up the afterbirth before he finds it and eats it. There's something about dogs and afterbirth! I compost the afterbirth, along with any lambs that I lose. My compost "recipe" includes straw, hay, manure, and leaves. It's nothing fancy, but it works. McComb doesn't bother anything in the compost bin. Eventually, the compost is spread on the fields. Then, it's like a "treasure hunt" for McComb, as he finds leftover bones to play with and chew on.

So far, 15 mature ewes have lambed. There are 14 more to go. They should finish by the end of the month. The ewe lambs, now young yearlings (n=11, I sold 4 yesterday) should start lambing around April 1. Many are already bagging up. Some of these lambs will be Ears's first progeny.

Lambing has gone well so far. No ewe has required any assistance. The only problem has been the ewe with mastitis and this seems to have resolved itself -- at least for now.

The key to a successful lambing is proper nutrition -- not too much feed, nor too little. Balanced rations are necessary -- feeding the right kind of hay and grain and making sure mineral needs are being met. It's also important to cull the problem ewes so problems do not repeat themselves or pass onto the next generation. It helps to have a little luck, too. Some years are better than others.

First born

The first lambs of 2008 were waiting for me this morning when I went out to feed. #537, a 3-year old ewe who I call "Fancy" had a nice split set of twins. Last year, Fancy was the first ewe to lamb. She raised twin lambs, a girl and a boy. I retained her ewe lamb (Reba), who will be lambing in April. Fancy wasn't old enough to breed her first fall. These first two lambs are sired by Hurricane. Fancy is a good mom, but didn't like me touching her teats (to check her milk supply).

When I went out for my 10 p.m. check, I found another set of split twins. #536, a 3-year old black ewe lambed. I thought she might lamb tonight. She ate when I fed this evening, but afterwards was acting kind of goofy. The ram lamb is the biggest and white. The ewe lamb is black, with white markings on her face. They are sired by Hurricane.

Last year, 537 had twin ewe lambs, one black and one white. She rejected her white lamb. I raised "Annie" on a bottle. So far, it looks like she's accepting the white lamb. I've got my fingers crossed. Who says animals can't be racist! Contrary to popular belief, sheep are not colorblind.

I love lambing season because every day is like Christmas morning. There are so many new packages to open (look between their legs to see what sex they are). I love the wrapping paper. Some lambs are pure white, others are spotted. Some are red and some are black. Mostly, they're white. The red ones are my favorite. I'd like to add another red ewe to the flock. I can't wait to see if Ears' lambs have big ears like he does. Some of the ewe lambs he bred are already bagging up.

I expect all of the mature ewes (n=29) to lamb in 17 or 18 days, one heat cycle. I put most of the ewe lambs (n=15) in with rams 21 days after the mature ewes. This way I can feed and manage them separately from the older ewes.

Despite having only 7 ewes, my dad's already had three sets of lambs: two sets of twins and one set of triplets.

My gentle giant

I call McComb my gentle giant. McComb is my Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog. He lives with my Katahdin sheep. He'll be four years old this summer. I've never regretted getting him.

McComb takes his name from McComb, Mississippi, where I got him in the fall of 2004. My parents and I were attending the annual meeting of Katahdin Hair Sheep International. Someone had brought a litter of Great Pyrenees puppies to sell. I couldn't resist picking the puppies up. Who could? They were big balls of white flufff, with gorgeous eyes.

At the time, I was considering getting a livestock guardian, but hadn't decided yet between a dog, a llama, or a donkey. It goes without saying that a dog is a big responsibility, one that will be with you for 10 or more years. I already had a pet dog, Sly, an 85-lb. Black Lab x German Shepherd mix. I wasn't sure I wanted another big dog, even if it was going to live with the sheep (and the goats that I had at the time). Plus, I didn't want to drive a puppy all the way back to Maryland. My mother certainly didn't want to share her ride with a yappy canine.

My fellow Katahdin breeders were encouraging me to buy a puppy. I told them I wasn't sure if I wanted one. Then I said, if I was meant to have one, there would be some kind of "signal." Perhaps, lightening would strike. I'd know the sign when it came. As the event was drawing to a close, one puppy remained. No one had bought it. One of the Katahdin breeders said this was the signal. I should get the puppy. Still unsure, I resisted.

Not wanting to take any puppies home, the breeder donated the unsold puppy to the Katahdin association, to be auctioned off during the business meeting with the proceeds going to the association. As the bidding started, I remained silent and held my arms crossed. I was not going to buy that puppy, even one as cute as McComb.

