Right now I'd characterise pet lamb Trixie as a complex individual, our problem child here at Struan Farm. She's one of the triplets, along with Mixie and Dixie. She was the largest of the three at birth, but also the most frail. Upon arrival I wasn't sure she would survive, and neither did the neighbours next door. She's been out in the paddock with the larger lambs but I've just airlifted her back to the Pet Pen. She hasn't been drinking all of her bottles. She'll start drinking, but as soon as anyone bunts her, or jostles for position, she simply walks away. Stops drinking. And this is happening every feed, the other lambs are very pushy. Several times John and I have grabbed her to try to make sure she gets a proper bottle, but those sessions have turned into wrestling and force feeding matches. She's stubborn.
I'm not sure what's happening in her head, it's almost as if she has an eating disorder. I figure right now the best thing to do is to keep her apart from the scrum until she starts drinking everything she should. Alfie and Daisy are about to leave the Pet Pen and go out to the paddock, otherwise they might cause the same problem the other lambs have. Hopefully Trixie will get lonely and decide to cooperate, or perhaps bond more with me. She can see her sisters and the rest of the mob at the fence from where she is.
Stay tuned.
Comments