Livestock enews is derived from SAC Sheep Beef Notes. Please credit SAC with copyright if articles are reproduced in newsletters substantially unchanged. The views expressed are not necessarily those of Intervet UK ltd.
Farmers having to lamb ewes outdoors, often away from the home base, may not face such a disastrous drop in lambing percentage as they fear. Much depends on the weather and how the sheep are managed. Minimal interference should be the aim - it is important to allow ewes to express their natural behaviour and enhance survival rates by working with nature rather than against it.
The majority of ewes seek isolation for lambing, particularly in hill breeds. The advantage of this is that the ewe is less susceptible to interference from other ewes which, if close to lambing themselves, often try to steal lambs. The advantage to the lamb is that it is less likely to bond to a foreign ewe since after birth it will seek the nearest moving object. Ewes identify their own lambs in their chosen lambing area by smell, mainly due to the liquids associated with the birth but within a few hours, ewes and lambs are able to recognise each other by their bleat. Leaving ewes on the lambing site aids bonding and cross-fostering on the lambing side is more likely to be effective.
Allow ewes access to rough ground about a week before lambing where possible so that they can find an isolated lambing spot. Where the ewe has chosen a reasonably sheltered spot, try to leave her on it. If she needs attention, eg. cross-fostering, then erect a pen around her, rather than move her. Lightweight hurdles placed at strategic areas around the field make excellent lambing pens. One or two can have sacking or netting attached to provide additional shelter.
For an outdoor lambing it is necessary to carry extra gear with you on the lambing rounds. Colostrum and a stomach tube, iodine for navel treatment, lambing lubricant and rubber gloves are essential. Also essential is a strong insulated carrier for lambs which can be made from a sack, food bag or an insulated bag with a wide shoulder strap.
Lambs surplus to the ewe or gimmers rearing capacity should be lifted at birth and carried in a sack for a wet cross-foster to another ewe or transferred to a holding area where they may be kept for up to 48 hours, feeding with a stomach tube on ewe’s or cow’s colostrum.
Scanning aids management and where it has been done it is quite feasible to set a foster lamb onto a single bearing ewe caught in the act of lambing. The ewe should be laid on her side in the area where her waters have broken and the bag with the foster lamb kept out of her sight. To mimic expulsion of the lamb, a gloved hand should be inserted – at this stage check the ewe’s own lamb is correctly presented and arriving normally. On removal of the hand the foster lamb should be pulled out of the bag and rubbed in amniotic fluid/water bag membrane from the ewe and put under her nose. If she starts licking it and rumbling it’s best to leave her alone to the lamb normally. If she is a gimmer, then it is necessary to lamb her and suckle both lambs before leaving.
Maternal behaviour is affected by the vigour of lambs at birth and to be maintained requires the lamb to suck. The stronger the suck the better the bonding. This should become well developed by the time the lambs are about a day old, by which time the ewe and the lamb will recognise each other by their bleat and the ewe should not abandon the lamb. By this stage it is possible to move ewes and lambs if they can be shifted to a more sheltered area.
Most lambs dying in outwintered and outdoor lambing flocks die through hypothermia (chilling due to exposure). This happens because newborn lambs lose heat more quickly than they can produce it. Severely chilled lambs, eg. the unlicked lamb in a blizzard, should be treated immediately to prevent hypothermia. The lamb should be dried and then given a feed of supplementary colostrum, either taken from the ewe, or cow’s colostrum fed by stomach tube. The lamb should then be given shelter along with the ewe and left to mother up. A digital thermometer is very useful for checking lamb temperature. Where the temperature is below 37°F newly born lambs can recuperate quickly by being placed in a warmer unit until their body temperature returns to normal.
