Medical Tips
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Gestation
Normal gestation for a sheep is 147 days. However, pregnancies may vary from 138 - 159 days. Below is a gestation calculator that will help you estimate your lambing date.
Lambing
Lambing Signs
Use the gestation calculator to more accurately get a due date. In our past experience, the ewe's vulva/vaginal area will begin to swell within a week before she lambs. Also, her bag will become full if there are no problems such as mastitis. You can almost always be sure that your ewe will lamb in the wee hours of the morning around 3 or 4 am. So as the due date moves closer, be sure to check your ewe frequently in case she has difficulty with labor. The stages of labor for a sheep generally take 3 hours for the entire process.
Assisting the Ewe in birth
If you notice your ewe has been pushing for a while, but no babies are coming out, some help might be needed. The lamb, or lambs (it is very common for sheep to have multiple births) might be breech or turned in a way that the front hooves are NOT coming out first. If this is the case, you will need to pull the lamb or lambs. To do this you will need to thouroughly cleanse your hands and arms to keep infection out of the ewe. Also, if possible, wear long plastic or rubber gloves. Gently slide your hand in to feel if the lamb is in the proper birthing position. If the lamb is properly positioned you should be able to gently pull the lambs front 2 hooves making sure the head is face down and not back. If the lamb is in an awkward position slide your hands inside the ewe and easily pull the lamb out the best way you can. If the ewe was pregnant with mulitples, give her about 15 minutes to push the other lamb out by herself. If she is still having problems (exhaustion or breech babies) pull the other lamb/lambs too.
Aftercare of Newborn
You will need some fresh towels to dry off the newborn babies. The mother
ewe should then pass the placenta. It is normal for the mother to eat
some of the placenta for this is a good source of nutrition for her. Proceed
to then cut the umbilical cords with a pair of sharp, sterile scissors.
Leave about an inch to an inch and a half of umbilical cord. Then douse
the umbilical cord with iodine to help prevent infection. Also make sure
the babies are standing and attempting to nurse within the first hour
after birth. If they are not, you might need to tube feed the baby and
get the baby warm. Try your best not to take the baby away from the mother,
or interfere too much because this might confuse the ewe into thinking
she had fewer or no babies. ONLY TAKE THE LAMB AWAY FROM THE MOTHER IF
ABSOLUTELY NECCESARY.
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Tube Feeding
If the mother is unable to nurse the baby due to triplets or bag problems
it will be necessary for you to bottle feed the baby. If the lamb is too
weak to nurse from a bottle, you will need to tube feed. Tube feeding
the baby is very easy if done correctly. You can purchase a tube feeder
from Jeffers or most any livestock supply. Make sure you get the tube
down the correct pipe. Hold the lamb's head out straight and slide the
tube down the tongue, then down the throat, all the way down to the baby's
stomach (stop pushing in the pipe when it feels it will not go any farther).
If you get the tube in the INCORRECT pipe the lamb could choke because
you would be pumping the milk into his lungs. It is best to feed the lamb
colostrum from his mother. If this is possible, milk about 6 ounces of
colostrum. The milk can be refridgerated for up to 3 days or frozen for
up to a year. If you freeze the milk, be sure to let it thaw naturally.
Do not heat it in the microwave. This results in a loss of antibodies
in the milk. If it is not possible to get colostrum from the mother or
another ewe, a colostrum replacement will be needed. You can order colostrum
replacement from Jeffers or any other livestock supply company. If you
cannot find sheep colostrum, cow's colostrum supplement can be used. We
also swear by Sheep Nuti-Drench. This can literally bring an almost
dead lamb back to life.
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Bottle Feeding
Once your lamb is up and going and ready to nurse you can begin bottle feeding. We have found that a regular baby bottle works just fine. You can also be sure of how much your baby is getting because most baby bottles are noted in single ounce increments. You can purchase any sheep milk replacer to give to your lamb after he is 36 hours old. In the first 36 hours the lamb will need to be fed colostrum from a ewe or a colostrum replacement. Below is a table of the recommended amount for lambs:
| Age of Lamb (days) |
Feedings per day |
Amount of milk replacer |
| 1-3 |
Free Choice |
Colostrum |
| 4-10 |
4 |
8 oz. |
| 11-18 |
3 |
12 oz. |
| 19-42+ |
2 |
16 oz. |
Grafting Lambs
The process of grafting a lamb is putting an orphan baby onto another
mother. If the other mother already has twins this is not recommended.
