Mary Had a Little Lamb

 Assisting with Difficult Births (Dystocia)

In most cases, ewes give birth without any difficulty or assistance from the shepherd or a veterinarian. However, sometimes the lambs are not in the proper position for delivery, or there are other problems. Normal presentation is the nose and two front legs, one lamb at a time (A). The most common malpresentation is when one or more of the front legs is back or the head is bent back in the birth canal. These are relatively simple for the shepherd to correct. A lamb presented backwards (back feet) can be delivered normally, but a breech birth (back legs back, only tail visible[B]) requires careful intervention. Breech lambs are usually delivered backwards and care must be taken to make sure the umbilical cord doesn't cut off the lamb's oxygen supply before the lamb is out.

 Quick Starters

After a lamb is born, the ewe begins to clean it. Cleaning and licking is part of the ewe-lamb bonding process. It also helps to dry the lamb. In many cases, the ewe will clean the lambs in the order in which they are born. Lambs are helpless at birth, but are usually able to stand within 30 minutes. Instinct tells them to look for milk. If a lamb is slow to get up, the ewe will encourage it by nudging or pawing at it. The lamb usually has its first meal before it is an hour old. An experienced ewe will try to orient the lamb(s) in the right direction, since lambs aren't born knowing whether the udder is in the front or rear of the ewe. The first milk that the ewe produces is called colostrum. It is very nutritious and contains antibodies that protect the lamb from infection during the early part of its life. Lambs suckle frequently during their first few weeks of life, from 1 to 2 times per hour, for as long as 3 minutes each time. But by the end of their fifth week, lambs will only be sucking once every 2 hours.

Baby Lambs 

Baby lambs are like other baby animals. They sleep a lot, approximately 8 to 12 hours per day. They like to play with other lambs. They nibble on things. They are very curious of their surroundings. They get into trouble. They like to climb on their mothers' backs. They like to play "king of the hill." They prance around on all fours when they have room to run. They like to get into groups and run back and forth in a field or around the pen. They get tired and take naps. When it's nap time, they will seek their mother out and sleep as close to her as possible.