Hoof Print
Volume 3 Spring
The Small Ruminant Magazine
The Impact of High Fiber & High Starch Diets On Growing & Finishing Meat Goat Kids
Some Things Experts Don’t Tell You About Lambing THE TRUE VALUE OF CLUB LAMBS & KIDS
Why Should I Vaccinate My Sheep or Goat? HoofPrint I VOLUME 3 SPRING I 1
I
Photo by Debra K Aaron
News to Ewes:
Some Things Experts Don’t Tell You About Lambing
by Donald G. Ely
Paraphrased from “What They Didn’t Tell Me About Lambing” by Pierre Renard in November, 1973, issue of Sheep Breeder and Sheepman. Special thanks to Larry Mead for permission to reprint.
2
I VOLUME 3 SPRING I HoofPrint
bought this little farm outside of town andfarm decided to raise The little outside of sheep. The land cost was cheap town because it wasthis eight miles I bought little farmfrom the outside city limits, some of land of town andthe decided was covered with brush, and the to raise sheep. The land cost entire farm was hilly with rock was cheap The because it was outcroppings. topsoil was eightand miles the city shallow thefrom pastures were limits, somewhat of the landread, was poor. But, from I had covered brush, and the sheep shouldwith be able to manage themselves fairlywas wellhilly on this entire farm with kindrock of farm. The smallThe barn outcroppings. didn’t fit thewas twoshallow steers the topsoil and the former owner left. I figured pastures were poor. But,sheep should be able to use it better. from what I had read, sheep The former owner also left six should be able to manage ewes, which were highly capable themselves well onfor of taking care offairly themselves farm. The small the this first kind year of of my ownership.
barn didn’t fit the two steers
theabout former owner left. I After a year of clearing brush, picking up rocks, figured sheep should be able building repairing the to usefence, it better. The former barn, and sowing grass, I figowner also left six ewes, uredwhich I was were readyhighly for thecapable sheep. I decided to run 20 purebred of taking care of themselves ewes in the hope of producing the first year of crossbred, my ownclubfor lambs rather than ership. milk-fed slaughter lambs sold for low prices through the public stockyards. I found a small flock
of 16 Hampshire ewes and one ram (Hampshire). I purchased this flock and began to sell the old flock. But it was hard to sell the original six ewes that had managed themselves so well during the past year. In the end, I had 24 ewes instead of the 20 originally planned. GESTATION LENGTH Based on one year’s experience, I concluded the pastures dry up after July. Working this experience back to a breeding date, the breeding season was set to begin on August 15. The new flock was delivered on August 16. They had just been sheared and there was nothing to do but put them in with the four original ewes and hope for the best. Figuring a 150-day gestation period, ewes should start lambing on January 15.
All the sheep books recommend checking ewes that are close to lambing late at night (10 o’clock for me) and again at daylight. Neighbors advised checking ewes in the drop pen at least every four hours. Then, someone said the gestation period is 148 days, not 150; someone else said 147 and another said 145. The books all said 147 days. Since the ram wore a marking harness during breeding (red crayon throughout), I knew when to confine ewes that were closest to lambing. Of the 24 ewes, one was 10 days early and several were 5 days late, but 147 days worked out to be a good average. LAMBING TIME One experienced shepherd told me, “If the ewe hasn’t lambed in 45 minutes to an hour after the water bag comes, you should check her. This means putting your fingers into the vagina to see if a nose and two feet are coming so it will be a normal birth.” Well, on January 10, I put a couple of very pregnant ewes in the drop pen and waited. On the 11th, one ewe had a nice 11-lb. lamb. She
was a good mother, so the lamb had a good start. On the 13th, we found the other ewe with her lamb’s head out. I hadn’t seen the water bag. I watched for 10 minutes. Nothing happened. I decided to help because no legs were showing and the ewe was working hard to deliver the lamb. Helping isn’t as easy as it sounds or looks if you’ve always been only an observer. First, you oil your hands with mineral oil or petroleum jelly. Then, gently push the lamb that is partly out back in so you can get a hand in to get hold of the legs. It took about half an hour to get the lamb back in because the ewe kept trying to push it out. Then, I got a leg, pulled, and out came the lamb with the other leg
“So, I tried this and its mouth felt like an icebox. It is hard to imagine that a body can get that cold.” still back. It stopped at the shoulder. Should it go back in or should I try to work it out with one leg back? I figured I could cant the shoulders and work it out. It seemed I could pull a lot harder on the leg than on the head; so, after some time and effort, out it came. With that job done, I went to the house for a cup of coffee. A couple of hours later I decided to check the ewes one more time before going to bed. Would you believe the ewe now had triplets? Later I learned that whenever you help a ewe, it is best to check for another lamb. If there is another one, give it 30 minutes to come on its own and then either check again or give her some help. I watched the lambs start to nurse, helping one find the teat. But, this ewe could only count to two. The third lamb was a continual surprise to her and it took three days before she accepted all three lambs as her own.
