[NLL]

I can only speak as I find, I have a degree but its not in farming. We had one tup that gave us a high percentage of eye lids turning in causing ulcers on the eyeball  hes not here and we don't have the problem or the cost of the vet visits. interestingly, his daughters have given birth and it hasn't shown as passing down through him. havent used his sons yet so we will see if it is a male dominated problem. Lambing was good this year, no losses in ewes or lambs we are just about to start foaling so we hope all goes well.

[Rosemary]

Could it be the general effect of the tup on lamb vigour that impacts on presentation? And active and vigorous lamb will be better likely to get into the correct presentation than a dopey one? Although lamb size v ewe capacity would also have an influence.

Just a thought and not based on any particular experience - our flock is so small, I don't think any statistics would be significant.

[in the hills]

That's a good point Rosemary. Seems that primitives in general lamb easily. In our very limited lambing experience all were presented correctly and speaking to other Soay keepers it seems that even over 10 years lambing larger flocks they have hardly ever had malpresentations. Ewes with comparatively large pelvis and giving birth to smallish lambs that can get into the correct position maybe.

Are these tups throwing larger lambs that can't so easily get into correct birthing position.

Still can't get how they would be genetically less likely to get in position.

[ScotsGirl]

My black welsh so far that have survived have all popped out without assistance but my commercials have had a few malpresentations, mainly a leg back. Only 2 sets of triplets more tangled or backwards but lambed easily with help. I think it is random because I have used the same ram for 3 years and it's never the same ewe twice that has a problem.


The suffolks all got a bit stuck but that's just the breed I think and they were first timers.

[Marches Farmer]

We've lambed Badger Face for the last ten years and I've only ever had to pull a lamb once (a big lamb presented backwards) until this year.  Of the first six lambs so far I've had to help two: both born to ewes that lambed on their own in previous years but this year the lambs had their front legs back a little, rather than extended slightly in front of the jaw.  In both cases the inability of the ewe to push out the lamb led to an extended lambing process and the lamb's wool had started to dry out, increasing friction and compounding the problem.  The only difference this year was that instead of housing the ewes five days before lambing I brought them in five weeks early, due to the atrocious weather and pasture becoming poached, so they had much less exercise than ever before - I ratcheted down the cake ration to compensate for the comparative lack of environmental challenge.

[shep53]

I can only speak as I find, I have a degree but its not in farming. We had one tup that gave us a high percentage of eye lids turning in causing ulcers on the eyeball  hes not here and we don't have the problem or the cost of the vet visits. interestingly, his daughters have given birth and it hasn't shown as passing down through him. havent used his sons yet so we will see if it is a male dominated problem. Lambing was good this year, no losses in ewes or lambs we are just about to start foaling so we hope all goes well.

    ENTROPIA  is well documented as passing down the male line ,   if you buy a new ram with the gene and use him on the females with the gene then the % of affected lambs will be high

[SteveHants]

Now I have a pretty good degree from a pretty good university, as it happens, but I guess that doesn't show as I don't wear my college scarf when I'm attending sessions given by Defra for farmers... and I am by now resigned to being treated as an academically backward, socially and mentally inferior being by some of the so-called experts fielded to brief us.

I find a decent genetics question or why on earth they are expressing their results in percentages (when any fule kno, all you have done is transformed the data into a base 10 format which seems to make people want to infer significance without the proper statistical tests being performed - you could have just as easily log'd the lot for all the significance it holds...) soon brings on the goldfish expression.

[Me]

You need to stop talking to the goldfish then Steve, first sign of madness!

[NLL]

Thanks Shep53, I didn't know that .I will have to watch next year .I keep very detailed notes of each sheep so I will be able to trace those affected and those not.
Another question for those into genetics.......I had 4 cases of flystrike last year, not had any before, they were ewe A her daughter ,ewe B, her daughter ewe C and a lamb out of ewe A. Makes me think there must be a link and I should cull this line but I  especially  like eweB  I have 60 sheep.

[SallyintNorth]

I'm sure I've read that propensity to suffer flystrike has an hereditary component.  And that it was somewhere authoritative, like Eblex.  But my memory is truly awful so as I can't find the reference, that could be complete rubbish.

[SteveHants]

I'm sure I've read that propensity to suffer flystrike has an hereditary component.  And that it was somewhere authoritative, like Eblex.  But my memory is truly awful so as I can't find the reference, that could be complete rubbish.

I'd heard that flystrike is extremely heritable. Not sure of the source either...given that I have mostly easycares it sin't something I think about that much.

[shep53]

 The NEW ZEALANDERS who are miles ahead of us, say that  fly stike  can be highly heritable .

[JulieWall]

We had a blackface ewe with a really waxy patch above her tail. She could be spotlessly clean and still the blowfly would strike her there. It was predictable and so easy to catch and sort out, but I could believe some sheep smelled better to the blowfly than others for whatever reason.

[shygirl]

when I was pregnant, my doctor said twins is heredity from either father or mother so im sure a ram can pass this through to the ewe/lambs, I presumed the father would give identical twins though, and the mother paternal or fraternal.

[SteveHants]

Not quite - the number of eggs released is down to the female, and the male fertilises them.


However, the number of eggs a female releases is inherited in part from her father and in part from her mother, so whether you ram was one of multiples or not is really only relevant if you intend to keep his female offspring to breed from.