We're getting ready........for lambing

[BCSnob]

Here is our checklist to be completed by early February

Purchase hay square bales for lambing jugs: done
Purchase heat lamp bulbs: done
Repair tilt table: done
Purchase & install rolling stop gate: done
Check and restock lambing supplies: done
Clean and rebed lambing jugs: not done
Give ewes CD&T booster: not done
Purchase grain to feed pregnant ewes: not done

Lambing jug: small pen in our barn to keep ewe with her lambs together but separated from the others just before or just after delivery to ensure good bonding of ewe and lambs, lambs are healthy and well fed, ear tagging of lambs and recording information, and deworming of the ewe. Once all has been completed and the lambs look strong the family is turned loose into the field with the rest of the flock. If one or more of the lambs look weak we might place a heat lamp in the lambing jug to help keep the lambs warm while they are weak. We have 7 permanent lambing jugs, can make use of 3 more locations, and can put up a few more portable pens.

Lambing supplies: USDA Scrapies ear tags, syringes, needles, dewormer, powdered milk, bottles & nipples, tube feeder, injectable antibiotics, lamb puller, nutrient rich liquid, injectable calcium and vitamins, and ewe halter.

The Tilt Table is used to squeeze/confine and flip sheep on their side for checking feet; it saves my back. A rolling stop gate in a sliding gate placed along a cute where the sheep pass single file; the gate will allow use to load the cute with 5-10 sheep, stop them in the cute, and then vaccinate the group before letting them out and reloading.

CD&T Vaccine is for Clostridium perfringens type C and D (overeating disease) and Clostridium tetani (tetanus). Mothers should be vaccinated prior to delivery to increase antibodies going to lambs in utero and in their milk. We haven't had issues with the first two bacteria but tetanus is endemic on our farm.

We are delaying when we start feeding grain because our sheep are "well fed" just on grass and last year we had a few gain too much weight contributing to prolapse (look up sheep prolapse images).


I'll probably rebed the lambing jugs just before the start of lambing.

We’re expecting at least 100 lambs

[Scottiemom]

So sorry for the ones you've lost, but rejoice with the new lives. They are very cute!

Dale

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

BCSnob wrote:
(she may be culled this fall).

Life is tough when you're edible. I helped out at a veal farm for a while - if you're a Hereford cow and unlucky enough to be born male - well, you wind up in someone's parmigiana....

[BCSnob]

This morning there was a single and a set of twins.
Yesterday my wife put the prolapse harness on a very big ewe and put her in a pen. She had difficulty delivering triplets last year (only 1 survived) and this year she is starting to have a vaginal prolapse (she may be culled this fall).

[BCSnob]

We’re starting slowly, no new lambs yesterday; a set of twins today.
Our total so far is 11.

Video of today’s twins

[BCSnob]

No one was there at the time of delivery, it is possible the back was broken while the lamb was partway out.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

A broken back? I always assumed babies were safely tucked away from harm in the womb. Hope remaining births are easy!

[BCSnob]

2 sets of twins today so far, one of the lambs was still born with a broken back (first time for us).

[BCSnob]

1 set of twins born Feb 7.

After the lambs are born we move the family to a pen in the barn. They stay there long enough for us to do several things.

1. Record the lambs: color & Tag# of ewe, gender of lambs, color and tag# of lambs, brief description of the lambs
2. Put ear tags in the lambs: color based upon ram that bred the ewe, ear based upon gender of lamb (right = ewe, left = ram)
3. Dose the ewe with oral dewormer (ivermectin)
4. Give booster vaccination to the ewe (subq CD&T where T = tetanus)
5. Trim the hooves of the ewe
6. Ensure the ewe is allowing both lambs to nurse and that the lambs are strong

My wife does most of the items above, I am responsible for flipping the ~150lb ewe onto her butt in the pen (without stepping on or dropping the ewe on her lambs), hold her firmly enough to prevent her from flailing her legs, and then trim her hooves.

Once all of these are done, the family is turned out into the field with the rest of the flock.

3 ewes done, 59 ewes to go. The previous 3 years we've averaged a 175% lambing percentage (lambs that survived to the end of lambing/bred ewes); this predicts 108 lambs this year.

[BCSnob]

Here is the first set of twins


This is one from the second set of twins

[BCSnob]

Another set of twins

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

BCSnob wrote:
3 more ewes died from acidosis which also caused bloat; these were caused by a rookie mistake in how fast we upped the grain rations. This morning we finally have good news; a set of twins.

Yikes, and Yay!! (And I thought horses were the only animal you could kill with feed/bedding/water, etc)

[BCSnob]

3 more ewes died from acidosis which also caused bloat; these were caused by a rookie mistake in how fast we upped the grain rations. This morning we finally have good news; a set of twins.

[BCSnob]

The ewe’s utter had no development towards mil production which means if she had any lambs in her they would have been too underdeveloped to survive.

[agteacher]

Were you able to save lambs?

[BCSnob]

It appears we get another opportunity to treat this. Another ewe is down. This time we’ll treat more aggressively for lactic acidosis with also fits the symptoms and circumstances. The odor the dead ewe had closely fits acidosis.