There was sadness yesterday. And one possible success. I will not say happiness. Though Boo is happy to have a new baby. Meadow has the same issues as Mia but she may not survive. And we are working on saving the one lamb that is still alive. 
Wait for it.
Meadow presented with all kinds of troubles yesterday. It was frankly terrible, I will not go into the details. A bloody mess. I don’t think she will survive and her first lamb was dead. But I have not given up hope for Meadow. Or her other little ram lamb though he is very weak. He has been rejected by his very sick mother and it is bitterly cold and we have a forecast of icy rain then more inches of snow all day – I have brought him inside.
He is drinking. And crying quietly sometimes now. Responding to noises and scratches behind the ears. He lies tucked up nicely. But he has not stood up – though he tries. But he does arrange his incredibly long legs when he settles back down. And he has an umbilical hernia that I have tied off. Plus frequent nose bleeds.
Lets hope for the best. Surviving the night is always a positive.
I am feeding him small, small amounts every hour. And Meadow was eating early this morning, but she had a uterine prolapse and it was worse than Mia’s. We will see.
I have decided that I am no longer going to breed sheep. My little flock will now be for wool. No more rams. No more lambs. Mama’s line is flawed. Which means that if this little guy survives, and he has some very real problems, I will keep him. Not to breed, he will get the snip. Just for wool. I will learn to knit. But as usual I am getting ahead of myself. I have a gravely ill ewe and a gravely ill lamb.
Thank goodness I have Boo Nanny who has licked the lamb back from the brink twice already and has lain beside him for the last 24 hours. And when he bled so much blood from his cord, (I think he caught it with his foot trying to stand up) and I reached up in a panic and yanked the dream catcher from the ceiling and quickly turned the leather string into a tourniquet, Boo just lay down next to him and looked at me and I swear that dog was as afraid as I was that the lamb would die. But he didn’t.
I am now hoping that Minty is not pregnant.
Your friend on the farmy
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
127 responses to “Boo Nanny Has a New Baby”
So sorry to hear about this, and sending you and Meadow and the little lamb love and prayers.
First -I’m so sorry, that is a major amount of things to happen at the same time.. I am truly sorry.
Second, I clearly have missed the info on the other sheep, but if I inferred correctly she also had a uterine prolapse, (if you wrote about this at that time, and how it was or was not fixed, I would be interested in reading the pages if you can provide links)
I didn’t know that there was a genetic aspect to that issue, if that is the case, I can certainly understand why you would take the course you have.. very sad.
Poor wee lamb, was it early then age wise or is it at least fully developed? I wish you the very best of luck on this..
As my blog is more of a daily journal I have not written with any authority about the Uterine ProIapse. You can’t cure it. I was certainly unable to cure Mia’s prolapse, (the previous sheep) though I was able to return the uterus to her body after she lost her lambs,(twice) and she lived for a number of months after the last episode until she hitched a ride with that years lambs to the abbatoir. She never regained her vigor, and was frequently sickly. A sickly animal cannot be carried. My vet told me to watch out that it can be genetic and he was right. But there you are. I will learn to knit.. c
Thank you Cecilia for your detailed reply, it helps fill in the blanks in regard to what had happened. While I am sure that it will happen at some point, to date (knock on wood) its not something that I have had to deal with it. I did do some reading up on it and I will do more over the next while. Breath deep, I knit, its very relaxing, I am even thinking about adding in one single wool sheep just so I can learn and work the wool, I have been making due with very kind friends giving me raw wool to play with.
The drama is almost unbearable. Thank God for Boo Nanny. What an incredible gift that dog has for caring. I hope the little ram makes it; his smile is very sweet. And Meadow too…poor girl. What a delusion to be ready to be life into the world and to come so dangerously close to losing your own in the process. I hope she makes it.
the lamb is precious. i hope so much he survives and meadow too. having you and dr. boo gives them a good chance. this has been such a long hard winter for you.
Oh Celi, I’m so very sorry to hear this. Sending positive healing energies your way. xo
That’s sad news, but Boo is quite an amazing dog 😉
Oh my gosh–I am so sorry. Hang in there. And of course you will learn to knit…you are an inspiration! Such kindness and strength in the face of adversity.
This post really made me teary and I’ve said a prayer for you all.
Celi, are you crying or is it just me?
Morning Everyone. Meadow has died, so sorry. She died early this morning. Poor girl. There was no saving her. Her wee lamb is eating well, making more noise and still trying to stand. Thank you for being my immensely caring Fellowship of the Farmy. I am so grateful for you all. You and I have had a rough winter for sure. But at least we are all in this together.. Now some coffee for me, feed the baby, and back out to start the clean up in the barn before the bad weather comes in. It will get better now.. c
I am one of the silent ones. But I have to reply to your post. I am so sorry about Meadow. But I know it is better for her, though harder for you. (Hugs))
I have learned to get through losing my beloved animals. But I still don’t handle it well.
Hullo silent one. Yes, it is true about animals teaching us how to handle loss, and all the giggles and joy they bring makes the loss more bearable in a lot of ways.. once we understand that death is a given, as long as we know our animals are ready. Meadow was ready. c
so did I . it is all one can do..pray! Boo has been a wonder and is a good wet nurse…bless you all
LOL … that would be a big shock to EVERYONE if Boo could be a “wet nurse” … but he is definitely an excellent male nurse to the babies.
Miss A and I are thinking of you. This cannot be easy. Mr. N has also just read the post and he has a great deal of empathy for you. And we’re all just impressed/enamored with Nanny Boo. What a dog! Hang in there C!
I am glad those two read it. This is one of the reasons i don’t put in grisly details, but it is good that young people can learn about the truth of farming too. It did cross my mind that if this lamb survives, the children can come down and spend a day with him while he is still inside.. if the weather ever permits! c
Oh dear, oh dear, you are having a time of it sweetie. Sending you the biggest, strongest energy I can and hoping for the best. When all this is over and everyone has pulled thru, I’ll send you some links to bloggers who raise and spin and dye and knit their own wool for inspiration. Big hugs.
Nanny Boo to the rescue! What a great nursemaid he is. I hope you won’t wait too long to call in a vet, if that is who may be needed to give this baby ram a better chance for survival. Let’s hope the calves pop out without any problems!!
He is coming along nicely, thankfully. He had a terrible start. And yes you are right, I will not wait too long to talk to a vet but so far he is progressing. c
Awww, Celi. You have had a rough winter, that’s for sure. Sending good thoughts, prayers, and lots of hugs your way. You have an amazing nanny in Boo.