Older hypothermic lambs need a different treatment. Lambs who show by their hooves to have been on their feet for a few hours will have run down their body reserves and if these lambs are warmed up will quite likely go into a coma due to lack of blood glucose. Prior to heating, these lambs require an intra-peritoneal injection of glucose. Full details of lamb recovery procedures are available in the MLC booklet ‘Keeping Lambs Alive’ available from the MLC (Tel: 01908 677 577). Details of set-stocked lambing and a new lambing procedure for outwintered ewes called ‘Drift Lambing’ are available in the MLC publication ‘Lambing outdoors – A practical guide’ available from the same source.
| Choose a sheltered field with natural features giving shelter, or make shelter available, for example, using bales or half tyres. |
| Make temporary lambing pens in field corners where it is easier to catch ewes. |
| Lamb gimmers in a separate group along with the triplets or thin ewes. |
| Do not separate mature ewes carrying singles, twins and triplets, but have them clearly marked if they have been scanned. |
| Have some small hurdles available in the field for making temporary pens on a lambing site. |
| Catching ewes can be the problem, a crook is essential, a dog is not, but a useful, biddable dog is a real bonus. |
| Check the ewe’s teeth are sound if relying mainly on grass for nutrition. |
| Remove ewes that start stealing lambs. |
Organising equipment and supplies
Have essential equipment in a box which can be easily carried. Each lamber should have
their own box and full set of equipment, otherwise much time will be wasted trekking back
and forth for essential items and ewes and lambs will have to be re-caught. ATV’s
will be invaluable, consideration should be given to hiring or borrowing vehicles not
currently in use (eg. “crop walking” vehicles).
Equipment should include the following for assisting the ewe at lambing, care of the newborn lamb and general purposes:
| Navel dip (tincture of iodine is far and away the best) |
| Castration/tail rings |
| Disposable gloves, preferably arm length |
| Lubricating gel, or soapflakes |
| Lambing ropes |
| Prolapse equipment |
| Flask with warm colostrum or water to mix colostrum substitutes |
| Stomach tubes and feed bottles/teats, suitable disinfectant for these |
| Thermometer |
| Sterile syringes and needles, disposable vaccinators |
| Foot pairing equipment |
| Drenching bottles and equipment |
| Marking equipment and fluid |
| Ear tags and applicator |
| Lamb racs |
| Old towels, sacking etc. to dry lambs |
| Calcium borogluconate |
| Magnesium sulphate |
| Glycerine or other pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb) treatments |
| Glucose |
| Electrolyte solutions |
| Antibiotics and pessaries |
| Antiseptic spray |
| Lamb warming boxes if feasible/suitable power supply exists |
| MAFF approved disinfectant, dry disinfectants, lime |
Power
Where there are any buildings accessible, power can be taken from them and warming boxes
etc. set up. If this opportunity does not exist, then lights may be run from vehicles or,
in some cases, a hired generator.
Water supply
Lactating ewes have a considerable demand for drinking water (10 litres per ewe per day),
so normal supplies may not be enough. Bowers may be an option including those present on
arable farms to facilitate spraying. Troughs can be a significant hazard to lambs
(drowning). A concrete block in the bottom will save many lives!
During severe wind chill, lamb coats can definitely save lives but they can be a hassle to remove once the severe weather has passed. These plastic coats are put on licked and mothered up lambs during severe weather. They are best used in an emergency rather than as a routine precaution. However, with thin-skinned Continental cross-lambs, they could find more widespread use. Provided ewes have plenty of milk and some shelter they should not be needed but if there is very little shelter than having a roll of lamb coats is definitely a worthwhile insurance. Some early versions of lamb coats cut into the skin of the lamb if it was growing very rapidly, so generally it was important to remove the coat once the danger of severe weather had passed, otherwise there could be a welfare issue. Another important point is to get coloured coats because white ones can be mistaken for a newborn lamb.
