What?! Another One Already!

A dark lamb I'd never seen before just showed up in the pasture!  Luckily, not too far from the barn, and luckily I got there soon after it was born.  But, who was its mama?  I wasn't expecting any of the other ewes to be in labor for a while. The day before, I did notice that Queen Bess, the oldest of the sheep, had a full udder.  Hmm, maybe she is pregnant after all.  Didn't expect a baby the next day!  You see, when I got Bess in June, her udder was already hanging low, and she always appeared a bit fat.  (She hid her pregnancy well.) It is a good thing I was headed out to the sheep anyway, because he was caught behind a wire.  As soon as I hoisted him up and started to carry him into the barn, Bess came from around the back of the barn where she had obviously decided to plop him out into the dirt. He was covered with dirt and sheep poop, but not blood.  So I dusted him off a bit and shut him up in the other jug with Bess.  She did start to lick him a little, but not to the extent that Sheila had done with her twins.  This is the gross part.  You can skip this next paragraph if you want.

Bess appeared to still be in labour. Something bloody was hanging out the back side of her. (Remember, this is my first lambing season, and I have no experience in this.) Wasn't quite sure what to do.  For over an hour, I waited with her.  Sometimes, she stood, sometimes she laid down. Then, I got to thinking.  The lamb came out fairly unbloodied.  There wasn't much of a mess behind the barn where she bore him. I think it is the placenta! While she was standing and pushing a bit, I, with surgical gloves on, grabbed the placenta and helped pull it out of her. She was a much happier sheep after that.  Some animals, sheep included, eat the placenta.  Bess was not interested. So, out in the corner of  unused pasture, went the placenta under a big rock.

Next big problem: he looks a little premie, and can't find the nipple.  Sucks everything around under Bess, except the nipple.  He even tried my red boot once.  I milked a goat a few times when I was younger.  So, I grabbed Bess's saggy udder and tit, and pulled.  When I finally got a bit of milk/colostrum going, I shoved him under her and had to place the nipple in his mouth and hold him there.  When he tried to nurse a few times, she would kick so he couldn't get much food..  I grab her back leg, shove him under her, and once he gets going sucking, and she stops kicking, I back away. This behavior has continued even until this morning.   Hope he gets enough in him and starts to put on weight.  I'll keep an eye on him.  So, now we have 3 lambs on The Derby Farm.