Well, so much for being prepared and having everything in place for lambing well ahead of time – they caught us well and truly on the hop this year!Our first lambs were due on the 15th of April and we normally bring them into the lambing shed a few days beforehand to settle into their maternity quarters. So when on the morning of the 9th I spotted a ewe in the field, separate from the flock, laying on her side and apparently straining hard – I thought I ought to take a closer look! Within the hour she’d delivered her perfect twins, all by herself (or ‘ABH’ as I gleefully write into my lambing records!) and they were up and suckling within a further 15 minutes. A lovely start to lambing.
Thankfully, we’d pressure-washed and disinfected the lambing shed earlier in the week, so all we had to do was erect some lambing pens, straw down and bring the ewes in, starting with the new mother and her lambs. From this time until the end of lambing we were on a 4-hourly watch.
Having started early, our ewes obviously thought they might as well get on with it! By early afternoon another ewe was well into second stage labour – a perfect presentation (nose and 2 front feed visible) but she was obviously struggling to give birth. As she’d scanned for a single, it was likely to be a large lamb, so with a little ‘pull’ timed to coincide with her ‘push’ I drew a beautiful ram lamb, weighing in at an impressive 5.9kgs.
The next day was quiet but for the frequent bleating of 2 little and one not-so-little lambs. Then a busy day, starting with a ‘head-first’ lamb, his forelegs pointing back towards his crotch – it’s virtually impossible for a lamb to be born in this position, and often as the ewe strains harder the lamb’s head will swell making the situation worse. In this case, the lamb was quite small and with lots of lubricant it was relatively simple to ease the head back into the birth canal, slide my hand alongside and gently flip each of the front legs into the birth position. The second lamb was delivered in a similar manner within the hour.Hygiene in the lambing shed is of paramount importance. Any assisted lambing is preceded by scrubbing-up with surgical spirit, accompanied by lots and lots of lubrication, and carried out with the utmost gentleness. Once the ewe and her lambs had bonded, I gave the ewe an antibiotic injection as a precaution – however careful, it’s impossible to be 100% sterile and any infection of the uterus (Metritis) may cause serious illness, and can be fatal.
Later the same day – another ‘hung’ (headfirst, no feet) lamb! It’s all very well being familiar with the theory, but putting it into practice with a valued ewe and her lambs can be quite daunting for the first-timer. On our DVD, "The Breeding Flock", we describe and illustrate all the different lambing variations, and I still review these each year – then close my eyes and visualise exactly what I need to feel. This has helped my confidence enormously, knowing that I can help the ewe whatever the circumstances – including knowing when to call the vet. Fortunately, this lamb, and its twin – each weighing a very respectable 4.3kgs, was born safely.
Meanwhile, I’d noticed another ewe’s water bag – the start of second stage labour, and quite possibly another hour until the lamb is born. A single spot on her flank indicated that she was carrying a single lamb, and if the others were anything to go by, possibly a large one. An hour passed and I could see the lamb’s head and protruding tongue (which looks alarming, but is quite normal!), but no further progress. On closer inspection, I could see the soles of both front feet below the lamb’s nose – a perfect presentation. But still the ewe made no progress, so, a quick scrub-up, and grasping both feet I pulled the lamb in time with the ewe’s contraction … and out slid a 6.8kgs monster – a real cracker of a lamb!
So, still 4 days to go before any of our ewes were officially due to lamb, and we already had 8 lambs from 5 ewes, with just another 8 to lamb.
The following day, at 4 a.m., another ewe lambed: the first twin ‘ABH’, then 45 minutes later another head appeared! On this occasion, I quickly found one leg, drew it forward and judged that she was sufficiently relaxed for the lamb to be born in this position, despite the lamb being quite large. Within minutes, both were up and seeking the ewe’s teats.
Shortly after, my favourite ewe, Meggie had her twins – ABH and weighing in at a very respectable 4.8 and 4.6kgs. Within 10 minutes they were ‘up and running’!
A quiet day followed, but I had my eye on our only ‘maiden’ (ie. her first lambing) this year, who had been quite restless throughout the day. At 3.30 the following afternoon she began straining and shortly after … a lamb’s head appeared! By now I felt fully confident in managing this situation and managed to bring one leg forward; by grasping this, and cupping my other hand behind the lamb’s head, I was able to help the ewe’s contractions expel her first lamb. Within the hour, the twin was born without assistance and it was an utter delight watching our first-time mother loving her lambs, making deep rumbling bleats in answer to their little cries. I defy anyone not to get a bit soppy at these times!
Day 6 into lambing brought another strapping pair of twins, born ABH and up and running in minutes. This was the day we had expected to start lambing!
Day 8 – another big single ram lamb @ 5.3kgs, born at 11p.m., ABH and quick to stand and suck.Then 3 days went by and we started to worry that our last 3 ewes were going to be 2nd cyclers – meaning they wouldn’t lamb for at least another fortnight. A ‘tight’ lambing is every shepherd’s wish, and is better for shepherd, ewes and their lambs.
On the morning of the 20th lambing recommenced with the birth of twins, ABH. In the afternoon, another pair of twins was born, ABH. Then two more days passed quietly, and on the 22nd our last ewe delivered our final set of twins, at 8a.m., ABH.
We kept all the ewes and lambs in the shed for just one more day, bedded down on deep, clean straw. A couple of our ewes were slightly lame – we’d decided not to ‘tip’ them in the late stages of pregnancy – so now was the time to inspect their feet and treat any problems. We then drenched all the ewes – the added demands of lambing tends to reduce their resilience to gut parasites, so drenching them prior to turning out will lessen the eggs they shed onto the pasture. As new lambs have no resistance to parasites, this measure gives them a little protection at the start of their lives.
We then turned all the ewes and lambs out into our Orchard where they have lush grass, shade and shelter. Importantly, we haven’t put lambs on this paddock for the past two years, so the danger to the lambs from Nematodirus is minimised (see ‘Things to do This Month’ for more information on this subject). We’ll continue to feed the ewes a decreasing amount of cereal-based feed for the next 6 weeks, and – most important of all – I shall spend many happy hours sitting and watching the lambs playing and the ewes scolding their increasingly boisterous offspring!
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