A 4 kg lamb (typical twin birth weight) requires about 2 pints of ewe’s colostrum in the first 24 hours of life if outside. Where ewes are well fed, many of them will produce more colostrum than this and in many cases excess colostrum can be taken off shortly after birth by milking out the ewe. Many farmers store colostrum for a short term in the fridge, for example, for a couple of days, or may deep freeze smaller quantities for use later on in the lambing season. Frozen colostrum should be thawed slowly by placing it in a bowl of hand hot water rather than using a microwave. Cow’s colostrum is a useful alternative but the amount required will around 30% greater than for ewe’s colostrum. Occasionally cow’s colostrum can cause anaemia in lambs but this can largely be avoided by mixing colostrum from several cows. Cow’s colostrum can be allowed to get sour – lactic acid fermentation occurs and the resulting mixture, although smelling quite foul, retains some protection against scours and is a useful food source which encourages clotting of milk in the stomach.
Colostrum replacers are more convenient and easy to use and are typically based on cow’s colostrum from USA or ewe colostrum from France. They can only be seen as a partial substitute for good ewe’s colostrum. The problem with commercial colostrum replacers is that they are really quite expensive given today’s poor lamb prices and can only really be justified in extreme circumstances.
It is important to distinguish between colostrum substitutes and colostrum supplements. Colostrum substitutes can be used to replace the ewe’s colostrum supply. They typically have a very high protein content, eg. Volac Lamb Volostrum contains 60% concentrated digestible protein. Colostrum supplements are generally different from colostrum substitutes and have a much lower level of protein but much higher level of oil. These should be used mainly as a source of energy which will help keep lambs stay warm and keep up with the ewe. Colostrum supplements should not be used as a lamb’s first feed, which should be a high protein feed containing antibodies. Milk replacers, such as Lamblac should only be used for keeping lambs going that have already received adequate colostrum supplies during their first 24 hours.
| Colostrum is produced in the first 24 hours after lambing |
| Colostrum produced in the first 6 hours has higher potential to prevent disease than later colostrum |
| Colostrum should be consumed by the lamb within 6 hours of birth and as its first protein feed |
| Colostrum will provide energy, is a laxative and passive immunity to disease |
| Cow colostrum is a suitable alternative to ewe’s colostrum when fed at 30% greater volume |
| Feeding extra undergraded protein (eg. soyabean meal) to ewes pre-lambing increases colostrum yield and quality. |
Where flocks are forced to lamb outside as the result of the FMD related ban on animal movements, there is a very genuine concern that the welfare of ewes and lambs may suffer. If weather conditions are unfavourable it is almost inevitable that mortality rates will rise amongst newborn lambs, some of which may have been saved under other circumstances. When a lamb is encountered which is clearly beyond saving, it is essential that it is humanely destroyed to prevent further suffering. The Sheep Veterinary Society recommends the following technique for the destruction of young lambs.
With very young lambs of up to 5 kilograms body weight a sharp blow to the top or back of the head will be a quick and effective method of euthanasia. The preferred method is to hold the lamb by its back legs and to swing it through an arc to hit the back of its head with considerable force against a solid surface, such as a concrete wall or a metal or a metal stanchion. It is essential that the blow is delivered swiftly, firmly and with absolute determination. If there is any doubt whether the lamb is dead, the blow should be repeated.
Farmers with Texel or Beltex ewes in particular should be on guard for copper toxicity problems where ewes have to be kept indoors after lambing due to movement restrictions. Normally these breeds will be building up copper reserves whilst on conserved forage-based diets, which have double the availability of copper compared to grass. When copper in the liver reaches a high level it can suddenly be released, causing death. Prior to this it may reduce feed intake, so high liver levels of copper are to be avoided. On low copper diets, housed Texel ewes are often fed for up to 12 weeks without risk. If you have to keep ewes in longer than this, seek expert advice.
