How do ewes give birth

A New Zealand study showed that dystocia accounted for about 50 percent of deaths among newborn lambs. There can be many causes of dystocia in a flock:.

One of the most difficult aspects of shepherding is knowing when and how to assist a ewe during lambing and when to call for help. It is generally recommended that if a ewe has been straining for over an hour and has nothing to show for it, it is time to check things out.

Before entering a ewe, be sure to remove watches, rings, and other jewelry. Wash your hands in warm, soapy water and clean backside of the ewe. Gloves or sleeves should be worn during the examination. Coat your hand up to your elbow with a non-irritating lubricant. The liberal use of a lubricant cannot be overemphasized. Bunch your fingers and thumb into a cone shape and insert them into the ewe's vagina. If the cervix is open, you should feel the lamb's nose.

Next, you need to determine where the lamb's front legs are. If the presentation is normal, the ewe should be able to deliver the lamb on her own, unless it is too big for her pelvic opening.

You should not keep pulling your hand in and out of the ewe and should not change hands without washing again. Getting the ewe to stand up or elevating her hindquarters will allow more room for repositioning and result in less vigorous straining. If you have worked for a half hour with no progress, it is a good idea to call a veterinarian or a more experienced shepherd.

Excessive stress in pulling and delayed delivery can result in a dead lamb and serious injury to the ewe. A live lamb will assist to some extent with its own birth. There is never enough room in the birth canal to correctly position a lamb.

The lamb must be returned to the uterus before any corrections can be made. You should not attempt to deliver a lamb when the birth canal is only partially dilated. This can seriously damage the ewe. After all deliveries, check to make sure that there are no other lambs remaining in the uterus. After any assisted delivery, you should give the ewe an injection of a long-acting antibiotic.

Normal presentation Normal delivery is when the two front feet appear with the head resting between them. Rarely is any assistance needed. However, a small ewe may have trouble delivery a very large lamb.

In this case, gentle assistance may be needed. You should pull the lamb downward during her contractions. Backwards A backwards hind legs first delivery is also a normal delivery. It is common with twins and triplets. You should never attempt to convert a backwards delivery to a "normal" frontwards delivery. Turning a lamb around can result in death of the lamb or damage to the uterus. Plus, it is not necessary. Elbow lock An elbow lock is a "normal" position except the lamb's elbows are locked in the birth canal.

You will need to push the lamb slightly back into the birth canal to extend the legs. Leg s back If one or both legs are back, you need to cup the lamb's hooves in your palm and bring them forward.

A small lamb may be pulled with one leg back. If you are not able to bring the legs forward, you should slip a lambing rope onto one or both limbs and push the head back far enough to allow the legs to be drawn forward. Head back If the front legs are forward, but the head is back, you will need to push the lamb back into the uterus, so you can turn the head around. You should attach a lambing rope to each leg so you don't lose them.

Use the sleeves and O. Check the ewe to make sure the ewe is fully dilated. Be sure all the legs and head belong to the same lamb. Alternate pulling one leg then the other, at a slightly downward angle.

Place the lamb in front of the ewe. Handling lamb death Unfortunately, lamb death may occur during the sheep birthing process. If an ewe has a dead lamb, dispose of the lambs and any birthing fluids properly to prevent disease and deter predators. It is always good practice to wear disposable gloves or sleeves when handling dead lambs or birthing fluids.

If the ewe only has dead lambs, put her in a lambing pen that has been strawed. Decrease the quality of her hay, provide water and do not feed her any grain supplement. The idea is to reduce energy consumption in an effort to save her udder and dry her up without mastitis complications. In some cases, another lamb can be grafted on to this ewe. Lambing season helpful hits During lambing season check the sheep barn first and feed the sheep first in the morning. Use extreme caution when handling lambs from more than one ewe.

Mixing the smell of one newborn lamb to another will cause the ewe to reject her own lamb. Use the plastic gloves or wash hands in between. Get a newborn lamb breathing quickly by sticking a small piece of straw up its nose. This helps to clear the airway and makes the lamb sneeze. Always wipe away excess mucous or membranes first. Also rub the lamb's ribcage to get the lamb going. Getting colostrum into the newborn lamb in the first 15 minutes is very important.

It will warm up the lamb, give it energy and supply antibodies. When attempting to get the newborn lamb to nurse, tickle the lamb under the tail. This stimulates suckling. When carrying a newborn lamb, keep it close to the mother. The first 4 hours often go unnoticed. Cleanliness is important to prevent infection of the uterus. Wash the area round the ewe's vulva with soap and a mild disinfectant to remove any manure and other debris. Scrub hands and arms with soap and a mild disinfectant, and lubricate with soap or an obstetrical cream.

The hand is carefully slid into the vagina to feel the lamb and assess the situation. Obviously a person with a small hand is best suited for this task. In many cases the lamb will be presented normally, you will feel two forelegs with the head between them.

Place the noose of a lambing cord over each leg above the fetlock joint and apply a firm steady pull synchronized with the ewe's straining. Lubricate the vagina around the lamb with obstetrical jelly to smooth the passage of the lamb. This is especially important if the waterbags have been ruptured for some time and the vagina has lost this natural lubrication. Abnormal presentations must be corrected before attempting to pull the lamb. Do not attempt to convert a hind leg presentation to the normal delivery.

Pull the lamb out hind legs first, straight back until the lamb's hind legs and pelvis are out of the vulva, then change the pull to downwards towards the ground behind the ewe. Pulling down before the lamb's pelvis is out will wedge the lamb in the pelvic canal of the ewe.

Other malpresentations are possible. Remember that multiple births are common. Two lambs may be presented with legs intertwined. Always ensure that the legs and head are part of the same lamb before attempting to pull it. Occasionally, deformed lambs will be produced with enlarged heads, stiff joints or skeletal deformities.

To successfully lamb, a ewe in these situations may require help from an experienced shepherd or veterinarian. As ewes often have multiple births, the same sequence of the rupture of the waterbag and expulsion of the lamb will be repeated for the delivery of each lamb.

After an assisted lambing always check the ewe internally that there is not another lamb to be delivered. In all cases, whether the delivery was natural or assisted, check that the lamb is breathing; its nostrils are clear of mucous and are not covered by any uterine membrane. At this time the lamb's navel should be disinfected to prevent infection. The ewe usually starts to lick the lamb; this is a natural process and should be allowed to continue.

Some ewes will eat the afterbirth, but this should be prevented as it can lead to digestive disturbance. A healthy lamb struggles to its feet soon after birth and starts to nurse its dam. Lambs, weak from a protracted delivery should be helped to nurse, or given up to ml of colostrum by stomach tube.