When a ewe has twins and is not willing or able to care for them both, try to find a ewe with a dead lamb; take the hide off the dead lamb by case skinning, cutting the hind legs off at the second joint from the foot, then open the skin between the hind legs, pull what is left of the legs up through this opening, then pull the hide back over the body. Cut off the front legs the same way, then pull the hide down over the neck to the head; cut it off there. This will cover the live lamb all except the head and opening you made in taking off the hide. Over these exposed parts rub the entrails of the skinned lamb. Do not make the lamb red with blood, for the ewe may scare from it. Always put the hide on the smallest of the twins, leaving the best one with its own mother. The hide should be left on no longer than is necessary to make the ewe own the lamb, which is generally about 24 hours. In real warm weather, when flies give trouble, it may prove best not to bother with the hide method, but simply cut the entrails out of the dead lamb and rub them well all over the motherless lamb, so the ewe that had the dead lamb will take it from the scent. In most cases where the ewe has not had the opportunity of seeing or smelling her own lamb at birth, she will accept any NEWLY born lamb the same as she would her own without using either of the above methods. Nearly all ewes with much milk will take to such lambs quickly, while those with little milk are not easily "fooled." By either of the above methods it is best to keep the ewe tied or penned until you are sure she does own the strange lamb. Experienced help will generally know by the action of the ewe just when to turn her loose with her adopted lamb. Still, unless she has good feed and water while so tied or penned, she will dry up in a few days, when it becomes impossible for her to mother the "bum." Extra good mothers dropping their lambs near others at times become over-anxious and claim lambs belonging to other ewes, making it look like "twins or better." Do not be fooled, but single such ewes out with their lamb and put her stolen lamb or lambs with their right mothers. GET THE RIGHT MOTHERS. Keep your twinned ewes on good feed and water, also by themselves, if you expect them to raise you two good lambs. At least try not to put them in large bunches until they are at least 10 or 12 days old.
[DEFORMED AND ALKALIED LAMBS.]
Most deformed lambs, born with twisted legs, can be cured quickly by tying the deformed parts as near as possible in their natural position for a day or two. Lambs born with their eyelids too large may be cured by taking a pair of scissors or a sharp pocket knife and cutting a small slice or slit horizontally out of the abnormal eyelid, when they will shrink nearly to their normal size, allowing the lamb to open its eyes.
Black alkali is very deadly to sheep, and especially to young lambs. Its effects seem to be so sudden that there is little chance for a cure. Keep the young lambs away from all alkali beds and especially from black alkali holes during wet weather.
White alkali is not so fatal, yet many good shepherds lose lambs by allowing them to nibble around alkali beds. Should you have some of these alkalied lambs or sheep, treat them at once by giving the lambs one-quarter cupful of vinegar, followed in one hour with three tablespoonsful of raw linseed oil. Sheep should be given one cup of vinegar and one-quarter cup linseed oil. Most sheep sick from this ailment will have a white alkali substance adhering to their nostrils.
Where a lamb has no movement of the bowels, give one tablespoonful of molasses and raw linseed oil, mixed. When troubled with too much bowel movement, give one tablespoonful ginger and flour, mixed, once each day in both cases.
[LARGE AND SPOILED UDDERS.]
See that all lambs too weak to get up are suckled. That all ewes with large udders are caught and milked out. Catch them without rushing them into a bunch of ewes and young lambs. If you can't, let them go until you can—watch for this opportunity. Tie or pen them up until the udder becomes normal and the lamb can get the teat without help. Many ewes having spoiled udders will come to good milk in a few days, if milked out well two or three times daily.
When the ewe has a caked udder, or is troubled with what is commonly known as "blue bag," treat her at once—for she will die if you don't—by milking out what you can. Then mix one pint of coaloil with two gallons of hot water, wrap the udder with a heavy rag wet with this mixture; let it remain for ten minutes, remove, and rub with a mixture of turpentine and lard, or a weak solution of creosote sheep dip or carbolic acid. Repeat this treatment each morning and you will surely save the ewe in a few days. Where the ewe has her udder spoiled on one side only, the milk being good on the other, she is likely to raise her lamb. However, all these ewes should be marked, so they may be disposed of in the fall shipment. When a ewe has "bummed" her lamb because she has a spoiled udder, take the lamb from her before it becomes too weak, or dies; find a ewe with a dead lamb, then try to force the "bummed" lamb upon her as described under twins and their care.