Risk factors with relation to breeds and copper content of feeds
| Susceptibility to copper | Texel/Beltex | Highest Risk |
| Continental Breeds | ||
| Suffolk | ||
| Welsh | ||
| Cheviot | ||
| Blackface | Lowest risk |
| Copper content of forages | Hay and Silage | Highest risk |
| Draff | ||
| Grass/straw | ||
| Kale and swedes | Lowest risk |
| Risk of Copper Toxicity | Distillery by-products | High risk |
| from energy and protein | Proprietary concentrates | |
| sources | Soya | |
| Sugarbeet pulp | ||
| Molasses | ||
| Maize Gluten | ||
| Rapeseed meal | ||
| Feedblocks | ||
| Home grown cereals | Low Risk |
Feeding sheep outside where they will ingest some soil with concentrates or forages will help prevent copper toxicity. Feeding roots covered in soil will also reduce copper toxicity when fed inside.
One of the effects of the current foot and mouth regulations which prevent the movement of animals is likely to be an increase in stocking rates for ewes and their young lambs. This in turn could make some lamb diseases that are favoured by over crowding much more likely. Coccidiosis is one such disease that can become a particular problem. In the grazing situation coccidiosis most frequently affects lambs already stressed by poor milk supply, so twins and triplets tend to suffer more often than singles. Young lambs become infected with eggs already on the pasture or passed in the dung of their mothers. Rapid multiplication of the protozoa within the gut of these lambs then results in even heavier egg contamination of pasture for later born lambs. It is commonly these later lambs which then go on the develop the disease.
Often the first clue a shepherd gets that coccidiosis is at work in the flock is an impression that the lambs are failing to thrive. Some will have a tucked-up and unthrifty appearance. Closer examination will reveal that several lambs are scouring, with mucus or blood evident in the scour of some. Since coccidial eggs can be found in the faeces of otherwise healthy lambs, it can be difficult to confirm the disease simply by examining dung samples alone. Generally it is better to submit two or three lambs which have died or which are very sick for a post mortem examination at the local VI Centre. Tests carried out here should quickly confirm the diagnosis.
Coccidiosis prevention measures aim to improve lamb nutrition and reduce the quantity of coccidial eggs in the environment. Maintaining ewes body condition prior to lambing should ensure good milk production and subsequent provision of a creep feed will help to maintain lamb nutrition. Overcrowding of lambs is a major risk and if it's possible the use of heavily contaminated and muddy pastures should be avoided. Batch rearing lambs of a similar age can help the situation by cutting down the spread of infection from older to younger lambs. Likewise the use of the same pasture by successive groups of young lambs should be avoided. Where other measures fail a number of licensed medicines are available to treat lambs by oral dosing, in feed or by injection. An in-feed medicine is also available for ewes, which reduces the number of coccidial eggs shed in their dung and which in turn should help to protect their lambs from disease.
In some cases suckled calf producers will have away wintered a proportion of their cows and will be unable to get them home on the normal date. In others, grass may normally be rented to summer cows and calves off the unit.
Spring calving herds
The immediate problem will be successfully calving the herd. Some points to consider would be:
| make sure all the necessary equipment eg calving jacks, halters, penicillin etc is transferred to the wintering unit |
| arrange in advance, facilities for handling individual cows which need attention at calving |
| if possible arrange for the herd to be observed four times daily and give clear instructions when help should be called (see calving article) |
| adjust penning if necessary to ensure freshly cows can be moved out and regrouped based on calf age |
| erect a long narrow calf creep which can be kept well bedded to minimise the risk of scour |
| gradually increase the level of feeding for calved cows paying particular attention to their mineral/vitamin requirements |
| ensure good records are kept of births and that calf passports are applied for on time ie before calves are 27 days old |
Below are some guidelines on when to intervene/seek veterinary attention during calving.
1. 1st stage labour lasts longer than 24 hours with no progress to second stage
ACTION: Catch cow and do vaginal examination. If calf is felt in the birth canal in normal position (both feet and nose presented) then assist delivery or leave for a few hours to see if straining commences. If no calf is felt or cervix feels incompletely dilated then get vet to check cow.
