The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: Bionic on April 11, 2014, 11:10:20 am
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OH got up at 4.30 this morning to check the last 2 ewes waiting to lamb. A first timer was in labour. There was quite a struggle, a big head appeared and we could see a white hoof. After about 30 mins it was clear that despite her contractions not much else was moving. OH 'went in' and realised that one front leg was facing the wrong way. Quickly got the book out - tried pushing lamb back in to get both feet free but it wouldn't work.
In the end at 5.50am he managed to pull the lamb out and surprisingly it was fine. Mum did all the right things and we left them to it for a bit, checking in every 10 mins or so. Just after 8am OH said there was another lamb coming. This one came out very quickly without any help. Mum now has 2 lovely ewe lambs.
The first we have named Usa (Indian for Dawn), it seemed quite appropriate as she was born around dawn. The second one we have named Ulu, which is Nigerian for second born.
Fingers crossed :fc: that they are all ok
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Well done lovely names :sheep:
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Well done! And lovely names :)
Pictures at your earliest convenience.... ;)
For future reference, here is my "practical lamber's" guide (by which I mean, what I do ;)) to One Front Leg Back.
- If you can reach the other leg, and get your hand around the hoof so you can keep it from touching the walls of the birth canal as you bring it forwards, then hook it forwards and proceed as for a normal presentation
- If you judge that the lamb is slight enough to come out with that leg back, assist the ewe as she contracts with gentle pressure - if it is solidly wedged and not budging then you may need to push the lamb back in in order to get the other leg forward. But with some breeds, for instance a purebred Swaledale, the lamb and its shoulders are generally slender enough to come through even with one leg back. But if it were a ewe with a narrow pelvis, and/or a lamb with bigger shoulders (eg a continental meat breed), and the lamb isn't budging, then you probably do need to re-present the lamb.
- To push the lamb back in, place your hand fully over the face / forehead - as though you were an American evangelist about to bless or exorcise one of your human flock! - and push steadily. Stop pushing when the ewe pushes against you, but hold your position so that she can't push the lamb back out at all. Then as her contraction ends, continue pushing the lamb back in. (You need to be able to do this if you ever have a 'head only' presentation, because you absolutely cannot lamb a head with no feet.) Suddenly it will be easier to push - that means the shoulders are back in the open. Do not lose hold of the head! And keep a finger wrapped around the leg you have got, too, so you don't lose that either. Continue pushing - slowly - until the head is in the open. Now track back up the head, neck, shoulder, to find the errant leg. (It's important to track back for it, because if there are two lambs and the other was ready and waiting to follow on, you could pick up one of its legs by mistake.) Bring the leg forward, join it with its oppo, line them up along the nose, and bring the feet and nose through together. The moment of re-entry can be critical - sometimes the head wants to flop back, so try to keep the nose between the front legs. Now proceed as for a normal presentation.
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Sally, thanks for all that info.
The ewe is a Ryeland but she is quite small. In fact we didn't lamb from her last year because of her size.
She has now given me 2 of the best sized lambs I have had. She does look a bit worn out and didn't want to get up after the second one, although was licking the lambs ok. A blue bucket tempted her to get on her feet :) and she is also drinking well.
We gave her a dose of pen and strep to be on the safe side too.
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Glad they arrived safely, Sally. ;D
When yours have twins is there often such a long gap between them? Our twins have always arrived within 20-30 mins of each other.
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ITH, we have had 2 other sets of twins and both took a look time in between. The first one was about 1.5 hours and we lost the second lamb. Our local farmer said we should have assisted but we didn't realise there were twins. He told us to feel the ewes stomach. We then went on to have a healthy set and there was about an hour in between. This morning we did feel the ewes stomach but obviously our inexperience shows as we didn't feel the second lamb.
Thank god I only have one left to lamb. I am nervous about that one though. She had a prolapse on Tuesday and is wearing a harness so we need to unclip the harness as soon as we see something happening. It means I daren't take my eyes off of her.
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Just taken these pics. Ulu is on the left and climbing her mums back. The other is Usa.
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Aww, cuties, well done! :)
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They are lovely :love:
Neighbour showed us how to feel for a second lamb .... ours weren't scanned .... but to be honest I couldn't tell for definite :dunce:. Think that would come with experience. Luckily ours always arrived very fast.
Missed lambing this year :(. Had to go for my 'fix' at one of the farms yesterday. Couple there had spilled their beds and had were harnessed. Good luck with yours. :fc:
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congrats , lovely to see - we also only have calves this year, no lambs kids or even chicks until we have moved house. having withdrawal symptoms tho!
that's really helpful info sally. :thumbsup:
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Awww :love: :sheep:
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Glad all went well in the end. A fab pair :hugsheep:
:fc: your last girl sails through
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Lovely. :fc: for the last one.
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Even though we've only got a small flock, we get them scanned now.
The stress of not knowing whether to expect another one was too much...... added to which we tend to feed the twin carrying ewes a little more.
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Well done Bionic, especially for your vidulance - and what a great description SITN - last year I wouldn't have understood but 2nd year daily at local farm, now left on my own and managing but my heart skips a beat ever so often!!
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what a lovely read, :thumbsup:
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So cute :love: And well done for getting them out :thumbsup: