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United Suffolk Sheep Association |
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Bill Schaefer, DVM Preparing for Lambing Spring lambing will be here before we know it so now is the time to begin preparations. There are some considerations with the ewes that if prepared for can make lambing easier and more profitable. The condition of the ewes is important at lambing time because both ewes too fat and ewes too think can cause problems. The ewe that is too thin is more apt to have weak lambs and will not milk properly. A really thin ewe may become a downer ewe due to lack of energy and calcium. On the other hand the overly fat ewe may be more prone to pregnancy disease and delivery problems. Pregnancy toxicity or ketosis occurs when the ewe’s energy intake in advanced pregnancy is inadequate. The ewe breaks down fat which forms ketone bodies that cause the ewe to become sick. These ewes will be slow and if left untreated will go off feed and eventually go down and be unable to rise. Treatment includes propylene glycol and calcium dextrose. We give our ewes in advanced pregnancy the 250# protein tubs. I do this more for the molasses (quick energy) than for the protein. Since we began using the tubs our incidence of pregnancy toxicity has dropped dramatically. Some of these tubs contain Copper so make sure that they have a sheep label. Ewes also need grain as pregnancy advances. The amount of grain depends on the condition of the ewe but the average would be 1 to 4# daily with adequate roughage. I personally like to shear the ewes prior to lambing. I have heard the pros and cons of doing this over the years but I really like the ewes to lamb with less than 1 inch of wool. In all climates the ewes will go in the barn to lamb if they are sheared. It is easier to deal with lambing problems if the ewe is in short wool and ewes are not as apt to lie on lambs in the jug. Abortions are almost always a problem for someone during the lambing season. The most common causes of abortion are Chlamydia and Campylobacter. These abortions usually occur during the last 2-4 weeks of gestation. There are vaccines for both that I believe helps but they are not 100%. Abortion storms start quickly and can escalate quickly. LA 200 is the treatment of choice and will usually stop the abortion storm. I usually have my clients give all the ewes that have not lambed 5 cc of LA 200 each. Sometimes the abortions will stop only to begin again in 2-4 weeks. We again give all the ewes that have not lambed another 5 cc of LA 200 and continue this until lambing is finished. Usually at the same time we begin to top dress the feed with Aureomycin at a level of 150 to 200 milligrams per head per day. The combinations of LA 200 and the Aureomycin will usually stop abortions in their tracks. If Tetracycline will not stop the abortions then the cause needs to be reexamined. Vaginal prolapses can be very frustrating and sometimes hard to deal with. I believe it is very important if possible to get breeding dates on the ewes. Breeding dates are important because they help define the options that you have with the prolapsed ewe. If the ewe is prolapsed and within 3 days of her lambing date I would induce her to lamb, but if she is 3 weeks from lambing another course is needed. Sometimes prolapses can be controlled by removing all roughage from the ewe in order to control her fill and give her more room for the lambs. Other treatments for prolapses include spoons, harnesses or vaginal suturing. All of these techniques can be helpful in certain situations. Parasite counts increase during the last few weeks of pregnancy. If possible, I would wait until the ewe comes out of the lambing pen to worm her. Ewes that are thin, weak or in any way debilitated should be wormed prior to lambing. If you have a question about your ewes either run fecals of use the eye test to check for worms. You can check the sclera of the eye by lifting the eyelid and checking for vessels and color in the white part of the eye. There should be vessels seen because a sclera devoid of vessels may indicate a wormy sheep. The more eyes that you check the better you will be at detecting wormy ewes. These are some of the things that you can do prior to lambing that may help save ewes and lambs when lambing begins. Good luck in the 2007 lambing season………..
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