On January 15, I went to the barn at four in the morning. A Hampshire ewe had twins and was just finishing licking the second. She had a beautiful udder and the lambs were both on their feet looking strong and healthy. Later that day, three more sets of twins were born. I learned the water bag does not always come before the lamb. Everyone had said, “Look for the water bag,” but no one said, “Sometimes the lamb just comes without prior notice.” All lambs were nursing and everything seemed to be going fine. NO MILK About noon on the 16th, one of the Hampshire lambs, born the previous day, didn’t get up and stretch as I went by. Someone had given me an earlier tip that I had paid no attention to until now. They said, “If you stick your finger in the lamb’s mouth and it is cold, the lamb is not getting milk.” So, I tried this and its mouth felt like an icebox. It is hard to imagine that a body can get that cold. The twin was on its feet nearby, also with a cold mouth. I checked the ewe’s teats and, sure enough, no milk. While this was going on, another ewe lambed. I “borrowed” some colostrum from this ewe, by milking into a hypodermic syringe (without the needle) and forced colostrum down the cold lambs. I put them in a box, carried them to the house, and placed them under an infrared lamp. Somewhere I had read to make sure the lamp was at least 18 inches above a standing lamb. So, to be on the safe side, I tried the lamp 24 inches above the lambs. Things were still touch and go after an hour.
Reconstructing the time since birth, I figured these lambs were about 32 hours old and had not about 2 hours old and had not had any colostrum. The ram lamb weighed 10.6 lb. at birth and was the poorest shape. So, I decided to give him an ounce of brandy. A half hour later, I gave the HoofPrint I VOLUME 3 SPRING I 3
ewe lamb an ounce. She seemed to respond immediately, so I gave her some more colostrum. Within an hour, she was standing and taking warm milk replacer from a nippled bottle. I put her back with her mother. Five hours later, the ram lamb was standing, bleating for his mother, and ready to go to the barn. Hopefully, the lambs had enough strength to massage the udder and start milk flow. The thing that threw me off was that the udder looked good, but when I felt it, it was “hard.” The lambs took milk replacer from a bottle every four hours thereafter. The ewe accepted the procedure. After a couple of weeks, she started to produce milk. Then, the lambs refused the bottled milk replacer. Still, the lambs weren’t growing to my satisfaction. She didn’t seem to make enough milk for both lambs, so I removed the smaller ewe lamb, and continued to feed her on the bottle until she was six weeks old. This experience taught me that it’s not enough to see the lamb sucking on the mother’s teat. Instead, one must check the ewe and see for sure that she has milk. Sometimes ewes have very thick milk and one has to keep checking that the lamb is actually getting enough. Usually, after a few hours, the ewe’s milk will start flowing freely, but the start is the critical time. One of the ewe lambs, from the previous year, had a strong lamb that was nursing well. By this time, I had decided it was best to put the ewe and lamb in a pen and check things out. This ewe didn’t have any milk. A friend had suggested that I milk the first ewe to lamb, put the colostrum in an ice tray, and freeze it for use in emergencies like this one. Then, after it is frozen, put the cubes in a baggie. This way you can warm it as needed, start a lamb on a little, and measure out a given amount each time the lamb is fed. 4
I VOLUME 3 SPRING I HoofPrint
In a couple of days, the ewe developed milk and everything looked fine. The lamb even stopped accepting milk replacer. Then, a few days later, the lamb didn’t look very good, even though it still had a warm mouth. Finally, I took it away from its mother, put it on a bottle, and it really started to make up for lost time. This lamb wouldn’t accept the bottle as long as it could get some milk from mama, but mama couldn’t produce enough to keep it going. As a result, it was slowly starving to death.
