One of my does was due within a week....this am I went out and found she had twins and both were dead......they were both perfectly formed and were cuddled up together. They were cleaned off! I hate to say it but I think the doe just walked away and didn't feed them! This isn't her first kidding; I just don't understand it! Has anybody else had this happen?
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I guess we will buy the Premiere heat lamps for the future! But also, we will try to avoid winter births...
so sad! we had our first kidding about 10 days ago, luckily Canela went into labor while my husband was still doing evening chores at the barn, so we were right there; Canela is a FF (I'm still learning: that means her first babies, right?) -- it was definitely below freezing during the birth, and we dried them as quickly as we could - then I was able to get each of the two to drink a little colostrum. we actually brought the babies into the house, and kept them in the downstairs bathroom with the window open so it would not be too warm. We brought them back out to Canela early in the morning and fortunately she welcomed them back. They did a better job nursing in the morning, but within an hour they were shivering, and we feared they would freeze to death...so we moved the whole family into a corner of the garage, with a hanging heat lamp and a space heater at a safe distance... now they are 10days old and seem to be doing well. Thanks to all the experienced commenters here because if we had not realized the danger of freezing to death, I am certain these gorgeous babies would no longer be alive...I will post pix when I figure out how to do it...
The pressed glass is thicker. Unfortunately it's only available in 175 watts, which isn't enough when the temperatures are in the teens and below. I know some people use those bulbs, but in Illinois, I don't see the point in even owning anything less than the 250 watts. If it's warm enough for the 175 watts to make a difference, the kids don't need a heat lamp. I bought the 175 watt bulbs because I loved the idea of thicker glass, but I couldn't feel any warmth under them at all.
Myra Isaac said:
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
http://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=131924&cat_i...
I hate to ever say that anything is impossible, but I think it would be tough to have a barn fire if one of these fell down. They are top heavy, so they'd fall over sideways. The grill is massive enough that it's unlikely straw could get in there. And if it did fall against something and didn't fall on its side, the bulb is far enough from the grill that it would be tough for the temperature to build up enough to cause a fire. Since these people raise sheep, they designed a lamp that would make it almost impossible to have a fire.
Myra Isaac said:
We also use the Premier heat lamps. They might seem expensive, but when you consider the cost of a barn and all your animals, they are a bargain. I know two people who've had fires because of heat lamps. One person lost all of his lambs, and the other person lost all of her chicks. We would have had a fire if my daughter had not walked into the barn when she did. The cheap heat lamp was laying in the straw, and it was already burning, but it was small enough that a bucket of water put it out.
Deborah
Bev Sieminski, Winding Rvr Farm said: