01/25/2026
There's this phrase in agriculture: "If you have livestock, you will also have deadstock."
It acknowledges the fact that death is part of life. One cannot mitigate or do away with all risk. Sometimes, you can do everything "right" and still "lose".
This morning was hard. We joke that you know when babies are due on the farm because the weather forecast will be snow or ice.
This morning, I bundled up and walked (carefully) across the frozen ground, coated in ice, with buckets full of hot water to tend the animals all tucked into the warm and bedded down barn.
Well, not ALL. The Pyrenees think this weather is The Second Best ever. First Best would be a foot or more of snow.
I found one of ewes in labor. I could see a nose and a foot. I kept an eye on her as I did chores, checked on everyone else, collected eggs, added hot water to the two water buckets that dont have heaters, and fed. She made no progress in that time and was clearly exhausted. So I gloved up and checked her birth canal. There was a HUGE head and a foot. The second leg had an elbow hung up on her pelvis. I straightened the legs, gave the ewe some calcium, and waited to see if she'd progress now that the leg wasnt hung up.
After 10 minutes of zero progress and only one attempted push, I decided to assist. It was not easy to get that lamb delivered and, unfortunately, it had passed. The lamb was quite large. 12.5 pounds. Average for the breed is 8-10 pounds.
I checked for another lamb, and could feel the very tip of a foot in there, but couldn't reach it. I helped the ewe to her feet so I could move her into a private stall away from the nosey goats, and went to get her some warm molasses water and myself a thermos of coffee, hoping she would progress the lamb into position if I gave her some privacy and quiet.
When I came back to the barn, she had, indeed, moved the lamb into the birthing canal...in the worst position I could think of. The normal birthing position is with the front feet "diving" out first and the head extended and resting on the front legs. Delivery can often happen even if one front leg is back. Breech is often fine as long as it is feet first and not just a rear-end presented.
This lamb was none of those. The lamb was upside-down, with it's head tucked back along its breastbone, and both front legs extended, crossed, over the head and into the canal. A VERY difficult position to try and "fix". After about fourty-five minutes, I was able to get the lamb into position and deliver it. Unfortunately, the second lamb was also deceased. This lamb was also huge. 13.75 pounds.
It is a long, slow, sad walk back to the house after so much work (both the ewe's and mine) with an aching arm, a ewe in a questionable likelihood of recovery, and two lambs to bury. On the bright side, the ewe was able to stand herself up after about 15 minutes, and was readily drinking warm molasses water.
Often we farmers just post the cute, happy, bucolic images and stories that folks like to imagine "country" life is like...because thats what most folks like to see. Ithought I'd share a small dose of the reality behind the proverbial curtain.
Also, here's a couple pictures of the Pyrenees being VERY happy. Because I need something to cheer me up. (Also, the yearling heifer was bouncing around like a young calf and having a good ol' time too.)
