Preparing for Lambing!
““Many sheep but one Shepherd.”
― Lailah Gifty Akita”
My Dad always said that showing at the county fair in 4-H was like preparing months for one game. You get once chance to do it right, and that is it. That really stuck with me and I think it is just like lambing season. You get one shot and your entire year is based on those few months. Because of that, I make sure to give the pregnant ewes all the nutrition and vaccines that are necessary to give the best possible outcome. (more on vaccines later).
It is the most exciting and stressful time of the year for a shepherd. Loss rates for lambs are probably higher than one would think. Statistically, mortality rates in lambs range from 10%-20%. http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/sheep/facts/12-031.htm) (Thus, if you have 20 lambs born then losing 2-4 lambs would not be unusual. Lambs are delicate creatures at times, and there is an old saying that “sheep are born looking for a way to die.” This is why keeping accurate records and making hard decisions about which ewes to keep and which ones need to go is important if you are not solely keeping them as pets.
Matilda with one of her ewe lambs in 2020
Lambing jugs. They are roughly 4x4 ft. Simple panels and pallets work fine
Preparation
There are a few things that I do, and have handy during gestation and lambing that make the lambing season go smoothly.
1) Barn cameras: We do not live on site at the farm, so having barn cameras to check on them during the day and night is a nice security blanket for me I rarely ever have to assist in a birth, but it is important to get the lamb in a pen (jug) with mom ASAP to make sure he/she is nursing, and to disinfect the umbilical cord. I like the cameras for this reason, so I know what I am getting into before I head to the farm. I use a Wyze camera and a wifi booster, both from amazon. But, you can also buy a wifi hotspot to use if you don’t have access to wifi. (Cricket has cheap plans for unlimited data)
2) During gestation: Nutrition is so important during the last 6 weeks of pregnancy, because that is when the majority of the development occurs. I feed our pregnant ewes .5lb of whole shelled corn, per head per day during mid gestation and continue until they lamb. Then, once lambs are born the ewes will increase their corn intake to 1lb per nursing lamb (So, for twins the ewe gets 2 lbs) and will have high quality hay and get molasses water for at least the first or day or so. This helps boost their energy and encourage water consumption. Ewes consume a LOT of water during lactation. It is important to make sure that they never run out, so having heated water buckets or frequent water checks is important to keep the milk supply going for those nursing babies.
3) Lambing jugs/pens: I make sure to have 3-4 lambing jugs set up weeks before lambs are due, because surprise births seem to still happen! These pens are nothing fancy and I use pallets and cattle panels to make them. They are roughly 4x5 and give plenty of room for the ewe and lamb. I usually keep one pen 5x5 or larger that I reserve for larger ewes with twins. After the lambs are born, they stay in those pens for a few days and up to a week. Then the moms and babies move to their communal area that I call the nursery. This area is not accessible to the rest of the flock. It is like a community for ewes and their lambs only.
SUPPLIES
Iodine- dipping the navel in Iodine keeps bacteria from causing infections such as naval ill.
Milk replacer- You can get this at TSC or any farm store.
Bottles nipples
High quality hay
Molasses- I have found warming up a bit of molasses to put in a ewe’s water really encourages them to drink and also gives them an energy boost after labor. I just started doing this two lambing seasons ago, and it isn’t absolutely necessary but they do seem to love that water after delivery.
Towels- I don’t like to dry lambs off with towels unless it is a seasoned trustworthy ewe, and it it is bitterly cold out. The risk you take with drying lambs off is that the scent may confuse the ewe. Let mom clean the lamb up and put under a heat lamp while she does it.
Heating pad- nice to have if you have a chilled lamb that isn’t necessarily hypothermic, but could use a bit of warming up.
Nutri-drench (this packs a punch to give chilled lambs energy) and a thermometer.
I also have a heat lamp handy, but I try not to use them due to fire risks, and most of the time the lambs do not need them. Only if they are small and bitterly cold in the teens, will I consider giving them a heat lamp. If a lamb is really cold, I will wrap the lamb up in a towel and heating blanket in the pen with the ewe until I can bring up the lamb’s temperature. A hypothermic lamb is one that has a temperature below 100 degrees. People often make the mistake thinking bringing a lamb into the house alone will raise the internal body temperature of a chilled or hypothermic lamb, but it won’t. You have to raise the core temperature slowly, by using temperatures over a 100 degrees. Some do this by placing the lamb in a bag and sitting them in a warm bath tub, or you can use blow dryers, heaters, or heating pads. Resist the urge to try feeding a cold lamb, because a cold lamb will not be able to digest the milk. Raise temperature first, then feed. That is why I use the nutri-drench because it helps “perk” them up while you are bringing their internal temperatures up.
Many people when they first start out raising sheep, want to have every item possible available to them. You really don’t have to! The items I listed are the essentials that I make sure to have because I almost inevitably need them every lambing season.
The barn is almost ready for 2021 lambing season, as I have a few tweaks to make before lambs start hitting the ground in February. But, every year I get so excited and this year is no different. I cannot WAIT!
Irisa drinking molasses water shortly after giving birth to twins.
