Brilley Court Farm 15th March – 6th April
2013
My first Easter holiday took me deep into the hills of
Herefordshire on the Welsh border for three weeks of intense lambing. The farm
had over 1100 ewes due to lamb and so we had our work cut out.
The ewes were brought in 6 weeks before their due date to
increase their condition score and allow them to get onto a rising plan of nutrition.
However this year they could not get the ewes in until four weeks before they
were due which led to the ewes having a poorer body conditioning and more
skinny ewes which presented more problems at lambing. These ewes were not
producing sufficient milk if at all and so were given a twin lamb supplement which
was a vitamin and mineral supplement which in most cases increased milk yields
within 24hours of administration.
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| Contents of the Twin lamb supplement |
During this period the lambs required a source of colostrum
and so were given two 100ml doses of artificial replacement 6 hours apart
followed by milk replacement every 6 hours. However sometimes the ewe would not
start producing milk and so the lambs were taken off and put on a foster ewe –
a ewe would had lost her lambs but still had plenty of milk. This worked very
well for the majority of lambs.
Colostrum was also given to particularly weak, small,
hypothermic lambs to give them a boost. We had a lot of small lambs that just
did not thrive and so were brought into the hot box if there rectal temperature
was below the normal range of 39-40°C and given colostrum. Between 37-39°C
(mild hypothermia) the lamb was left with the ewe but was given milk
replacement or colostrum depending on the age of the lamb (milk replacer for
lambs over 24 hours). Below 37°C the lamb was brought into the hot box
and fed until its temperature returned to 37°C.
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| Composition of the colotrum |
The colostrum came in individual bottles to which warm water
was added and could then be given via stomach tube. Warm water is used as it
encourages closure of the oesophageal groove, which is especially important
when stomach tubing as there is no suckling reflex that also stimulates closure
of the groove. If the groove does not close, milk enters the rumen where it ferments
and is a cause of scours. Lambs are correctly tubed by gently passing the tube
to the back of mouth and feeling for the swallow reflex. It can then be passed
down into the abomasum. If the lamb has been correctly tubed, the lamb will
look comfortable and may well chew the tub
Hygiene is important when tubing lambs as they have an
undeveloped immune system. All tubes, syringes and measuring jugs were kept in
a solution of Milton which was replaced daily.
A normal lambing
The ewes were kept in large indoor pens of around 60 ewes before
lambing and taken into individual pens once they have lambed. It is important to
keep checking the pens for ewes that are showing signs that they are about to
lamb. These include:
-
restlessness
-
increased vocalisation
-
dropped sides or flanks
-
slime from vulva
-
contractions / straining
-
lifting head to sky and pursing lips
-
waterbag hanging from vulva
The
ewe will normally have lambed within 45 minutes of these signs being
identified.
Once
the ewe has lambed, it was left with the lamb(s) for 5-10 minutes to allow her
to begin licking the lambs dry and forming a bond. That way the ewe will
usually follow when you pick up the lambs and carry them into an individual
pen. Although some ewes, especially ewe lambs which were lambing for the first
time, did not follow and had to be caught and rounded into the pens.
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| Spectam - given orally at birth |
The
lambs then had their navels sprayed with iodine to reduce the spread of
infection via the navel. Note, the umbilical cord is torn and note cut as the
tearing action cuts of the blood supply and prevents haemorrhaging. They also
orally received a shot of spectam – an antibiotic that prevents watery
mouth in lambs. The final job is to check that the ewe is producing milk. There
were three main reasons why ewes may not have been producing milk:
-
They had not ‘bagged up’ yet. The udder felt
normal but small - these ewes usually
had started producing milk within an hour or two of lambing and usually
required no further action.
-
A skinny, poorly conditioned ewe. These ewes rarely
bagged up and did not show any improvement after 1-2 hours. These ewes as
mentioned above were given a supplement and the lambs tubed.
