Lambing is 6-8 weeks out. Questions are arriving. What do we do to prepare?
So this is what it looks like. The rams have either been crammed and are living happily (or boisterously) in their own pasture or you’re running a one ram flock and your well-tempered ram is living beside your ewe flock. You’ll need to keep an eye on him as breeding seasons draws near. The ewes’ hormones at lambing can confuse him. Many rams are fine around newborns, but it’s best not to risk it if you’re unsure. This is when a wether comes in handy to separate out the ram for a week or so.
The most important factor at this point is ewe nutrition and adequate minerals. Ewes who are too thin or too fat will have difficult deliveries for different reasons (I know it’s the Goldilocks syndrome and it takes time) When in doubt body score your ewe. Too much fat impedes a healthy labor, but too thin results in a weak mother and lamb. Remember that the developing fetus acquires approximately two- thirds of its weight during the last six weeks of pregnancy. Rumen capacity can be affected by multiples so if you’re feeding only a grass-fed diet (I strongly recommend this) then be certain to make grass hay available twice a day in the final 6 weeks. Or free feed if that’s easier. Adjust according to body score. Keep in mind these factors when determining nutrition requirements: age, weight, body condition, stage of gestation (early-mid vs. late), and fetal number (single, twins, triplets). The most important factors to consider are energy (TDN), crude protein (CP), calcium, and selenium. Personally I avoid alfalfa in the final six weeks. I have found that the protein in alfalfa seems to lead to oversized horn buds. I know others who feed alfalfa up to lambing. I prefer lots of grass hay instead, but keep in mind there are many methods.
Pregnant group of ewes 6-8 weeks from lambing.
Please remember that I’m not a vet. There are numerous ways to shepherd. This is my way. It works for our flock. There are many approaches, and oftentimes you can find sound advice on multiple forums. This post is complied for farms that have my sheep (especially those without easily accessible veterinarians). It is not meant to substitute for vet care, but supplement it. Each year gets easier as you get to know your flock better! And vice versa.
One Month before Lambing:
Ewes that lack selenium risk weak contractions and weak lambs. White Muscle Disease can be avoided with a proper mineral balance and adequate selenium (reference the annual care blog post and the value of liver testing).
CD/T boosters for ewes (this will provide the lambs protection for the first few weeks of life). If you did not administer the initial round of two shots as a lamb then you will need to give two rounds rather then the booster. I know some people do not like to vaccinate. Small flocks with ample space and a lower chance of exposure, who understand the risks and the possibility of painful lamb deaths, will sometimes pass on vaccinating.
I avoid alfalfa in the last month, but ample grass hay and minerals.
Selenium/E supplement to ewes (gel or BoSe injection) I can’t say selenium enough times especially near lambing.
Two Weeks before Lambing:
Make sure your lambing kit is complete
Consider crutching any ewes that need it (if you didn’t shear) We wait to shear until after lambing. This ensures the wool break is finished and the fall fleeces will be the best quality. It also avoids any of the ewes miscarrying from stress or being faced with a cold wet spring. Many of our ewes pasture lamb so this is a consideration.
Have your set up ready: whether you’re jugging or pasture lambing have a plan for bad weather or emergencies.
Have your lamb transport ready- I use a plastic sled with a laundry basket on it. This way I can set the lamb on a towel in the basket and pull the sled as quickly as I can without losing the mother. If you pick the lamb up you sometimes ‘lose’ the ewe when she races back to the place she lambed. The ‘laundry basket transport’ can help avoid this.
Have lots of straw. Straw can fix a lot of problems when you have lambs on a cold night.
Have extra buckets around.
My Lambing Kit:
lodine for dipping navels. I prefer Triodine or Betadine. It needs to be 7% iodine.
Scissors
Flashlight
Lots of clean rags. I like to pick up extra bed sheets at the thrift store. They are a quick way to create an uncluttered space to set a lamb that needs attention.
Scale and sling for weighing newborn lambs. Premier sells an easy to use one that is accurate. The scale is on a hook that slides over most things.
A thermometer to be used rectally.
Bulb syringe (small infant sized one) helps to clear fluid from nostrils quickly. It’s nice to have two. I prefer to also have a slightly larger one in case a warm water enema is needed to help unclog a lamb.
Heating pad. I prefer a heating pad to a heat lamp. Safer and you can regulate heat with controls or by layering with a towel.
Lubricant. This one gets overlooked and I can’t recommend it enough. I like Super Lube by Premier. Antiseptic and easy to use bottles. I don’t assist often so a 1/2 gallon has been on the shelf for a few years and still works when we need it. It can make a difficult delivery much easier for the ewe & shepherd.
Tubing kit. I don’t like tubing but it’s best to be prepared. Premier sells one and has a video that walks you through the process. Elaine Clark of Frelsi Farms wrote an instructional for the ISBONA newsletter a while back. I’ll see if I can find it and post it. Those are both good places to start.
Colostrum. Frozen or powdered. It’s best to have frozen colostrum, but unless you’ve already collected some or saved from the year before it can be necessary to use powdered. It’s important to note there is a BIG difference between powdered milk replacer and powdered colostrum replacer. Make sure you have both! Colostrum almost always needs to be ordered. Milk replacer you can usually find at the feed store. Milk replacer will not do the job of colostrum. If you have frozen colostrum be certain not to microwave it. It will destroy the antibodies.
Milk replacer
Syringes and needles if you plan to give BoSe or any other injections.