“I told him about my problem and he said if a ewe has trouble passing her afterbirth, it is usually due to vitamin A deficiency.” MOTHERING INSTINCT One morning, while making the rounds, I found two ewes with evidence of their water having broken. So, I put them in the drop pen. An hour later, I saw them both claiming one lamb. I put them in separate lambing pens and tried to figure out who the lamb belonged to. If I gave the lamb to No. 1 ewe, No. 2 bleated. When I gave the lamb to No. 2, she dutifully licked the lamb while the No. 1 bleated even louder. Then, the ewe that bleated the loudest dropped a lamb while standing up. This stopped her bleating. Finally, I decided to check the No. 2 ewe. Her birth canal was so tight I knew she couldn’t have had a lamb, so I quickly switched this lamb to its rightful mother. Eventually, twins were born to No. 2. Although I have read about ready-to-lamb ewes stealing lambs from other ewes, I didn’t realize this can happen when both have passed a water bag and they know a lamb should be there any minute. OTHER 1st YEAR LAMBING EXPERIENCES One ewe, who had a normal twin
lambing, continued in labor for several days afterwards. The vet gave me a hypodermic syringe of penicillin to give because he thought she might have an infection, which caused her body to try to pass the afterbirth. The hay that is fed is purchased. Its nutritional quality is unknown and I think I have had some vitamin A, D, and E deficiencies. Therefore, I keep a bottle of this vitamin mix in the refrigerator and occasionally give a shot to a ewe. The symptom of this deficiency is tender feet. Along with the penicillin, I decided to give her an ADE shot. The next day I met the shepherd from a university experimental farm. I told him about my problem and he said if a ewe has trouble passing her afterbirth, it is usually due to vitamin A deficiency. Finally, the last ewe to lamb started her labor. Sometimes they grunt, raise their nose in the air, and grind their teeth. I figured this was the time to watch the entire process. The ewe made a big push and out came the water bag. It broke. She immediately got up and started looking for a lamb. She sniffed the bedding and, at that moment, would have accepted or stolen any nearby lamb that was young enough to be licked. After 30 minutes of ups and downs and numerous pains, a head appeared, but no feet. There should be a head with two feet under it. Even though some ewes may lamb without the feet being forward, it is a slow and tiring procedure. If the ewe becomes over-tired, she may not do a good job of cleaning the lamb and may even disown it. I waited. Then, I decided to help. This ewe was pushing so hard it was impossible to push the head back in, so I decided to pull and hope. Finally, it came: a 4½ pounder, the smallest one yet. Being the experienced shepherd that I have grown to be, I checked the clock and headed down to the house for supplies. I had discovered
the uterine bolus, which is a large pill of antibiotics that sometimes helps elimination of the afterbirth. Also, if you touch a ewe internally, there is a chance of infection and so it seemed that insertion of these antibiotics could be a good prophylactic measure.