-
Mastitis in one or
both quarters. The affected quarter feels hard, lumpy and hot. Any ewes were
given 1ml/25kg (3ml) of strep and pen
antibiotics into the proximal muscle of the hindlimb. The lambs were fed via
stomach tube until the ewe started producing milk. However in some cases the
ewe did not begin producing milk before the ewe was meant to go out to grass.
In these cases the lambs were taken off the ewe and put on a foster ewe.
Ewes that have had assistance are also given antibiotics to
prevent infection that may have been introduced during the lambing procedure.
Antibiotics used to treat mastitis:
Presentations of lambs
If a ewe has been showing lambing signs for 30-45 minutes
without getting any further she may have a difficult presentation or a very
large lamb and may require some assistance. The following presentations are
quite common and are normally the reason why a ewe has not lambed on her own.
One of the most difficult presentations in my opinion is a
head back lamb. This is because even when the head is brought into the correct
position it often flips back and can often get stuck under the rim of the
pelvis if you continue to pull. The most important thing with these lambs is to
get the head into the correct position. This is often done with the help of a
lambing snare or bailing twine that is used to keep the head within the birth
canal. The snare or twine is looped behind the ears of the lamb and the knot is
placed within the mouth of the lamb.
Single lambs can be difficult, as they tend to be much
larger and can be difficult with small ewes. Conversely, twins and triplets,
although generally smaller in size, can be difficult as multiple lambs can
enter the birth canal. Therefore extra care must be taken to ensure that the
two legs that are presenting are from the same ewe. Although it must be noted,
even though scanning is fairly accurate these days, it is always worth checking
for more lambs especially if you are assisting a ewe anyway.
For any assisted lambings, lubricant is highly recommended.
Sometimes, especially for large, single lambs a little application of lubricant
is all that is required.
We had a few deformed, stillborn lambs with jaw defects and
I even had one ‘mummified’ lamb – a foetus
that died in the womb and had begun to be reabsorbed.
We had a few
Schmallenberg cases where stillborn lambs showed arthrogryposis
or "contracted tendons" - deformities to the joints of the legs.
However on a farm just a few miles away they had just 30 lambs from over 120
ewes this lambing season.
‘Schmallenberg virus is in the Simbu serogroup of the
Orthobunyavirus group. This group of viruses includes many different viruses
which occur in Asia, Africa and Australia, but have not previously been
identified in Europe. Schmallenberg Virus is similar to some other animal
disease pathogens including Akabane and Shamonda viruses, which are transmitted
by vectors, such as midges, mosquitoes and ticks.
In newborn animals and foetuses, the disease is
associated in animals born alive or dead at term or aborted following infection
of the dam, affecting mainly sheep but also cattle and goats. Malformations
observed include bent limbs and fixed joints, brain deformities and marked
damage to the spinal cord. Persistent flexion of the joints (arthrogryposis or
"contracted tendons") is reported to be a common birth defect.
However, arthrogryposis can also be inherited as an autosomal recessive
condition therefore veterinary investigation is essential. Some animals
are born with a normal appearance but have nervous signs such as a 'dummy'
presentation or blindness, ataxia, recumbency, an inability to suck, and
sometimes seizures. The foetal deformities vary depending on when infection
occurred during pregnancy.’
Diet
The ewes have access to forage silage before lambing and hay after lambing. They are also given a concentrate in pellet form and the pre-lambing ewes are also given a daily mineral supplement.
The ewes have access to forage silage before lambing and hay after lambing. They are also given a concentrate in pellet form and the pre-lambing ewes are also given a daily mineral supplement.
After 2-3 days the lambs have their
tails docked, males are castrated and the ewes and lambs are numbered ready to
put them out to pasture. Both castration and tail docking is done with rubber
rings. Tail docking is done so that all parts of the animal is covered i.e. in
males the tail covers the anus and in ewe lambs the tail must cover the anus
and vulva. Castration is done by pinching above the testicles to ensure both
are within the scrotum and within the rubber ring. This also means the ring can
be as low as possible as to avoid trapping the urethra within the rubber ring.
