Yes we have some new family (we hope), with an interesting story. My daughter is a house sitter; she looks after people’s homes and pets, etc while they are away. It is a great way to get to know many different walks of life and (for her at least) find new family to bring home. At her current job there is a herd of Dorper cross sheep, and it is lambing time. One ewe in the flock gave birth to twins a few days ago and decided she didn’t want them.

My daughter noticed the ewe lambing during the day and took care to keep her in sight (from a distance) to make sure she was OK. The ewe had her first lamb and got up to clean it, then had another lamb which she seemed to lose interest in (maybe she only wanted one?). When my daughter checked her next she had rejoined the herd and left the lambs, bleating helplessly, where they had been dropped. My daughter left them be until almost dark, but the cold was coming in and the bleats were getting  faint, so she picked up the babies (after getting permission via phone from the owner).  I found myself driving to her current abode with a car full of multi-species formula, bottles, teats, vinegar (sterilizer), hot water bottles, towels, blankets, a big wooden box that used to be Shaun’s (previous lamb) and a horrible coughing fit (pneumonia is no fun). We bedded the babies down, got them warmed up then gave them a feed. They were both girls (although at first we thought one was a boy) and very, very adorable. We both fell in love with the little faces and nuzzles immediately.

The next day I forced myself up and out of bed again (still feeling very tired and sore from coughing) and drove in to town to get disposable nappies, baby wipes, electrolyte mix and new formula. My daughter had rung me at dawn to report that the babies had developed scours (diarrhea) at about 3.00am and had painted the inside of the box and each other with this new and interesting art medium. I arrived with the supplies and we cleaned up as best we could with hot water and damp cloths. Put a nappy on them both and then had a shower (it was messy work). Their box was scrubbed out and they were given a bottle of half strength electrolyte and milk to keep them hydrated. Scours can be serious in little babies so my daughter was really careful to be sure they were drinking enough and that they were kept clean.

We think they developed scours because they did not have any colostrum (the magical first milk given by the mother in the day after birth) and also because our milk formula was old (and had been open for a few months). We changed to a new formula tin immediately just in case.

The next day I was back down there again because they had used all the nappies. We bundled them into the car along with the dog my daughter is looking after and went for a drive to get nappies in bulk. I hate disposable nappies, but I do not have any handy washable sheep nappies either and they needed to be able to be kept clean if they were to be living in someone else’ home. I am currently working on a design for sheep nappies, modified from the doggy version (watch this space). We also picked up some inject-able re-hydration fluid (Hartman’s) and needles while we were out…just in case. When we got home we injected some Hartman’s fluid under the skin of each of them (poor babies) as they were very de-hyrated by that time. About 40ml each was all that it took and they perked up and asked for food within a half hour.

They are doing well now, although Frieda (the black and white one) has a limp in one hind leg (possibly nerve damage from a botched injection…but we hope it isn’t permanent). This is a very photo heavy post because I am besotted (again) by their sweet, trusting natures and their lovely little faces. My daughter is equally besotted, but is doing  the vast majority of caring for them and as such is also struggling with sleep deprivation and frustration at not being able to visit the toilet alone (any new mothers can obviously relate) not to mention the shear weight of washing. We hope that the owner of the herd will allow us to buy these two from him to become part of our family…Shaun would be so proud.