Lambing

Lambing today started with two stillborn rotten lambs. This was evident as I pulled the first leg and it came off the lambs body, with the head also falling off the other. It was important to get these lambs out of the ewe as quickly as possible, to prevent any risk of infection that she may have been open to by carrying the rotten lambs. The ewe was cleaned up, and I injected her with 10ml of Penicillin, which would help to attack any bacteria in the uterus and again therefore reduce the risk of infection spreading.
Second on the agenda was a ewe with a severe prolapse. With the help of the Shepard, the ewe was caught and taken to the nearby sheds, where I filled a large bucket with water. This was used to clean the uterus, as it had been outside the body for a period of time, and therefore had mud and dirt on it. This had to be thoroughly cleaned before the uterus was put back inside the ewe, once more preventing infection. The Shepard held the ewe by the back legs so that she was upright, with the uterus pointing upwards. This allowed gravity to play a part in helping the uterus back into the body.
By applying firm pressure to the uterus, I was able to push it back into the ewe, ensuring that it was inside far enough. However, unfortunately, she kept pushing and so the Shepard decided that the vaginal opening should be stitched, simply to prevent the uterus from coming out once more. This was done in a way that allowed the stitch to hold as much flesh as possible to ensure that the vaginal opening did not tear.
During the stitching, the Shepard pointed out that it was important not to pull the stitch too tight, as the ewe would not be able to urinate. So if this measure must be taken, the opening after stitching should still be able to fit two fingers into for this reason.
This particular ewe was not ready to lamb, but would be in the next few days. Therefore the Shepard kept her in a enclosure with other ill and 'difficult' ewes, so that she could be identified easier than if she was in the flock. This is important, as the stitch must be removed before lambing, otherwise the lining around the vagina would tear in labour, and this would cause all sorts of problems for the ewe.

Next, on the rounds we noticed that a ewe with twins who I had delivered the previous evening, had a lamb that was extremely thin and emaciated. Both lambs and the ewe were taken back up to the farmhouse, where the Shepard tried to get the thinner lamb to suckle, however it was clear that the mother was not producing enough milk to feed both lambs.
Each lamb, when just born, can drink up to 400ml of milk but these two were not getting anywhere near this due to the ewes lack of milk. I therefore measured up some dried milk powder specifically for lambs, ensuring that the instructions of two heaped spoonfuls to 1/2 a litre was followed closely. The powder was mixed with warm water, so that as far as possible it resembled the ewes own milk. The mixture was then fed into a syringe with a long tube, which was fed down each lambs throat, and allowed to run through. Immediately, a difference in the body shape could be seen. A sign of how important milk is in the first few weeks and months of a lambs life. However, unfortunately this did not solve the problem of the ewe not producing enough milk for both lambs.
Later in the day a ewe with a single lamb, with what felt like a good supply of milk went into labour. The smaller lamb from the ewe who was not producing enough milk was separated from its mother and I gave it a thorough wash in a large bucket of water. This is done for two reasons. The first is to remove all scent and trace of its real mother and its twin from its coat, so the adoptive mother believes that it is its own, and does not reject the lamb. The second is to ensure that the blood and mucus from the delivery of the adoptive mother, sticks to the lambs coat, again making the ewe think that this is indeed her lamb. As I delivered the ewes own lamb, I ensured the the smaller lamb was covered all over with the scent of the delivered lamb, by rubbing it all over the other lambs body. The two lambs were then left to bond with the ewe, who fortunately accepted the lamb.

I dealt with today also, a ewe which was giving birth head first, as opposed to the front feet. This was noticed, again on the rounds when a ewe was spotted with the lambs head hanging out of the vagina. The Shepard told me, that although the head was clear, that the lamb would have died if it had not been dealt with within half a day, as it would simply have suffocated, due to not being able to breathe sufficiently.
When the ewe was safely into the lambing pen, the Shepard told me how to get a ewe onto its side ready for the lambing. This is done by tilting the head upwards and turning it back towards the ewes rear end. At the same time the rear end is pushed, so that the ewe falls onto her side. At this point, it is important to kneel beside the ewe, so that if she attempts to get up, you are in a position to prevent her from doing so, until you have finished the lambing.
This particular lambing was slightly different from a normal delivery, as I mentioned, as the legs did not come out first. This meant that since the head was visible, I had to work with what was there and put my hand behind the head, ensuring that the lamb was not throttled. By pulling firmly on the head, I was able to work the shoulders clear, making sure that the legs were following in a way that would enable me to bring the lamb out. Once the front legs were clear, the rest of the delivery continued as normal. When the lamb was clear from the ewe, I pulled away the lining and mucus from its face, and ensured that it gave its first cough before leaving, as this signals its first successful breath.

Today I learnt a great many things, including, not to hold a lamb up against your own body, as this puts the lambs scent onto you, and can confuse a ewe.
I also learnt of the importance of the bond between the ewe and her lamb, and that this, wherever possible, must be maintained. The Shepard, also showed me how to skin a dead lamb, so that this could be used, as a means of disguising a lamb as a ewes own. The skin is placed over the lamb that we want to be accepted by a ewe who has just lost the lamb, and this works just as effectively as the way that I mentioned previously.

I also learnt of the importance of maintaining health and safety during the lambing period. Since farmers and Shepard's are not able to bury any dead livestock, the bodies must be bagged, and sent to, in this farms case, Durham, where they can be disposed of responsibly by incineration.
The Shepard that I worked with told me that a useful thing to do during the lambing season, is to place some dead lambs on the perimeter fence, so that any foxes present in the area, take off and eat, the dead lambs, and do not enter the lambing field to worry the sheep and take off the living lambs.

The Shepard told me that a sheep's gestation period is approximately 6 months, with 75% of foetus growth taking place in the last 6 weeks of this. Therefore this period is the most important of the gestation period, and a time that the most care must be taken to ensure that the ewes are not exposed to any outside factors that could significantly affect the growth and development of the lambs.
Working with a man who has so much experience with sheep and lambing over the years, has enabled me to learn a great deal about these animals and the lambing process, and these are all lessons that I will use when lambing again in the future.