Lambing workshop

Kim Hamer VetMB CertAVP(SHEEP) MRCVS

December 2018

Purpose

• Avoid waste

– Most ewe and lamb deaths occur at lambing

• Productive ewes = Healthy ewes

• Productive lambs = Healthy lambs

• Good animal welfare

• ATTENTION TO DETAIL!

Kit

• Assisted lambings:

– Soap and clean warm water

– Gloves

– Lubricant

– Lambing snare/head loop

– Lambing ropes (not string)

– Long acting penicillin and anti-inflammatories

Kit

• Disease prevention:

– Navel dip – iodine 10% or ‘strong iodine’

– Colostrum – frozen or artificial

– Antiseptic handwash

Kit

• Medicines:

– Antibiotics: long and short acting penicillins

– Anti-inflammatories

– Calcium

– Twin lamb drench

– (Eye ointment and eye clips)

Kit

• Other essentials:

– New/sterile needles and syringes

– 60ml syringes and dosing syringes

– Lamb feeding tube

– Lamb bottle and teat

– Milk replacement powder

– Prolapse retainers (meat sheep)

Before lambing

• Abortion

– Hygiene

– Isolation

– Pregnant women

• Ewe diseases

– Twin lamb disease

– Hypocalcaemia

– Cervical prolapses

Environment

• Indoors or outdoors

• Shelter

• Preventing infection

– Lambing field

– Lambing shed

– Lamb pens

• Worming

Ewe care

• Feeding

– Timing

– Fresh water

– Forage: grass, hay, silage

– Concentrates

– Feed space

• Space

• Sick ewes/ mis-mothering

Lamb care

• Breathing

• Good hygiene

• Navels – dip 10% iodine

• Colostrum

– within first 2 hours

• Carrying lambs

Colostrum

• When: Within 2 hours

• How much: 50ml per kg

• Source:

– Best from lamb’s own mother

– Supplementary

• Another ewe– Can freeze (ice-cube bags, bottles …)

• Powdered – check fat and immunoglobulin content (www.icne.co.uk)

• Cow colostrum:– Need 1/3 more

– Diseases: TB, Johnes

– Vaccinations?

– Can be immune to sheep and kill lambs! So mix from several cows.

LAMBING

Signs of lambing

Preparation (can last hours)SeparateDon’t come to feedCircleVocaliseTry to steal lambsLie down and stand up again

Start of lambingWater bagLamb within 1.5 hours If fluid dark – intervene

Lambing

• Allow enough time for natural birth

Lambing

When to intervene

• After 1 hour – check, if normal wait

• After 2 hours – intervene

• Not nose and two feet!

• ½ hour unproductive straining

• Signs of discomfort

Assisted lambings

• Good hygiene! – Washed hands ± disposable gloves

– Clean lambing ropes/snare

– Use disinfectant

– Clean straw

• Be gentle!– Lubricant

– Ideally someone to hold ewe

– Do not hurry

Immediately after lambing

• Check lamb is breathing

• Take lamb to the front of the ewe

• Check for another lamb(s) … 2nd, 3rd, 4th …

• Meconium

• Check milk

Temperature 37-39°C<37°CMild

hypo-thermia

Severe hypo-

thermia

Dry lamb

Under

5 hours

old

Warm lamb

Feed lamb

Glucose injection

Feed –stomach tube

Needs energy

Feed –stomach tube

Hypothermic lambs

Hypothermic lambs

Glucose injection

• New needle – 19 guage, 1 inch

• New syringe (50ml)

• 4ml/kg 50% glucose – 20ml - 5kg lamb

• 6ml/kg hot boiled water – 30ml - 5kg lamb

• Mark the spot with antibiotic spray– 1 inch behind and ½ inch to side of navel

• Insert needle, pointing it toward the tail-head

When to get the vet

• Lambings: Unsuccessful in 10-15minutes

• Prolapses that won’t stay in

• Dead rotten lambs

• Uterine prolapse

• Ewes with smelly back ends

• Sick ewes

• Lambs with guts out

Thank you for your attentionAny questions?

Acknowledgements

• Colostrum assessment information: Fabien Corbière DMV PhD, École Nationale Vétérinaire, Toulouse, France

• Lambing presentation images: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture & Food Economy© Queen's Printer for Ontario, 1999

• Photographs: Kerry Price, UK; Marilia Gallus, Agris, Sardinia; Phillipa Page, Flock Health Ltd, UK

• Photographs: nadis.org, farmacy.co.uk, alsco.com.au, evetdrug.co.uk, corriedhu.co.uk, teara.govt.nz

ADDITIONAL CONTENTSpecific diseases

Mastitis:

Symptoms:

• Abnormal gait

• Sick ewe

• Hungry lambs

• Udder:– Hot, swollen

– Or cold and hard

Prevention:

• Good hygiene

• Feeding/BCS

• Prevent cold exposure

• Orf prevention

• Cull/select ewe lambs

Treatment:

• Early

• Clean and milk out

• Antibiotics and anti-inflammatories

• Feed the lambs!

Vaginal prolapsesPrevention:

• Feed carefully– Avoid too fat or too thin.

• Cull.

• Don't keep daughters to breed.

Treatment:

• Wash the prolapse.

• Replace gently – flat parts of hands.

• Long acting antibiotic and anti-inflammatory.

• Call vet if:– Won't go in

– Won't stay in

– For whole uterine prolapses after lambing.

Vaginal prolapsesPrevention:

• Feed carefully– Avoid too fat or too thin.

• Cull.

• Don't keep daughters to breed.

Treatment:

• Wash the prolapse.

• Replace gently – flat parts of hands.

• Long acting antibiotic and anti-inflammatory.

• Call vet if:– Won't go in

– Won't stay in

– For whole uterine prolapses after lambing.

Twin lamb disease/Pregnancy toxaemia

Symptoms• Not eating

• Standing alone

• Dull, depressed

• Head pressing/mild head tremors

• Blindness

• Progresses to lying down

• Death

Prevention• Good nutrition

• Good body condition– Not too fat or too thin

• Avoid stress

Treatment (difficult!)• Antibiotics

• Propylene glycol/twin lamb drench

• Anti-inflammatory

• Palatable feed and clean water

• Check twice daily for lambing

• Calcium

• Rear lambs artificially

HypocalcaemiaSymptoms

• Weakness

• Bloated abdomen

• Green fluid at nostrils and lower jaw

• Difficult to distinguish from pregnancy toxaemia

Prevention

• Avoid stress in late pregnancy.

• Include calcium, phosphorus and magnesium in cereal based diets

Treatment

• Calcium injection, once or twice daily for 3 days

– 60-80ml per ewe under the skin, spread over 3 injection sites

Lamb treatments:

Watery mouth:

• Fluids

– 50ml my mouth every 3 hours

• Warm

• Keep with mother

• Antibiotics

• Anti-inflammatories

• TLC

Joint ill:

• Penicillin, 10-14days every day!

• Anti-inflammatories

• Keep restricted