Backyard Livestock by George B. Looby

Author:George B. Looby
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Countryman Press
Published: 2017-03-24T16:00:00+00:00

Problems During Lambing

Sometimes 3 to 4 hours are required during lambing. Examine the ewe a half hour after the first water bag is passed and note her progress. Have all those helping wash their hands thoroughly. If you enter the ewe with your hand, coat it first with a lubricant such as petroleum jelly. Make sure your fingernails are short and smooth, and if possible bend your fingers at the knuckle before inserting them to avoid scratching. Lay the ewe on her right side and probe with your hand, trying to determine if the lamb is in the proper position. Ideally, its nose should be between its feet. (Now you can see the benefit of having your ewes tame and used to your presence.)

A few hints: To distinguish between the front and hind leg, feel above the knee. The hind leg will have a prominent tendon; the front leg, muscle. If the hooves of the lamb are pointed down (toward the backbone of the ewe), they are probably front legs coming in the normal position. If they are pointed up, they are probably the hind legs and the lamb is being presented backwards.

The most common difficulty is when one or both front feet are folded underneath the lamb. In the case of one foot being folded back, tie a soft string around the presented leg (so it will not be “lost” in this procedure) with plenty of string protruding. Then push the lamb back slowly and gently. By sliding your hand down the neck, you can locate the leg that is turned back and straighten it out. The lamb is then in the normal delivery position and should be delivered without further problems. If the ewe is too fatigued and cannot pass the lamb unaided, use nylon twine to make a noose that is placed behind the ears and then into the mouth. String tied around the feet can be pulled along with the loop and the lamb should come. You can pull quite hard, surprisingly, without hurting the lamb. However, always pull with the ewe’s contractions.

In the case of both front legs being doubled back, try the same procedure as outlined above. If that does not work, place a loop of string around the lamb’s head, with the knot in its mouth. Elevate the ewe’s hindquarters and gently force the lamb back until you can run your hand down the neck and flip the legs through the pelvic arch. If the head has not slipped back through the arch, start it through before you start the legs through. In all of the above operations, lubricant applied to the vaginal wall will make it easier to maneuver the lamb into position.

Often, in the case of hard labor, the head of the lamb swells and makes lambing even more difficult. If the head is turned to either the right or the left, and you find it impossible to keep it in position to work it into the birth canal, fashion a loop of twine or nylon string as suggested above.

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