 Appropriate management of the ewe and neonatal lamb ◦ Vaccinations ◦ Drenches  Preparation and planning for lambing  Equipment  Housing

 A successful lambing depends on good preparation and management ◦ Suitable breeding strategy to match resources ◦ Correct nutrition/condition scoring ◦ Scanning and acting on the information ◦ Having all equipment/medicines in place ◦ Good hygiene and ventilation ◦ Good housing/lambing pen layout ◦ Efficient labour/time management

 Well planned housing is an essential part of any indoor lambing system  Sheep may be:  ◦ Housed for lambing period only ◦ Housed 6 – 12 weeks before lambing ◦ Temporarily housed due to weather

 Floor type? ◦ Straw ◦ Slats – concrete/wooden/mesh/plastic?  Pros – cons for all flooring types?  Essentials ◦ Good Ventilation – critical ◦ Clean hygienic conditions ◦ Adequate clean water

 Space requirements - 25 ewes/pen – ideal Feed Space  Lowland ewes0.45m  Hill ewes0.30m

 Lower mortality ◦ Lower contact with disease ◦ Avoid lambing on same areas each year to reduced disease build up  Utilises grass growth/reduces concentrate feeding  May need to provide sheltered areas/use of hedges, stone walls, tree shelter  Main option - Set stock lambing ◦ Specific number of ewes in each paddock prior to lambing ◦ Number is determined by feed available for the next days

 Hospital / isolation area / heat bulbs  Warm water  Separate area for orphan / pet lambs  Lambing pens / shelter  Lighting  Heat

 Anthelmintics (Doses)  Prolapse retainers/ harness  Twin lamb treatments  Materials for marking and recording  Elastrator  Ear notchers  Lubricant  Buckets  Footrot spray  Lambing aids /ropes  Antibiotic  Syringes and needles  Gloves

 Warming box  Iodine  Colostrum replacer  Milk replacer  Stomach tubes  Thermometer  Electrolyte  Glucose  Oral antibiotics  Infrared lamps  Spectam scour halt  Lamb adopter

 Pregnant women who come into close contact with sheep during lambing may risk their own health and that of their unborn child, from infections which can occur in some ewes

 Suspected abortions – consult with your Vet - send aborted lambs/Placenta for diagnosis  Isolate aborted ewe(s) – until post lambing  Clean/Disinfect affected lambing area  Cull aborted ewes! (Take Vet. Advice)  Do not sell as breeding stock!

 Ewe straining for 1 hour but no sign of a lamb at the vulva  Part of the lamb is visible at the vulva but the ewe is making no progress  The ewe is wet behind or bloodstained and straining but making no progress  Ewe has lambed one lamb but is still straining and making no progress with second

 Restrain the ewe  Clean / wash hands / gloves  Use copious amounts of lubrication  Be gentle  Manipulate lamb in the womb not in the birth canal  If no progress is made within minutes get veterinary assistance  Difficult lambings can result in lambs being more likely to suffer from hypothermia  Give ewe antibiotic, watch for her cleaning and ensure she licks her lambs  Check teats for milk  Don't rush/force lamb, allow lamb to rest for a short time after lambing while attached to placenta

 If inexperienced – get advice/help ◦ You need to know the lambs feet and lamb presentations  Use rubber gloves/lubricant  Clean/hygienic lambing pens  (Veterinary session – focus on lambing the ewe)

 As for calves….

 Natural lambing EU

 Joint/navel ill (Infection/dirty conditions)  Watery mouth (Lack of quality colostrum)  Scour (E.coli, Cryptospiridia)  Broken ribs/limbs (Damaged or hurt in lambing or by the ewe)  Swayback (Mineral deficiency)  Hypothermia/exposure (Usually low birth weight, lack of milk and cold/wet conditions)  Clostridial diseases…  White muscle disease (Selenium deficiency)  Entropion (Genetic eye condition)

Size of lamb Colostrum Requirement Large single lamb (5kg)250 ml/feed 4 X daily Medium lamb (4kg)200 ml/feed 4 X daily Small lamb (3kg)100 ml/feed 4 X daily

 Lamb down in clean environment  Treat navel with 10% iodine immediately after birth  Ensure colostrum within 1 st 6 hours ◦ Colostrum quality ◦ Check udder, give additional if required  Place in clean lambing pen  Check bonding  Tail / rubber ring lambs within 7 days  Dose ewes  Tag / record lambs

“Clostridial diseases & pneumonia”

 Clostridial diseases cause rapid death and can cause huge losses in unprotected flocks  As these diseases are an ever present risk, they should be controlled by vaccination (e.g. Covexin 8, Bravoxin 10, Heptavac P Plus)

DiseaseAge of OnsetClostridia Lamb Dysentry1-10 daysPerfringens Pulpy Kidney1-6 mthsPerfringens Struck1 yrPerfringens TetanusLambs/ adultsTetani BraxyFirst winterSepticum BlacklegLambs/ adultsChauvei Black DiseaseAdults winterOedematiens Gas GangreneAdultsChauvei

Vaccination

 Two doses of vaccine at a 4-6 week interval, produces sufficient antibodies to protect a ewe for the first year with sufficient spare, via colostrum, to protect its lamb(s), providing the secondary or booster dose is given 4-6 weeks before lambing.  It is advisable to vaccinate the flock as two separate groups with the later lambing ewes vaccinated one week to 10 days later than those ewes lambing during the first week.

An effective clostridial vaccination schedule for:  Ewes: (i) Primary course–Two doses 4-6 weeks apart (ii) Booster– 4-6 weeks before lambing (iii) repeat booster annually

An effective clostridial vaccination schedule for:  Lambs for vaccinated ewes Which will be kept over 12 weeks either for slaughter or breeding (i) Primary course-at 8 weeks and again at 14 weeks of age (ii) Booster (for breeding lambs only) with the adult ewes and rams pre-lambing time

An effective clostridial vaccination schedule for:  Lambs out of unvaccinated or inadequately vaccinated ewes (i) Primary course– at 2 week and then again at 6 weeks  Or rely on 200ml of fresh or frozen colostrum from a vaccinated ewe at birth

 Septicaemia in young lambs  Pneumonia in older sheep  Mastitis in ewes  Pneumonia caused by pasteurellosis is the biggest killer of growing and adult sheep in the UK  Found in 95% healthy sheep, but can cause disease when the animal is under stress

Twin Lamb Disease Grass tetany (Magnesium deficiency) Milk fever (Hypocalcaemia)

 A metabolic disorder occurs last 4-6 weeks of pregnancy, mainly ewes carrying multiples  It occurs due to a lack of energy  Signs ◦ Ewe isolates herself ◦ Looks dull, will not eat ◦ Might appear blind, stands motionless or lies down ◦ Easy to catch, fine tremors on handling

 Prevention:  Good Body scores (6 -8 wks) pre-lambing  Scan ewes and feed according  Remove older thinner ewes/broken mouths which are more susceptible  If ewes go untreated they are likely to die or have poor weak lambs at birth

Treatment:  Twin lamb drench (propylene glycol) and offer good quality concentrate and forage.  If ewe fails to respond, she requires intravenous glucose (+/- calcium)

Be prepared …  Ensure correct feeding/condition scoring ◦ Act on scanning/body score information  Clean hygienic conditions/Keep sheep clean and well bedded  Clean water supply  Ensure lambs receive adequate good quality colostrum

 Monitor closely at lambing but give sufficient time  Timely veterinary treatments (Read instructions) Problems - Get veterinary diagnosis  Inexperienced – get advice/call the vet