Another Surprise on the Homestead...

We had been keeping a close eye on Star and her baby ewe lamb since last night was going to be so cold.  And it was cold!  Even right now, as I type, it is 30 degrees outside.  So as JAB and Bill went down to check on Star one last time around 9:30 pm, JAB heard a lamb crying.  At first he said he thought it was our buck, but he could not figure out why the buck was calling from this part of the pasture.  So he and Bill headed off in search of what was crying.  Much to their surprise, on this cold dark night, they found a lamb all by itself crying for it's mother.  It had been dried off but had just a little blood on its head.  This is not like the Gulf Coast sheep.  Mom's don't leave their babies.

They brought the baby to the house immediately as it was shaking with cold.  However, even with it being a cold baby, it was a STRONG baby!  Below is a picture of JAB holding the baby as he walked in the door.  Yes, everything gets put on hold when an emergency like this happens!  You grab what you can so you will see a clean tea towel used as a quick blanket as I realize the situation.

This lamb was found at 9:30 pm in 20 degree weather with no mother.

 I'm so thankful that my family checks on the animals like they do.  If my son and husband had not gone out in that cold weather to check on the ewe lamb that we knew about, this little lamb would never have survived the night to be found alive.  The mystery that I don't know if we will ever solve is:  What attacked this lamb?  Yes, that is right.  When they brought the lamb into the house, it had been dried off by momma but the head was wet....and bloody.  It had been bit on the head at least once, but I'm thinking twice.  Why it was not killed, I don't know.  Was it because it was being attacked when my son heard the cry?  I have no idea.  All I know is I think there must have been a dog after the baby when Star had her second baby; thus to save herself and the second one she was giving birth to, she must have run off.

We checked all pastures last night to make sure there was not another ewe off somewhere, hurt and needing our help.  We could not find any nor could we find another ewe that had given birth.  So at this point we just assume it is Star's baby.

What's next?

We took the baby down to the barn and Star accepted it.  This is another reason that we think this lamb is Stars.  After an hour down at the barn, we decided to bring both babies to the house as they were SO COLD!  We put them in a dog crate with cardboard on the bottom and then a layer of hay.  You need to put the cardboard down or they can't stand due to hooves and the plastic bottom.

Next we went to the freezer and pulled out the EVER SO IMPORTANT colostrum.  Bill found some from our goat, Millie.  It was 'day 1' colostrum.  Using a double broiler, we warmed the colostrum with a little bit of Laurie Belle's milk.  She is our Jersey.  And both babies ate well!

Both ewe lambs...settled in for the night...in our warm home

 I did not feed them again until 7:00 am.  To be honest, it was because I was so tired!  JAB and I were up late checking the pasture for other lambs and ewes that might need us.  I fed them more colostrum this morning.  And both successfully went potty on me.  Trust me, neither lamb have a problem in either area!  As a homesteader, this is all just a normal life and we smile and say:  At least we know they are eating well! 

Notice the stains on the towels in the picture.  That is from the iodine that we used to treat the navel of the baby lamb when we found it.

Once the temperature gets above 40, we will re-introduce the lambs to Star.  That will be the next post.

So until later...happy homesteading!