This’N’That Family Farm: A Bottle Baby from our Triplet Boys

A Bottle Baby From our Triplet Boys

Brunswick, Bangor, and Buckfield “Buck”

Featuring Brunswick the bottle fed baby ram.

Ash Wednesday in the afternoon, our Southdown Dolly had three little rams.

We have been monitoring the pregnant ewes via our animal cam, and I noticed that Dolly was lying down in an awkward position. Indeed she had started labor.

(She is the one lying by the green bucket.)

She was moved into the birthing pen and we rearranged the cam for this view below; watching her paw the ground and pace.

The birth sack is hanging out of her back side, another clue that she is very close. This was Dolly’s second time around. She has given birth to Ivy last year. I was still not expecting triplets!

She did wonderfully with the birthing process and licked the lambs clean right away. There was no tricky delivery this time.

Brunswick, Bangor, and Buxton!

Bangor was the biggest of the three. He weighed in at 14 pounds on day three of life. He was the strongest of the lambs as well.

Three is a lot for one Mama, even one experienced like Dolly. And we watched them closely for any sign of distress. Everyone got their first feeds with collostrum.

Buckfield “Buck” is in back. He was third born as weighed at 9.5 pounds on day three. Brunswick was the first born, but the smallest. He could not keep up with the other two larger lambs and started to get chilled, low sugar, and depressed. Even with some coaxing and assistance, he would not even suckle.

The decision was made to bring him inside. We had a bag of collostrum frozen from last year and he was syringe fed and set up in our pack n play. I really wasn’t sure at that time if he was going to make it.

Little Brunswick on his first night in the pack n play. He warmed up and we swapped the sweater for a diaper.

Little guy on the move in his diaper.

We swapped over to bottle feeds of lamb milk replacer (lamb formula) as he started getting his energy back and he took off from there.

Little Brunswick is a sweet little guy stealing our hearts away. He is a great snuggler and likes to follow me around in his diaper. He is doing so very well now.