by Jo Woodnutt

Created on: May 07, 2011   Last Updated: May 14, 2011

Spring always brings the smell of freshly cut grass, a bit of sunshine, and lambs jumping in the fields. For those who have flocks of sheep it can be a very stressful time- their income for the next year can depend entirely on the success of lambing. Even those who have a smallholding with sheep or a few pet sheep can have a stressful time.

Birth

-          The majority of ewes give birth without any issues at all, but a few do need help. A ewe struggling will be in labour for about 20mins after the water bag is out, with no progress being made. The ‘normal’ presentation is the front feet coming first, followed by a head resting on the feet- any other presentation requires attendance. I will briefly describe the common mispresentations below.

-          ‘Nose and toes’- the feet are too far back, meaning that the head is coming with the toes. Gentle pulling on the toes, sometimes with gently pushing on the head, can soon correct this.

-          One or two legs back, only head showing. Push the head back into the pelvis and feel around to find the legs. They may be under the lamb, tucked right back, or above the head. Cup the foot in your hand to reduce the chances of the lamb’s foot hurting the ewe inside, and pull the legs forward into the right position.

-          Head twisted back. Sometimes something caught on the head, or even a lot of pulling when the ewe isn’t pushing can cause the head to slip back. Feel for the head and drag it around into the correct position.

-          Backwards. The lamb is coming back feet first. To check they are back feet, look at the toes- if the flat side of the toe faces the ceiling instead of the floor, it’s back feet. In this case, the lamb should be pulled out as quickly as possible. Once the tail of the lamb leaves the ewe, the lamb is without oxygen and has only seconds to start breathing, so the head needs to come out and be free of gunk as fast as possible.

-          Tail-first. If the lamb comes tail-first and the back feet are tucked forward, reach around for the back feet and pull them out, then lamb as if backwards.

-          Once the lamb is out, clear all

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