Failure to progress to second stage labour can be caused by various malpresentations (eg breech), hypocalcaemia, as well as more unusual problems such as uterine torsion and ringwomb.
2. Water bag visible at vulva for more than 2 hours with no progress
ACTION: Catch cow and do vaginal examination. Burst bag with fingers and feel for calf . If calf felt in normal position leave for an hour and see if straining commences. If still no progress then assist delivery or call vet if calf feels big! If calf in abnormal position, eg leg back, then correct and assist delivery. If cannot be corrected easily -call vet. Cows which have water bag visible for some time but do not commence straining often have malpresentations which prevent the calf entering the birth canal or have very large calves.
3. Non productive straining for more than 30 minutes
If a cow is lying and straining in 2nd stage labour for more than 30 minutes and no progress is made, ie feet/nose do not appear or are just visible and do not move forward, then vaginal examination should be carried out. The most common cause of this is an oversized calf or a leg/head back. If simple correction is not possible or the calf feels too big to be easily delivered - call vet. If a caesarean section is required then the likelihood of a successful outcome is very dependant on prompt intervention at this stage, ie getting a vet quickly.
Hygiene at calving
Remember to always wash in clean water with disinfectant before examining/assisting cows at calving. Always use plenty of obstetrical lubricant and if it has been a difficult calving with manual assistance a long acting antibiotic injection may be useful. Clean and disinfect calving ropes between calvings.
The main problem here is one of over crowding and increased exposure to infection. The youngest calves will be most at risk of calf scour and older calves will be at risk of developing coccidiosis and pneumonia.
The overall strategy must be to keep cows in tight groups on the basis of calving date so limiting the spread in age of the calves. The first calves in the batch tend to multiply infection up for the later ones to develop disease.
Calf Scour
The youngest calves should be kept in the driest accommodation and be well bedded in order
to minimise the risk of scour. If you are more than six weeks off calving then
consideration can be given to vaccinating the cows against the calf scour agents. You
should discuss this with your vet now. Plan ahead and get a treatment strategy agreed for
calves that develop scour. Prompt treatment will prevent losses and reduce the spread of
infection.
Coccidiosis
What is needed for this disease to prosper is dung contamination and reasonable
temperatures. Calves can be affected from a few weeks although most disease is likely to
occur at 6 to 12 weeks. Therefore prevention is centred on keeping calves as clean as
possible. Early treatment of calves with any signs of bloody diarrhoea must be achieved.
Discuss the appropriate treatment with your vet now.
Pneumonia
We would not expect pneumonia to be a problem at this time of year, but as long as young
calves are kept inside above 6 weeks of age it may develop into a considerable problem.
The best approach for prevention is to look for situations in your buildings that will
allow these calves to run outside on concrete or hardcore. This will give them access to
the cleanest air possible and reduce the risk of pneumonia. In order to minimise the risk
of coccidiosis dung should not be allowed to build up in these areas.
Worm control
The key area is parasite control. These animals will be extremely susceptible to worm problems and it is quite likely that given the available pastures will have been grazed by cows and calves last year they will already be seeded with infection for this year. The easiest approach is to use an anthelmintic (wormer) bolus that can be given at turnout. This will mean that cattle do not need to be handled at grass to be dosed again. Take advice from your own vet as to the most cost effective bolus for your production system.
Where heifers may be destined for breeding replacements consideration should also be given to vaccinating them against lungworm. The vaccination course consists of two oral doses separated by four weeks needs to be completed prior to turnout and before the administration of any anthelmintic bolus.
Blackleg vaccination
Blackleg can be a real problem in certain areas and is basically a gangrene like condition that affects the main muscle masses resulting in rapid death. Vaccines are relatively inexpensive and effective. If you have a history of the disease on your farm then these calves should be vaccinated prior to turnout. Again the vaccination course is for two vaccinations separated by four weeks. Where you have no history of the disease, but still hope to be in a position to sell these calves on before the end of the grazing season the decision to vaccinate or not depends on their eventual destination. So if you already know who will buy your calves then discuss the need to vaccinate the calves against blackleg with them.
