Here is the progress of the birth of Yvette's first lamb of twins. These pictures are perhaps a little "gruesome" if you're not used to seeing such things, so advance at your own risk and, if you have doubts, don't do it while eating.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email us.
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8:44pm
Yvette had been looking quite alert just before dark, after separating herself from the other ewes for a couple of days.
I went to check on her and found her looking like this. She was calling softly, as if talking to her yet unborn lambs.
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8:49pm
After a few minutes, she lay down and quite quickly this next bag of fluid appeared, inside which is a hint of white: one of the lamb's feet. Then she got to her feet again.
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8:52pm
After wandering around sniffing for a couple of minutes, Yvette began pawing the ground, in preparation for lying down.
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8:59pm
The first foot appearing.
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8:59pm
The other front foot and the nose.
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9:00pm
A bit more face.
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9:00pm
The head over the eyes, just before the ears emerged.
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9:00pm
All of the head, then some more pushes to get the shoulders out.
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9:01pm
Suddenly it's all over with a final push. After the width of the shoulders, the rest of the lamb rushed out!
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9:01pm
Yvette got up and set about licking the lamb clean...
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9:02pm
... including eating away the bits of membrane covering the lamb.
A quarter of an hour later the lamb had stood and was hunting for his first drink. Yvette didn't produce the second lamb until 11.55pm.