Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
— until the next day when the thief had two of her own. In this case it worked
out okay — she raised both her twins and the one she'd stolen the previous
day, but sometimes a ewe won't pay any attention to her own lambs after she's
confi scated somebody else's.
Feeding habits change when a ewe is close-up. She may refuse a grain
feeding just before lambing, or she may walk away from a feeder and plop out
a lamb.
Ewes, especially those that are huge with twins or triplets, start grunting
several days before lambing, as they lie down or get up. The vulva relaxes and
often is a little pinker than before, but it should not be protruding or red,
which could be the beginning of a prolapse (see chapter 8).
Some ewes may have a mucous discharge, which can be clear or slightly
bloody, starting about 2 days before they actually go into labor. They may also
discharge mucus for up to a week after. (If the discharge is yellow or looks like
pus, then she has an infection.)
Labor is beginning when the ewe lies down with her nose pointed up, then
strains and grunts. Early in labor, the water bag appears. It looks like a balloon
protruding from the vulva and is a dark, bluish red. How long labor lasts varies
from animal to animal but is largely infl uenced by age. First-time ewes usually
take signifi cantly longer than do older ewes.
Helping Out
Most lambs are born without assistance and without trouble, but there are
times when you're going to need to help out, and it's always a quandary trying
to decide when to help and when to butt out. You want to give the mama time
to expel the lamb herself if she can but not wait until she has stopped trying.
A good rule of thumb is to allow half an hour to an hour after the water bag
breaks, or up to 2 hours of labor, before you jump in. Wait a little while longer
for fi rst-time ewes: say, up to 3 hours.
If a ewe has been at it for a long time and is showing no sign of action,
get her up and walking. If she's in a small jug, move her out so she can get
exercise.
The size of the pelvic opening is usually large enough for the lamb's body
to come out if it is in the normal position, with the front legs and the head
coming fi rst. If it is not in this position, delivery is seldom possible without
some repositioning of the lamb or veterinary assistance. Even a single lamb
can achieve many abnormal positions, and since there are often two or more
lambs being born, the situation can become even more complicated.
 
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