Unfortunately, we have had no success with this. We tried the "vanilla"
on the mother and the babies (where you rub vanilla flavoring on the ewe's
nose and rub vanilla all over the babies) but after about 20 minutes the
ewe knew that one of those babies was not hers. There are several other
methods of grafting such as simulating birth and/or by tying the ewe up
and making her take the baby. If you have had great success with a grafting
method, please click
here to tell us about it!
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Vaccinations and Shots
General vaccinations given at birth are CDT (tetanus and over eating),
antibiotics (pencillin) and a de-wormer (valbazen, ivomec, etc.).
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Banding Tails and Testicles
At about 3 days of age you can band your lambs' tails. Be sure to keep a topical antiseptic and fly spray on the tails until they fall off. Tails need to be sprayed daily especially during warmer months.
Testicals can generally be banded around 6 weeks of age. It has been
observed that banding earlier than this will stunt the lamb's growth.
Again, be sure to keep the lamb's testicles sprayed with antiseptic and
fly spray.
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Toxemia
Pregnancy toxemia is a metabolic disorder. Toxemia is more common in
ewes with multiple births. Signs of toxemia are: the ewe is stressed,
listless, lathargic, isn’t interested in eating, is grinding her
teeth but not chewing her cud, walks tender-footedly, or is standing apart
from the other sheep. Also, changes in the weather or transporting pregnant
ewes can help bring on toxemia. The best solution is a dose of proylene
glycol and make sure the ewe gets plenty of nutrition from feed and minerals.
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Prolapse
A prolapse is a protrusion of inner tissue outside of a bodily orriface
(rectum or vagina).
(vaginal)
Depending on the severity of the prolapse, you might need to take the
ewe to your large animal vet. In minor cases a "vaginal prolapse"
harness can be used. You can purchase one at any livestock supply company.
(rectal)
Our first rectal prolapse was a nightmare. We tried loosly sewing the
lamb's rectum. This, of course, caused constipation in the lamb and he
would blow out his stitches frequently. We then took the lamb to the local
large animal vet clinic. We told them what we had already tried. Well,
the next day we went back up there to check on the lamb, and what had
they done.... sewn his rectum just like we asked them NOT to do because
it did not work. We finally decided to speak with some fellow sheep raisers
and discovered the appropriate treatment for a rectal prolapse. There
is a device called a "rectal prolapse ring" that makes things
very simple. A prolapse ring can be purchased from Jeffers or most any
livestock supply company. You slide the pipe into the rectum of the lamb,
then place a band around the prolapsed section. After about 3 days that
section of intestine dies and begins to fall off. The sheep will then
discard the prolapse ring at the next bowel movement. If you have a pregnant
ewe with a rectal prolapse, we suggest you see your large animal vet.
Using a prolapse ring without the supervision of a vet is NOT recommended
because the ewe could feel like she is going into labor while you either
first put the prolapse ring on, or when she passes the prolapse ring resulting
in a premature birth. Studies have shown that rectal prolapse is by large
a genetic problem. Most sheep with rectal prolapse have a "family
history" of prolapse. However, feeds high in fat can also be a contributing
factor as well as feeding your lamb on an incline.
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Club Lamb Fungus
Club lamb is a common fungus among show lambs. It starts out as hard
"scabby" places on the lamb's wool. When a lamb is shorn, this
takes away the wool and lanolin that a sheep uses as protection from cutaneous
(skin) diseases. Club lamb is also contaigous to humans.
To limit the spread of the disease take the following precautions: Disinfect
equipment with a commercial fungicide, wash and shear show lambs as little
as possible. The scab stage of the disease is the most infectious stage,
so use protective gloves when handling sheep with lesions and scrub your
hands or any part of your body that might have come in contact with the
disease thoroughly with a detergent solution after each handling. You
can also coat your lamb lightly with lanolin (can be purchased at beauty
supply stores). This will give your lamb a little more protection after
they have been freshly washed and shorn.
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Sore Mouth
Animals become infected by direct contact with lesions or mucous membranes
of infected animals, or by the transfer of virus by contaminated equipment
used on the animals. The disease starts as papules or vesicles (small
bumps and blisters) on the skin of the lips, nostrils eyelids, and ears.
It may also affect the udder (nursing ewes) or the feet. Eventually the
papules and vesicles break open and scab; these are often very sore and
may be numerous. As the sores heal, the granulation tissue will proliferate
and produce masses with a "cauliflower" appearance. The course
of the disease is 1-4 weeks with a 2-3 day incubation. Humans
become infected with the virus by direct contact with infected sheep or
equipment contaminated with bodily fluids. The disease in humans
is usually characterized by a single
papular or pustular lesion (small bump/swelling) where the virus enters
the skin (e.g. on the hand). The papule usually becomes painful and gradually
becomes a firm weeping nodule. Regional lymph nodes may also become swollen.