One thing that became very apparent
after speaking to the Farm Manager is that the Vet is rarely called out. When
weighing up the cost of a caesarian against economic potential of both ewe and
lamb if it rarely cost efficient to spend money on a caesarian especially if
the ewe is old or that the lamb may not survive. The only time that it may be
worthwhile is if the ewe is particularly valuable.
I also had two ewes that had vaginal
prolapses - one which required a prolapse
harness to keep it in place. The prolapse must first be cleaned with a mild,
lukewarm disinfectant before replacing with a clenched fist. For one the ewes
this was enough and she did not relapse but the other ewe had to have a harness
fitted which puts pressure on the vulva, preventing a prolapse.
One ewe had to be injected with a calcium borogluconate 20% solution
after showing symptoms of hypocalcaemia. She was ‘flat’, would not get up and
had tremors and spasms. I gave her 100ml into three subcutaneous areas, behind
the elbow and in front of the stifle. The solution also contains Mg as the
symptoms of hypomagnesaemia are very similar the hypocalcaemia (hypomagnesaemia
is preceded by hyperexcitability). She responded within the hour and was up on
her feet. However she did require a second dose 24 hours later and she relapsed
– something that is quite common with hypocalcaemia cases.
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| Contents of the borogluconate 20% solution given to hypocalaemic ewes |
Timeline
MID January – inject early lambers with
HeptaVac P+ (as an aid in the control of lamb
dysentery, pulpy kidney, tetanus and pasteurellosis in their lambs provided
that the lambs receive sufficient immune colostrum during the first 1-2 days of
life.)
MID February – inject main group of
lambers also with HeptaVac P+
LATE March / April - Lambs are put out
with ewes
EARLY MID May – Drench Lambs with Zermex
June – inject lambs with Ovivac P+ (For
the active immunisation of lambs as an aid in the control of pulpy kidney,
tetanus, braxy and blackleg caused by Cl.perfringens type D, Cl.septicum,
Cl.tetani and Cl.chauvoei. The vaccine may be used as an aid in the
control of pneumonic pasteurellosis in sheep of all ages from a minimum age of
3 weeks and in the control of systemic pasteurellosis in weaned fattening and
breeding sheep.)
Although the vaccine may be safely used
in pregnant ewes as an aid in the control of pulpy kidney, tetanus and
pasteurellosis in their lambs, the vaccine contains no lamb dysentery component
and therefore control of this important disease cannot be achieved by its use.
June / July – Dip Lambs, ewes and rams –
using a pour-on non OP product for prevention of blowfly and ticks.
July – second injection for lambs and
drench
July / August – lambs are weaned and
moved onto separate pasture
August – Dip ewes, lamb and rams - using a pour-on product
September – Drench lambs
September / October – drench ewes and
run with rams (tupping)
October / November – lambs are brought
indoors to fatten up
December
- last batches sent to slaughter at an Abattoir in Aberysterwyth
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| Oral sheep wormer or 'drencher' |
HeptaVac P+ information - http://www.msd-animal-health.co.uk/Products_Public/Heptavac_P_Plus/Datasheet.aspx
http://www.msd-animal-health.co.uk/Products_Public/Ovivac_P_Plus/Datasheet.asp
Interesting Cases -
Interesting Cases -
This lamb was born with a joint defect. Although born naturally it sadly did not survive.
This was one of the tiny quadruplets we had. There were at least 6 sets of quadruplets born and despite the size, at least one lamb from each survived.
These two videos (if they work, I've had mixed success!) show a lamb with progressed swayback. By this stage there was nothing we could have done.
However there also were some success stories and happy endings:
I had a fantastic time lambing - it was exhausting and coming home, I can safely say I have never slept for so long and so deeply!
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