When Isaiah and I went out to milk this morning, we were amazed to find the little ewe yet living. I fed her a bit, and Isaiah put her on her feet, and she stood, on her own! Her first time! After a teeny, tentative step, she tipped to the side, but how encouraging. I put her up to Eve's teat and tried to get her to suck, but she did not.
And soon she appeared almost lifeless yet again. On rechecking the exhaustive Managing Your Ewe and Her Newborn Lambs, I think she suffered from Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen to the brain, at birth. This causes brain damage, and more severe hypothermia. I think this fits the strange symptoms like complete imbalance, right from the start, and a complete inability to suckle, and it makes sense with the meconium staining and the complete exhaustion on her exit from the womb, so immediately after her brother.
This diagnosis, though a death knell, was a bit reassuring: other than pulling the lambs somehow, there was nothing, in the end I could have done.
I carried her in a homemade sling for a time, just so the chickens would not step on her. She was a sweetie: she wagged a bit when she heard my voice.
Her brother, Benny (for Benjamin: he is from Eve, of the Bible family) charms me. So skinny, with long, spindly legs, he wobbles around with his mother, unless she leaves him curled up against a haybale.
My thankless task for the day was watering the trees. I have hesitated about buying dripline for irrigation. I had no idea about the number of linear feet, nor how to configure all the line most effectively. What about emitters? And do I REALLY have to, in a place with 50 inches of rain a year?
After a week of weather in the 80s, with no sign of rain, I decided I should water. I must say, I am thankful not all the trees are in the ground. The 242 I did water took five hours. (With interruptions.) I am now quite motivated to figure out an irrigation system. What a job!
To round out a day of futile tasks, I also tried to spring clean the boys wardrobes, and sift through the myriad little things under the bathroom sink.
In truth, this was a good day, but it passed far too quickly.
Eve and Benjamin are just adorable. I am sorry about the little ewe lamb. I guess there are a lot of mixed blessings when you run a farm. I picked some daffodils, tulips and one hyacinth today and made a nice little bouquet for our Easter table.
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