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Lambing and lamb care

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Target bcs 2.5. Scan at 70 days. Health issues include: Scab/lice. Feet ... Manipulate head into pelvis, pass rope behind poll and into mouth. Pull legs up. ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Lambing and lamb care


1
Lambing and lamb care
  • Andy Barrett
  • Kingsway Veterinary Group
  • Skipton

2
Outline of course
  • Introductions
  • Management of pregnant ewes
  • Preparing for lambing
  • Normal lambings
  • Lambing problems
  • Practical session
  • Caring for lambs
  • Caring for ewes after lambing.

3
Flock managementBegins pre-tupping
  • EWES Check
  • Body condition score
  • Teeth
  • Feet
  • Udders
  • Records
  • Vaccination status
  • TUPS Check
  • When do you want to lamb?
  • Have you enough?
  • Condition score
  • Teeth
  • Feet
  • Genitalia
  • Harnesses.

4
Early pregnancy(0 30 days)
  • Fertilisation to implantation
  • Embryo dependent on hormones
  • Very sensitive to stress.

5
Mid pregnancy(30-90 days)
  • Placental growth occurs
  • Target bcs 2.5
  • Scan at 70 days
  • Health issues include
  • Scab/lice
  • Feet
  • Liver fluke.

6
Late pregnancy(90-145 days)
  • Good feeding essential, because
  • Lambs double in size in last month
  • Udder development occurs in last fortnight
  • Feed according to condition score, litter size,
    forage quality, weather
  • Vaccinate against clostridial disease
  • Feet
  • Give copper supplement.

7
Problems in late pregnancy
  • Abortion
  • Vaginal prolapse
  • Tremblings
  • Twin lamb disease.

8
Abortion
  • Isolate aborting sheep and mark them
  • Clean and disinfect pen
  • Do not mother lambs on
  • Speak to your vet
  • BE CAREFUL MANY AGENTS ARE ZOONOTIC!

9
Vaginal prolapse
  • Fat ewes heavy in lamb
  • Treat as quickly as possible
  • Clean and replace
  • Consult vet if recur
  • Mark the sheep.

10
Tremblings
  • Hypocalcaemia (low blood calcium)
  • Especially horned sheep
  • Often in poor condition
  • Poor diet
  • Often triggered by poor weather or movement
  • Treat quickly, 100ml calcium s/c.

11
Twin lamb disease
  • Last month of pregnancy
  • Thin sheep
  • Twins or triplets
  • Insufficient feed
  • Often triggered by bad weather
  • Separate off, blind, tremble, sweet smelling
    breath
  • Treat promptly and hard.

12
Preparing for lambing
  • Be ready a week before!
  • Staff availability
  • Indoors or out?
  • Go shopping!

13
Lambing equipment
  • Bucket and warm water
  • Lubricant
  • Gloves
  • Lambing loop
  • Prolapse retainer
  • Marker sprays
  • Navel iodine
  • Notebook
  • Bottle and teats
  • Tube feeder
  • Colostrum
  • Respiratory stimulant
  • Thermometer
  • Syringes and needles
  • Calcium
  • Glucose
  • Antibiotic injection and spray
  • Castration rings.

14
Signs of lambing
  • A week to go
  • Udder swells and becomes firm
  • Abdomen drops
  • Vulva becomes soft swollen and reddened.

15
Signs of lambing
  • Start of lambing
  • Separate from flock, restless
  • Stop eating, watch at feeding time
  • May star gaze and lick lips
  • Dribbles of fluid appear
  • Circling and nesting behaviour
  • Start to strain
  • Water bag appears
  • Should lamb in 30 minutes.

16
When to intervene
  • If a head appears at vulva
  • After 30 minutes of non productive straining
  • An hour after water bag bursts if nothing else
    appears
  • If second lamb not born after an hour, or half an
    hour of straining.

17
Rules for lambing
  • Remember 75 of ewe deaths occur at lambing time!
  • Restrain/position ewe well
  • Be clean
  • Be gentle and patient, you are dealing with
    living tissue
  • Use lots of lubrication
  • Lift hindquarters if necessary
  • Know when youre beaten! Stop if you make no
    progress in 15 minutes.

18
Anatomy
19
Lambing
20
The second lamb
21
Normal presentation
  • Both feet and head present (check they are
    attached to each other)
  • Note direction of feet
  • A hand in the anus can help.

22
Problem lambingsFoetal dystocia
  • Malpresentation
  • Mixed up twins/triplets
  • Oversized single lambs
  • Dead dry/rotten lambs
  • Deformed lambs.

23
Leg back
  • If there is room cup hand round foot and draw
    forward
  • If no room put head rope on, repel lamb and draw
    leg forward.

24
Head back
  • Attach ropes to both legs and repel lamb
  • Manipulate head into pelvis, pass rope behind
    poll and into mouth
  • Pull legs up.

25
Posterior presentation
  • Note direction of feet
  • Check joints to be sure
  • Dont waste time once the lamb is in the passage.

26
Breech presentation
  • Tail present at vulva
  • Repel lamb and with cupped hand pull one leg then
    the other into the vagina.

27
Problem lambingsMaternal dystocia
  • Small or deformed pelvis
  • Failure of cervix to dilate (ringwomb)
  • Failure of vulva to dilate
  • Uterine inertia
  • Uterine torsion.

28
After lambing
  • Revive the lambs
  • Check back inside for another lamb or damage to
    the uterus / vagina
  • Check the udder and teats
  • Dip lambs navels
  • Pen them up
  • Ensure lamb feeds
  • Watch for cleansing
  • Mark,tail and castrate and turnout.

29
Newborn lamb care
  • Colostrum is essential, source of food and
    antibodies
  • 5kg lamb needs 250ml (1/2 pint) in first 4 hours
  • Bottle or stomach tube if wont feed
  • Have alternative source available
  • Ensure lambs are well fed and mothered before
    turnout.

30
Problems of young lambs
  • Hypothermia
  • Imperforate anus
  • Intestinal prolapse
  • Watery mouth
  • Joint ill
  • Navel ill
  • Fractured ribs/limbs
  • Entropion
  • Swayback.

31
Aftercare of ewes
  • Vaginal prolapse
  • Uterine prolapse
  • Torn uterus vagina
  • Nerve damage
  • Retained placenta
  • Metritis
  • Staggers
  • Mastitis.
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