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Triple trouble!
#1
Mollie (our senior ewe) gave birth to triplets today: two males and one female. She hasn't got much milk yet (as she is worn out from the demands on her reserves whilst expecting), so I am helping her with colostrum (then milk) extra to what she is able to give. Picture attached.

FWIW: triplets are fairly rare in sheep, so it is something to celebrate. Enjoy!


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#2
Congratulations to you and Mollie, your senior ewe. The lambs are beautiful. Somehow I expected them to be white. So you have surprized me. Will lighter coloured wool come in later or will they be dark.

Good thing you can help Mollie with the feeding. Triplets are quite a lot for one sheep to manage. Will you need to supplement all the way through or can the mother take over. She is only built for feeding two isn't she? Mollie looks very happy to have her three. Has she had a multiple birth before?
Your fields will be full of fun and frolic this summer as the lambs grow.
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Catherine

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#3
Thank you. Yes, the ones born earlier are already doing summersaults and making us laugh!

Some sheep breeds are black, or brown, or a mixture of colours (see, for example https://www.flickr.com/photos/christophe...039128845/ and http://media.photobucket.com/user/twiste...6.jpg.html ). Our lambs this year have been a mixture of cream-coloured, black and brown, depending on the ewe and the ram history. We don't know the history as we only bought the flock some weeks ago (to keep Zina company), and the previous flock-persons had little idea of what had gone on, with neighbours' rams breaking in, etc!

Last year we planned to stop having lambs and just to keep our two senior ewes, Josette and Zina, who both had known us from birth as "bottle babies". But those plans were dashed when our beloved Josette had to be euthanised. So we got some more ewes to keep Zina company, and those ewes had already been tupped last autumn.

Mollie did have triplets the year before last, according to the previous caretakers. But as she had such a hard time this year, she is going into retirement with Zina!
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#4
Aww! What a smashing picture of the triplets and mum! They look so wonderful all together.
Yes it is unusual to have three. And a bit of a strain, so it's good you are helping out.

Many have twins in my area, but I have not often seen triplets. Where I once lived, in the Welsh mountains, even twins were rare.
Do ewes need extra calcium when they have more than one lamb to feed? And is a 'lick' for them the best solution to maintain calcium and mineral levels, or do they need special feed?

Zina will be glad to have some company I imagine.
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#5
Zina is actually a little jealous of the new arrivals and enjoyed having the sole attention previously. She doesn't follow what it says in sheep books, LOL! But she gets on well with Mollie.

I give special granulated each day, which contains many vitamins and minerals to help the ewes. I used to buy licking stones, but the humidity often caused them to disintegrate after a couple of weeks so I don't bother any more with that and concentrate on good granulated with all the essential minerals and vitamins.
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#6
Haha...many creatures don't follow what it says in books about them! I know Misty didn't. So good for you Zina.

I see. I have noticed blocks of 'licks' for the ewes near where I live, but you're right, in humid weather they do disintegrate quite a lot.

I am sure Zina will become good friends with Mollie.

Those are lovely little lambs. Black like the other one. Maybe the Tup had two wives while the fence was broken! LOL
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#7
So you brought home a mystery herd. That adds a little excitement.
I am sure on some level Zina is glad of company, but maybe it is a little overwhelming at first. It will be good if Zina and Mollie can bond.
I agree, after triplets Mollie has don her job and can happily retire.

I love the colour of the darker lambs. They are so cute. How many lambs did you have in total? Are they all darker?

Calcium is always an issue when anything is giving birth. You must feel more sure when you give supplements directly. I would worry that a block of calcium is not getting eaten by the sheep that needs it. If the snakes are low on calcium, they don't put enough calcium on the eggs. It reduces the chances of them hatching. I imagine with sheep, a lack of calcium would be dangerous for the ewe.
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Catherine

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