The president of our association started the bidding at $20 and said he was going to give me the puppy. Several others joined in the bidding, with the same intention. I don't remember what the final price was, but McComb was mine, compliments of Katahdin Hair Sheep International. How could I have refused the puppy? My mom thought I could. He came with a box of toys and food -- and a name.

We bought a dog crate, a leash, some dishes, and puppy food at the local Kmart. It was going to take us two days to drive home to Maryland. We picked McComb up on a Sunday morning, in the pouring down rain. Not long after we left, McComb started to wimper and cry. It was going to be a long trip. My mom was probably thinking, "I told you so."

We took McComb out of his crate and let him stretch out on the floor of the car. This contented him. He didn't make any more sounds. Sometimes, we would hold him on our laps. He walked on the leash without any coercing. When we stopped, he did his business quickly. He was frightened by the big trucks that went whizzing by. While we slept in the hotel, McComb slumbered in his crate. He was an excellent travel companion. My mother was amazed. What a good puppy he was turning out to be.

When I got McComb home, I placed him in a pen (in my hoop house) by himself for a week or so. It's good to raise a guardian puppy with baby lambs, but it was October and all I had left were two adolescent ram lambs and a wether kid. I put McComb with the lambs and goat. He got knocked around a few times, but eventually they accepted each other. McComb liked licking their butts and perhaps they liked it, too.

After the lambs and goat were sold, McComb went in with the ewes. He spent much of his first winter under the hay feeders, trying to determine his role on the farm. He was intimidated by the goats, who were always trying to eat his food. McComb liked when the new lambs came. The lambs always accept him as one of their own. They play with him and he with they.

McComb was an adorable puppy. After I put some pictures of him on Flickr™, he was named "puppy of the week" by a web site. He grew rapidly. His rate-of-gain was comparable to that of a lamb or goat. Full grown, he is a magnificent looking dog, true to his noble heritage. The last time I weighed him, he was 106 lbs. His fur is 5 to 6 inches long. He stays relatively clean for an outside dog. I had him clipped this past summer. He had a couple of hot spots on his hind legs. His fur grew back rapidly. I think I'll have him clipped every summer to make him more comfortable and allow his fur to regrow.

McComb loves cold weather and the snow. After all, his breed is meant to live in the mountains. While he always has access to shelter, McComb prefers to lie in the snow or on the cold ground. During the summer, he sleeps under the trees or other places where he can find relief from the heat.

The only problem I've had with McComb was when he was about a year old. There was a lamb whose front legs were scarred. I suspected McComb had caused the injury. He wouldn't leave the lamb 's side. So, I took McComb away from the lambs and used the opportunity to have him neutered. I also had his back declaws removed. I don't put him in with ram lambs anymore. They are too frisky. Sometimes, they try to mount him. I guess you can't blame McComb for biting back.

In another incident, a lamb was running and collapsed (it died of unknown cause). McComb ran to the lamb and stayed with it until I came, as if he knew it needed my help. A neighbor related this to me. She was amazed at McComb's response to the incident. In fact, watching McComb relate to the sheep and lambs is one of the greatest enjoyments of having him. His relationship with them seems so natural.

At one time, I thought McComb was chasing the ewes too much. It was during breeding season, so I was doubly concerned. Then I realized that the ewes often run when he's running, but not after them. During the lambing season, the ewes are very brave towards him, but the rest of the year, they try to keep some distance. The lambs always trust him. He is one of them. Eventually, all of the flock will have grown up with him.

Sometimes, McComb slips through an open gate. He's taken a few strolls around the neighborhood. He's got an ideal life for a dog, but sometimes I think he longs to know what life is like outside of the fence. He always comes back -- if I don't catch him first.

McComb has an incredible personality. He is sweet and gentle. He does his job well. He patrols the perimeter of the pasture. Nothing approaches the perimeter fence without his notice. Usually, he runs to whatever or whoever is near the fence. He follows the neighbors as they drive up their driveways. At night, he barks a lot. It took me awhile to get used to the barking, but now it's soothing to me. The sheep don't seem to mind. The neighbors have never complained.

Everybody loves McComb -- my family (especially my mom), neighbors, and everyone who visits my farm. McComb loves people, especially children. He gets along well with my pet dog, Zak, and my cat, Max. On occasion, I put Zak and McComb together to play. Sometimes, Max joins them. I give McComb a treat every morning. Sometimes, I sit with him and stroke his fur. Sometimes, we play. He romps around like a huge, goofy puppy.

I give more attention to McComb than I could if I had a large farm. But since the farm is small (40 ewes and 7 acres of pasture) and he can't get out of the high-tensile, electric fence, I can give him a little bit (maybe a lot) of attention. After all, he's my gentle giant.

Pictures of McComb on Flickr™