Vitamin E/Selenium for weak lambs. BoSe is an injectable and requires a prescription. 1/2 cc if a lamb is weak. Ewes can get 1.5 cc. There are also Vit E/Sel gels that can be used.
I like Nutridrench or a product called Survive that Premier sells. Both give lambs a strong pick me up. Remember if you have a hypothermic lamb you need to always warm it before feeding it. If you have a hypothermic & hypoglycemic lamb (it is over 5 hours old and it’s temp is below 100 degrees) then you will not warm it before giving it glucose or colostrum (there is another blog post on this subject).
Rubber nipples and a glass bottle for feeding a rejected lamb. You should boil and disinfect these. It’s nice to have them clean & ready.
A lambing loop/snare can be helpful. Some use baling twine, but the lambing loop is safer. I’ll post a picture of mine, and the instructions if can find them online. Premier sells one.
Malpresentation Photos. I still have the pictures of these different presentations on my phone. The visual can be nice when you can’t quite sort out what’s happening with only your hand (in the next blog post).
Molasses. I always give my ewes warm water with molasses after lambing. They love it and look for it now. It always gives them a pick me up. Simple but I swear by this one.
Note: If it’s been an extremely difficult birth and in-depth assistance was needed then you may want to consider giving an antibiotic. Some shepherds also give something for the pain if they have it. The choices would be banamine or meloxicam. I have never given it…. (Never say never. In 2023, after delivering a 13 lb lamb, my ewe Dandelion was in pain & struggling to stand so I gave her 1.5 cc of Banamine. I gave her a second dose 24 hours later. This was done after consulting the vet by phone and I’m very happy I had it on hand). It’s been explained to me that it can sometimes help the ewe to nurse the lambs sooner because they are not distracted by their own pain. This will depend on the difficulty of the delivery and condition of the ewe.
Lambing Time:
Give the ewe space and quiet. This is important to avoid contractions stopping. Stress plays a key role in interrupted labors.
I like Laura Lawson’s book but any book or set of instructions/pictures you prefer will work. Have them handy. Sometimes having pictures on your phone or a folder is handy. I know the Lawson books are hard to find. I’ll try to post a couple of key excerpts.
For problem births, it’s sometimes necessary to get help from a veterinarian. It’s helpful to give yours a friendly heads up that lambing is approaching. Hopefully you won’t need assistance, but it’s best to be prepared with the relationship in place.
Whenever possible it’s nice to be there for lambing. Once the ewe has passed the water bag, the lambs should present in 30-45 minutes. If contractions are occurring and progress is not apparent, it may be necessary to assist. Don gloves or wash your hands first. Be conscious of not collecting dirt or feces on your hands while you are assisting. It will pay off not to accidentally introduce that into the ewe’s body. Refer to the presentation photos above if you are not seeing the nose and one or two front hooves (hooves pointed downwards).
After the lamb(s) arrive:
Gently be certain both the ewe’s teats are stripped. This means squeezing the teats to be certain you remove the wax plug that has been protecting the milk supply. Often times the lambs can remove it alone, but sometimes it is lodged in place and the lambs are unable to remove it. It doesn’t take much of a squeeze to double check.
The most important thing is to have the lamb nurse. Lambs are born with enough ‘brown fat’ to keep them warm for a few hours (they burn through this faster if they are faced with severe cold). To stay warm they need colostrum in their systems. You want to make sure the lamb nurses but don’t want to interfere too much and risk effecting the ewe/lamb bonding. This often depends a lot on your ewe. If she trusts you, then you can be more present, if she doesn’t then I prefer to leave those pairs (out of any severe weather or drafts) alone for an hour or so. Icelandics are good mothers and the lambs are vigorous. They often figure all this out on their own. If you can’t tell if a lamb is nursing then gently insert your finger in its mouth. If the mouth is cold then it’s essential to intervene. If the mouth is warm then the lamb is nursing. If you don’t trust your ability to tell with this method then take the lamb’s temp with the rectal thermometer.
Make sure the lamb has nursed.
If the lamb is strong then I will give the ewe/lamb some time to bond in a clean space. This is personal preference. I once had a ewe reject a lamb after taking him to trim, dip and weigh. Now I like to give them some time before doing that. Cleanliness (the lambing space shouldn’t be filthy or iodine immediately) is crucial to waiting, but I’ll wait before trimming the umbilical cord, dipping it in iodine and taking a weight. My personal preference and a risk I’m comfortable with in our system.
If the lamb isn’t strong I’ll give 1/2 cc of BoSe (1/4 cc if the lamb is under 6 lbs) and 1/2 cc of Vit B Complex. I’ll also give 2-4 cc of nutridrench or Survive. If the lamb is vigorous and nursing I won’t give anything.
The first 72 hours are important to observe. Whether you jug them or leave them on pasture be certain both lambs are nursing and energetic. If it’s a single, double check that the lamb is nursing off both teats. Sometimes they’ll fasten on just one and this can led to problems like mastitis, or the udder drying up. Be certain the mother is keeping the lambs with her. If any of these things aren’t happening then consider jugging them (placing them in a pen alone to bond).
I feed a high-protein alfalfa/grass mix hay for the first month of lactation. I’ve noted an increased growth rate since switching to this system. Lots of high protein hay helps the lambs and ewe prepare to go onto pasture full-time in mid-May.
I will weigh again at two weeks and this is when I prefer to tag. I will continue to weigh, using a digital scale, every 2-3 weeks for the rest of the summer. The data collected helps to highlight growth patterns.
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