Practical Lambing and Lamb Care

A Veterinary Guide

Neil Sargison, James Patrick Crilly, Andrew Hopker

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN: 9781119140665
• eBook ISBN: 9781119140672
• Edition: 4
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Veterinary Medicine

The Fourth Edition of Practical Lambing and Lamb Care offers a complete revision and update to this comprehensive and practical resource to all aspects of lambing and lamb care. 

• Offers a thoroughly revised edition of this practical guide to all aspects of lambing and lamb care
• Presents an authoritative resource for anyone involved in the care of pregnant ewes and newborn lambs, especially sheep farmers and veterinarians
• Written by leading authors in the field
• Includes information on health problems, abortion, lambing management, obstetrics and much more

 

1
General Lambing Management

It is should be emphasised that most sheep and goats give birth to their lambs and kids naturally and unassisted, as nature intended. When problems do arise, timely intervention is required to prevent losses. However, inappropriate intervention too soon can also cause harm to both ewe and lamb, can compromise animal welfare and may result in economic loss.

The normal hormonal processes involved in giving birth occur most effectively when the dam feels safe and is undisturbed. While good observation is essential, disturbance of the lambing ewes should be minimised and shepherds should move among the flock in a calm and quiet manner. The role of a good shepherd in the delivery of lambs at lambing time should be to provide the right amount of assistance at the right time, and no more. The keys to achieving this are good preparation and adequate supervision of lambing ewes to spot problems in a timely manner.

Most assisted deliveries can be undertaken satisfactorily, using a gentle hygienic technique to give a viable, humane and profitable outcome. The general principles and practice of delivering goat kids are the same as those for lambing ewes. In this chapter, specific reference to goats is only made where the important principles differ.

Preparation for Lambing

Around the world, the economics of small ruminant farming have necessitated a shift of focus away from the care of individual animals and towards whole flock or herd approaches. Careful preparation for lambing or kidding is now, therefore, of paramount importance to protect of the welfare of pregnant and lambing ewes or does, and their newborn lambs or kids. Lambing should be seen as the critical time when the benefits of general preparation, nutrition and animal health management throughout the year are realised.

Careful shepherding and the design and selection of the lambing environment – be it in lambing paddocks, or lambing sheds – is required to minimise disturbance of lambing ewes, thus enabling the establishment of a good ewe‐lamb bond and enhancing the survival of newborn lambs. Whenever possible, steep and exposed fields should be avoided. Lambing fields should not be too large and water sources not too far apart (Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1 Lambing fields should ideally be small and flat with easy access to food and water.

When potentially less suitable lambing paddocks must be used, they should, if possible, be reserved for single‐bearing adult ewes. Buildings should be well ventilated and drained. Pens should be small enough to allow animals to be grouped according to their nutritional and animal health needs, and should be designed in a manner such that lambing and lambed ewes can be isolated and removed without undue disturbance of the whole group. Consideration should be given to the housed ewe space requirements of about 1.1 m² per ewe, the need for constant access to forage, and concentrate feed trough space requirements of about 0.5 m per ewe (Figure 1.2). These requirements vary with breed and litter size.

Figure 1.2 Lambing sheds need to be carefully organised to ensure ease of observation, precision nutritional management and minimal disturbance of lambing ewes.

Sufficient individual pens should be available, based on a figure of about 10% for the flock. These should be large enough to allow the ewe and lamb to lie safely apart from each other, and need to be clean and well drained. All pens should be well lit and easily accessible. Food and water must be available at all times.

Despite long‐term planning, the need for careful skilled assistance for some lambing ewes is inevitable. A clear plan is required to avoid suffering in ewes which cannot be lambed. This should include guidelines about when and how to seek assistance and provision for the immediate humane destruction of distressed animals. Lambing equipment should be prepared in advance (see Table 1.1). Provision should be made for the management of those diseases which occur annually in most flocks around lambing, and there should also be clear guidelines about when to seek assistance, and to ensure prompt and humane destruction to prevent further suffering when treatment is unsuccessful or uneconomical. Preparation for lambing must also be aimed at prevention and management of disease in newborn lambs. Despite careful preventive management, the occurrence of disease in newborn lambs is inevitable, so provision should be made for the treatment of the common problems and specific diseases that occur in the flock.

Table 1.1 Equipment list for lambing sheep.

Suitable antiseptic solution

Obstetric lubricant

Arm length disposable gloves

Lambing ropes, snares or other aids

Clean needles and syringes

Antibiotics for treatment of mastitis or metritis

Injectable anti‐inflammatory drugs

Plastic retainers or harnesses, local anaesthetic, clean obstetric tape and needles for the management of vaginal prolapse

Calcium borogluconate injection for the treatment of hypocalcaemia

Propylene glycol, or other concentrated energy supplements for the treatment of pregnancy toxaemia

Strong iodine tincture for navels and a dip cup or spray to apply

Stomach tubes, colostrum, a warming box, glucose injection, syringes and needles for the treatment of starvation and hypothermia

Kettle for hot water

Rehydration drench or formula for lambs

Clips or small syringes and needles for subconjunctival injections to correct entropion

Oral antibiotics for watery mouth prevention if needed

Injectable antibiotics for the treatment of neonatal bacteraemias if needed

Elastrator rubber rings for lambs if needed

Marker paint

Spare hurdles for making addition pens

Disinfectant for pens and floors

Sufficient clean buckets for food and water

Normal Lambing

The normal ewe gestation period is 143–147 days. Impending lambing (parturition) is signalled by udder development, accumulation of colostrum, slackening of the sacro‐iliac ligaments between the tail head and the vulva and visible dropping of the abdominal contents, giving an appearance of hollowness of the sub‐lumbar spaces on both sides of the ewe. The birth process is described as having three consecutive stages.

First stage labour is represented ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Preface to the Fourth Edition
• 1 General Lambing Management
• 2 Specific Causes of Lamb and Kid Mortality
• 3 Husbandry and Health Planning to Prepare for Lambing or Kidding: Ensuring Pregnancy in Ewes and Does
• 4 Husbandry and Health Planning to Prepare for Lambing: Nutritional Management of Pregnant Ewes and Does
• 5 Husbandry and Health Planning to Prepare for Lambing: Health Management of Pregnant Ewes and Does
• 6 Identifying Unwell Ewes and Lambs, Does and Kids
• 7 Legislation
• Index
• End User License Agreement