Ok, they've GOT to be intentionally taking the lambs at this point, to have so many rejections is so far away from normal as to be statistically impossible
The odd lamb rejection will happen, same with any other animal, it's not something you can always predict or budget for, but to be happening at such a high rate it's got to be something the Tranchers are doing (or not doing)
Slight PL: my son works on a farm, (not with the sheep per se but they do HAVE a sheep herd) and in the four years he's been there there have been less rejections than the Tranch has had so far
this season!
Here is a list of reasons a ewe might reject her offspring - aside from what I suspect is happening (inefficient feeding and malnutrition) the last two
reasons could especially apply to the Tranch...see what you think...
Some Reasons a Ewe Might Reject Her Lambs
- The ewe has no maternal instinct. It sometimes happens and whenit happens the ewe can be very, very nasty to her lambs. She won't have them near her. In such a case I won't breed with her again. .
- Delivery causing the ewe a lot of pain. A young ewe often connects birth pain with the lamb and doesn't want it near her afterwards. I had this happen once. The young ewe acted very rude towards her lamb and even took it on her horns. I decided to not breed again with this ewe.
- The ewe is too young. If the ewe is too young, she might not know yet what to do with a lamb. This can happen when breeding with ewes in the same year they have been born. The Drenthe Heath Sheep mature very slow, like the animals in the wild. I never breed with ewes in the same year they have been born.
- The lamb is sick or weak. There can be something wrong with the lamb. Most ewes sense that and don't bother anymore. Of course you can try to keep the lamb alive, but I don't do that. If the lamb is not good, I'll put it down, because I don't want to breed with weak animals.
- Something is wrong with the lamb's teeth. This causes pain when it's nursing. Lambs are born with teeth in the lower jaw. To avoid hurting mom's teats while drinking, the lamb's teeth are covered with a soft layer of skin. Sometimes this skin does not cover all the teeth and then it hurts while the lamb sucks the teat.
- The ewe can be sick. Sometimes ewes can suffer from different things. Like inflammation of the udder or they have a bad udder. It also happens that the afterbirth won't come out and becomes infected. In any of these cases, you should call your vet because the ewe could die a painful death.
- The lamb got touched by strangers. Never let family or friends pick up a newborn lamb. Picking up a lamb too soon can change its smell and cause the mom to not recognize her own lamb anymore. Even if you're the owner/breeder, be careful not to pet your dog before you pick up a lamb.
- Something scared the hell out of mom. Take precautions that no dogs can scare the mom while giving birth to her lambs. Once, at a friend's place, a ewe had given birth quite close to the fence. The neighbor's dog came running and barking. The ewe was so scared that she didn't dare come close to her lamb anymore
The ultimate aim for a rejected lamb is reunification with the mother; it's possible but takes work (another poster here mentioned using a stanchion, and there are other methods), next best would be encouraging another ewe to adopt, the very last resort is separation and bottle feeding
I sure hope at the very least they have invested in some colostrum, without this a lambs chance of long-term survival is VERY slim, bearing in mind it needs this early foremilk for basic immunity
Please do better, Tranchers! We know you read here, so have a read of this... it's not techy and explains like you're five, it even has pretty pictures lol
How To Take Care of Lambs