Birth of a Lamb April Fool's Day, 2008
Duchess delivered twin ram lambs this morning and was calm enough
that I took photos during the birth of the 2nd twin.
With lamb #1 already trying to get to his feet,
the tips of the hooves on lamb #2 start to show.
Lamb #1 is up and eating while lamb #2 is just waiting his turn.
Now Duchess is getting down to business and here comes
the head of lamb #2.
The hardest part of the delivery is to bring the shoulders through.
This was the larger of the twin ram lambs and he took a bit
of work on Duchess's part. She's really pushing here.
Once the shoulders pass she works to push out the body. This
ram lamb has an very long body to bring out too!
He's almost out and Duchess is sticking her tongue out at me. Guess
I know what she thinks about my photographing all this!
Because this lamb is so long, Duchess stands up to finish the delivery.
She's using gravity to help her get this job done. Smart girl!
Just a minute or two old and the lamb is shaking his head and starting
to respond to his momma's licking. She'll lick him all over to dry him off
and stimulate him, getting his blood flowing and encouraging him to
get to his feet and nurse.
The opportunistic first twin sees momma standing still and moves in
for another session at the snack bar. He's not shy!
And before you know it, the 2nd twin is getting to his feet and
filling his belly with nutrient and vitamin rich colostrum, the first
milk produced by the momma. It's full of antibodies as well to help
protect her lambs from disease.
