Actually, we wanted to write something nice about our 5th anniversary, but then things turned out differently.
When we arrived at the pasture on Easter Saturday, we found a stillborn lamb and another lamb that was barely showing any signs of life. We had just opened the gate to the new pasture, and the animals had rushed toward the fresh grass when we discovered the two of them.

The ewe had also left the live lamb behind. Apparently, she had already given up on it. The animal was so weak that it could barely move its head. We held it right in front of the mother's nose and she recognized it. Afterward, we set up a small mother-infant pen with hurdles. The mother followed the little one, which we carried inside.

Even though the mother made every effort to lick the lamb clean and motivate it to drink, the lamb was far too weak. We tried to create some warmth using straw and also tried to rub the lamb dry with straw. Suddenly, the birth process started again. Unfortunately, the third of the triplets was also stillborn. Since the living lamb was unable to stand, we pumped milk from the ewe and tried to feed the lamb with a bottle.

But even the suction was too much for the little one. It already felt chilled. So we took it inside and warmed it up with a hair dryer while we continued to rub it dry with old towels. Luckily, we’d been given a feeding tube by a former sheep farmer.

With this we introduced the breast milk or colostrum through the esophagus. From then on things were looking up. The lamb could hold its head better, the suckling reflex set in, and the body temperature felt like it had risen. The mother accepted it right back when we brought it back. In the evening it even got on its feet. 

Unfortunately, the mother was in very poor health for the next few days. She barely ate and had severe diarrhea. Unfortunately, the lamb isn’t able to nurse directly from its mother. Every day, we express two small bottles of milk from the mother and feed the little one. Even today, six days later, it’s still much weaker than most other lambs are after just one day. The mother’s milk production seems to be slowly decreasing. We’ll probably have to start supplementing with formula soon.