Usually the course of the disease lasts 2-4 weeks following a 3-7 day
incubation period. More widespread disease may occur as well as severe
ocular lesions. There is a sore mouth live vaccine that is available and
recommended.
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NN/SS and QQ/RR
You might have seen some breeders to state that their lamb is NN/RR, QQ/NN or something along those lines. Those breeders have tested their lambs for Spider Lamb Syndrome and/or Scrapie, which is a recommended practice. The test for Spider Lamb Syndrome (SLS) shows results as NN, SS or NS. NN means that the lamb is completely SLS free and clean. NS means that the lamb is a carrier of the syndrome and has the potential to pass the syndrome to its offsrping. If a lamb with the NS genotype is mated with another carrier (NS) sheep, there is a very good chance their offspring will have SLS. A lamb that is SS HAS Spider Lamb Syndrome. This is the completely recessive genotype and determines 100% that the lamb does have the disorder. To break it down quickly: NN - Excellent; NS - Acceptable; SS - Bad. To read more about Spider Lamb Syndrome, click here.
The test for Scrapie is a little different from the Spider Lamb Syndrome.
It tests for genetic susceptibility and NOT the presence of the disorder.
The test shows a QQ, RR or QR result. RR means that the sheep is completely
resistant to Scrapie. A QR result means that the sheep is resistant to
Scrapie but could produce offspring that are NOT resistant to Scrapie
if the sheep is bred to another QR or QQ sheep. A QQ result does not mean
that the sheep has the disorder, it only means that the sheep is susceptible
if it is exposed to Scrapie. A QQ sheep could also possibly produce Scrapie
susceptible offspring even if he/she is bred to a QR sheep. To break it
down quickly: QQ - Bad; QR - Good; RR
- Excellent. Click here to read more about
Scrapie.
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Scrapie
Scrapie has become more and more familiar especially since the recent
Mad Cow Disease issues, however, it was first discovered in Great Britain
sheep over 250 years ago, with the first U.S. case discovered in 1947.
If you are unfamiliar with Scrapie, it is an extremely infectious and
fatal disease which causes a degeneration of the central nervous system
resulting in a variety of behavioral, locomotive changes and eventually
death. Scrapie is a member of a family of diseases called Transmissible
Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs), which infect sheep, goats, cattle,
horses and humans. Scrapie is NOT a virus or bacteria, but a protein,
specifically the Prion Protein. Scrapie is highly resistant to environmental
conditions and substantially resistant to procedures such as cooking or
rendering, and many disinfectants. Scrapie spreads from sheep to sheep
through direct contact. The majority of Scrapie cases are transfered from
dams to their offspring or the offspring of others. It is unlikely to
be spread from sire to offspring. Because Scrapie is thought not to be
a genetically transmitted disease, the protien can be examined to see
if it is genetically susceptible. Studies indicate that certain genes
influence the incubation period. Sheep with short incubation genes develop
scrapie in about two to four years. Sheep with long incubation genes are
either resistant to infection or die from other causes before the clinical
disease develops. Preliminary results indicate that testing for the gene
and selective breeding for freedom from clinical disease may be practical.
Over 90 percent of confirmed scrapie cases in the U.S. have been in "black-faced"
sheep, mainly Suffolks. It is not known whether this is due to genetics
or management practices. In some other countries, scrapie is known to
occur mostly in white-faced breeds. Symptoms of Scrapie include: Abnormality
in movement; Sudden noise, excessive movement or the stress of handling
may send the animal into tremors and convulsions; Head pressing or "stargazing";
itching and rubbing causing the wool to be "scraped" from the
head, neck or rear; Some animals also will bite at their legs and pull
wool from their sides. If you suspect that a sheep might have Scrapie,
you are advised to contact your large animal vet immediately. Until recently
the only means of testing for Scrapie was examing the brain of the deceased
sheep, however, presently a live test can be performed in which a sample
of the sheep's third eye-lid tissue is taken and the prion proteins are
examined. The cost of this exam is around $25.
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Spider Lamb Syndrome
Spider Lamb Syndrome or SLS is a genetic disorder that causes terrible
deformities in lambs resulting in abnormally long, bent limbs, twisted
spines, shallow bodies, flattened rib cages, and long necks. The syndrome
is inherited as a genetic recessive disorder. This means that the syndrome
HAS to be passed by the dam and the sire. A simple DNA test can be performed
using the blood or semen. The test costs around $20. Click
here to read about the dominant (NN) and ressive (SS) genes of Spider
Lamb Syndrome.
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