A Lambing Day
Posted 4/23/2008 10:55am by Eugene Wyatt.
The first sheep chore of the day is to check for new lambs in the barnyard. It is not unusual to have 10 or more lambs born in a day during the first 20 days of lambing. There were no lambs born this morning, nor were there any born yesterday morning, but I did have two sets of twins yesterday afternoon. I look in upon the lambing ewes at least three times a day.
Five months ago, which is the period of gestation, each breeding ram was with 65 ewes who ovulate every 20 days. Most ewes are bred in their first ovulation cycle and one out of three ewes will have twins. I can expect each breeding group of 65 ewes to have 100 lambs in the first three weeks of lambing.
To check for newborns I walk quietly into the flock to not unduly disturb the 100’s of week-old lambs and their mothers. I look for quivering, wet lambs and listen for that gurgling call of a just-lambed ewe. Finding a ewe with a newborn, I look at the vigor of the lamb: is it standing, is it going to the teat, is it calm, etc. I also note what the ewe is doing: is she attentive to the lamb, is she licking it dry, is she gently nudging it toward her teat, etc.
Sometimes I find a lamb born hours ago with a full belly asleep at the ewe’s side. This is nice to see. Most births go well and usually I find vigorous lambs with attentive mothers. But before I leave the lambing flock, I dip the lamb’s navel in 7% iodine to ward off bacteriological infections like tetanus and I ear tag the lamb noting the ear tag number of the ewe.
Twins can be more complicated for the ewe as lambs begin walking minutes after their births and sometimes they stagger off in opposite directions. But a good ewe will go from one lamb to another, gurgling away, and bring them both to her teats. The world usually works if you don’t get in its way.
To check for newborns I walk quietly into the flock to not unduly disturb the 100’s of week-old lambs and their mothers. I look for quivering, wet lambs and listen for that gurgling call of a just-lambed ewe. Finding a ewe with a newborn, I look at the vigor of the lamb: is it standing, is it going to the teat, is it calm, etc. I also note what the ewe is doing: is she attentive to the lamb, is she licking it dry, is she gently nudging it toward her teat, etc.
Sometimes I find a lamb born hours ago with a full belly asleep at the ewe’s side. This is nice to see. Most births go well and usually I find vigorous lambs with attentive mothers. But before I leave the lambing flock, I dip the lamb’s navel in 7% iodine to ward off bacteriological infections like tetanus and I ear tag the lamb noting the ear tag number of the ewe.
Twins can be more complicated for the ewe as lambs begin walking minutes after their births and sometimes they stagger off in opposite directions. But a good ewe will go from one lamb to another, gurgling away, and bring them both to her teats. The world usually works if you don’t get in its way.
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