X-Files with her lamb Curry.
I think we have at last solved the mystery of Chai’s death, but only through the loss of X-Files, who I consider my best ewe.
Since we lost Chai, I have been checking the feeders two or three times a day to make sure no one’s head is stuck. Yesterday evening we moved a new bale into the feeder. This morning when I checked the feeder, X-Files was dead. Her head was stuck in the feeder, not by her horns which are particularly nice, but by hay packed in around her neck, head and face, so much so, that she was unable to breathe or escape.
When we put a new bale into the feeder, the feeder fits tightly around it and the sheep aren’t able to even put their noses into it until they eat enough hay to create head holes. But, there is a very special circumstance where around the bottom of the feeder a sheep may be able to push the hay into a hollow in the ground (or there is a dent in the bale itself). If they can push enough hay out of the way, they can reach their entire head into the feeder to strain to get the alfalfa leaves which settle to the bottom.
Likely the sheep is delighted with this discovery and happily munches the much desired leaves. While this is going on, the rest of the sheep are eating at the other openings and the hay there is pushed, pulled and jostled. It slowly settles down onto the head of the sheep at the bottom until they are trapped and eventually haven’t enough room to breathe. By the time the sheep wants to pull its head out, it’s too late.
I suppose it’s not amazing how vital breathing is and how timing in resolving a problem is critical. I’ve seen this with lambs born backwards (not breach, but hind legs first). If I’m not there to quickly pull the lamb when the its hips come out (a critical point where the umbilical cord is pinched), odds are it will drown before it travels the last few inches into the world. In those cases, seconds count.
Young X-Files.
When I reached X-Files, her body was still warm and she did not have rigor mortis, so I missed saving her by no more than an hour. We’ve had sheep caught in the feeder by their horns, but that’s after a large part of the bale has been eaten and breathing isn’t an issue. I usually find them within a few hours of being caught and release them. You might expect them to be distressed, but the first thing they usually do is go right back to eating; hardly a sign of panic.
We have been using this style of feeder for about a year now, so it’s odd that we haven’t had this problem until now. It may seem crazy, but this is still the best type of round bale feeder we have ever used.
So how to prevent this from happening again? This is the question that hangs upon every tragedy. Though it will mean a good deal of inconvenience, we will only move bales in the morning and I will check on the sheep every hour or two during the first day. The risk of incidence seems to be only during the first few hours of a new bale being eaten, and then only if there is enough space around the bottom of the bale that a sheep can push their whole head into one of the lower access holes before the bale has settled.
X-Files watching over her day-old triplets: Cumin, Cloves and Basil.
We both really liked X-Files and she added a lot to our flock. X-Files, named for the markings on her face, had all the qualities of a great sheep: strong, nice shape, beautiful horns and wool, excellent mother. She gave us twins every year but two; and those were one single and one set of triplets. I remember she would round up her triplets every night and lead them into one of the best sheltered spots in the barn.
We’ve kept five of her six ewes and one ram: Pepper, Sugar, Spice, Nutmeg, Sage and Cloves — can you guess how I remember which lambs are hers? This past spring, Pepper had her own set of triplets and we will be using Spice’s crossbred ram to breed some of our ewes.
So closes another chapter in our lives. She will be missed.
X-Files.