Foot and mouth disease will again be eradicated from the UK. So what is likely to happen when all the current restrictions are eventually lifted? The following thoughts related to market factors which could be influenced by the end of the restrictions.
Demand for replacement breeding stock
Although the total number of stock currently culled under the foot and mouth control programme is very high, it includes a significant number of pigs and growing/finishing stock. At present it is unlikely to have a major effect on the demand for replacement heifers and ewes although in the case of replacement heifers for the suckler herd, there was already a severe shortage of good quality heifers.
Supplies of finished cattle
Supplies of finished stock on the market will increase as farms which have been under a total ban have the restrictions lifted. This could be expected to slightly depress market prices, particularly as a significant proportion of these animals will be severely overfat/overweight producing poor quality, low value carcasses. However it would be expected that the dip in prices would be temporary.
In the longer term finished prices for both cattle and sheep could be expected to gradually improve with a continued decline in the number of finishing animals being born in the UK.
Autumn store sales
Suckler units which traditionally sell their calves in the spring store sales could end up summering these extra animals. Depending on how long the restrictions last the result on these farms next autumn could be:
- lighter calf weaning weights,
- cows being weaned in poor condition, and
- little or no silage/hay stocks.
The sensible option in this situation would be to sell more calves store in the autumn sales.
Where these units also run a ewe flock the shortage of grass caused from over stocking will reduce the proportion of lambs finished off grass with a corresponding increase in the proportion of store lambs available in the autumn sales.
Winter feed supplies
Feed supplies next winter will, as always be very dependent on the weather we have this summer. However in addition this year there are likely to be some units extremely short of homegrown forage, ie units which have been forced to summer additional stock compared to normal eg herds under a complete movement ban and units unable to sell store cattle this spring. Other units will have a large surplus of homegrown forage such as finishing units which were unable to buy their normal intake of store cattle this spring.
Longer term effects
This outbreak has vividly demonstrated the consequences of animal movement in terms of disease control. As a result it will give further impetus for breeding herds to either:
- breed their own heifer replacements, or
- source all future replacements from a single, known and trusted unit.
Clinical signs
The disease can be difficult to recognise in sheep as sometimes as little as 5% of animals in infected flocks show any signs.
Look for the following signs:
| Sudden death in lambs. In several recent confirmed outbreaks the most obvious sign was
apparently healthy lambs dropping dead. |
| Abortions |
| Lameness (this may only last for a short time) |
| Listless and off their food |
Inspection of sheep
If you are noticing any of the above signs in your flock then you must inspect individual sheep. Make sure you have plenty of light either daylight or a good torch. For each sheep you must examine both mouth and feet. Do not ask another stock keeper to assist you. If you have any concerns contact your local Animal Health Office.
Mouth
The typical fluid filled blisters are difficult to see as they usually quickly burst. This will leave erosions or ulcers particularly on the dental pad of the upper jaw where the lower front teeth touch the pad. They may also be seen on the gums, lips and tongue and may be very small.
Feet
Foot lesions are less common but as the disease progresses they may become more obvious. Transient lameness will be a sign but you must look carefully for blisters, particularly between the claws, on the heel bulbs and the coronary band. Turn back the hair over the coronary band to check for horn separation. If the blisters have burst then hair may be damp and bacterial infection may be present, as could foot rot. Affected feet may feel hot and painful.
Any suspicion of Foot and Mouth Disease must be immediately reported to you local Animal Health Office.
© The Scottish Agricultural College 2000 ISSN 0956 1900
Produced by The Scottish Agricultural College, Farm & Rural Business Division, Greycrook, St Boswells,
TD6 0EU
SAC receives financial support from the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department