“The lesson here is that it is essential the shepherd actually see the teat in the mouth, with the lamb nursing, to be sure it is getting milk.” When I got back, the ewe had two lambs. Just to make sure, I checked for a third. Sure enough, another was coming. I milked the waxy plug from each teat and then, rather than trying to get the 4½ lb. lamb on the teat, I milked some colostrum into a hypodermic syringe. The second and third lambs weighed 8 and 9 lbs. and were both able to nurse right away. It took several 10cc syringes full of colostrum and about 1½ hours before the little lamb was able to nurse on her own. The lesson here is that it is essential the shepherd actually see the teat in the mouth, with the lamb nursing, to be sure it is getting milk. Many times, the lamb will nuzzle the teat, be in the nursing position, and making sucking noises without actually getting any milk or even having the teat in the mouth. JUMP-START THE LAMBS Forty-one live lambs were produced from 24 ewes, which is a little over 170%. Pretty good! The most recent discovery is that lambs were old enough to make good use of grass by the time the growing season began.
For a small flock where you have to maximize each animal’s production, it is definitely worth
the extra trouble to assist ewes at lambing. The time and trouble taken to do this will “jump-start” the lambs. Provision of proper assistance can keep the ewes from becoming exhausted after their lambing labor. Then, they become better mothers and are able to provide more milk. High produc-
tion ewes work really hard and deserve care commensurate with their output. Dr. Ely is a professor in the Department of Animal & Food Sciences at University of Kentucky.
Bowling Green
New Sale Schedule Starting in May
Graded Goat & Sheep Sales 2nd & 4th Thursdays of every month (270) 843-3224 or (270) 202-3235 4350 Louisville Road Bowling Green, KY
University of Kentucky Annual Production Sheep Sale University of Kentucky will be conducting their annual production sale from May 15 to May 25 (Sheep Profit Day) SELLING • Hampshire spring ewe lambs sired by “Top Notch,” “Ale-8,” and UK 5144 • White Dorper-X spring ewe lambs • Hampshire, Polypay, and White Dorper rams and ram lambs Animals will be sold on a first come first serve basis starting May 15th continuing through May 25th. If you would like to recieve a detailed list or to be on our mailing list, please contact:
Endre Fink 859-873-6587 ext. 198
Tracy Burden 859-873-6587 ext. 198 HoofPrint I VOLUME 3 SPRING I 5
Market Matters:
The True Value of Club Lambs & Kids by Tess Caudill
O
ne of the hardest management decisions some producers make is how much to ask for their lambs and kids when selling them off the farm as youth market projects. Producers of quality club lambs and kids should most definitely compensate themselves for producing these high quality animals. However, it can be difficult when dealing with youth to ask for adequate compensation. After all, most of us want to help out our young people whenever possible. So how do you determine a fair price? The most obvious thing to consider is the value of the same size and quality animal if it were simply sold on the meat market. With current market prices, this price alone can be substantial. A decent quality market kid or lamb is easily worth $150 to $200 for slaughter, so that should be the rock bottom, bare minimum price for an average quality show wether. COMPENSATION Above and beyond the meat market price, producers of club lambs and kids should compensate themselves for the extra time and money it takes to care for wether-type sheep and goats. These breeds of sheep and goats are largeframed, eat a lot, and too often produce less than we would desire. Producing market projects also usually involves kidding and lambing in undesi rable
618 I I VOLUME VOLUME33SPRING SPRING I I HoofPrint HoofPrint
weather conditions and many trips to the barn in cold weather. Let’s not omit the fact that wether genetics and show feed are expensive! All of these considerations put together make good quality club lambs and kids well worth a premium over meat lambs or kids. How much more? Well, that is probably going to come down to how good your stock is, how much your animals have won, and how good of a marketer you are. TRUE VALUE The point is, the days of $125 club kids and lambs are over and both breeders and buyers need to fully understand this. The good news for buyers is that fall prices for heavy-weight kids and lambs have also much improved in recent years so at least some of the higher costs of market projects will likely be recovered when the project is sold. Neither buyers nor sellers should lose sight of the fact that club lamb and kid projects help teach our young people responsibility, the value of hard work, management and record keeping skills, and quite frankly help keep them busy and away from trouble. I think we can all agree that this is the true value of club lambs and kids. Tess Caudill, marketing specialist for Kentucky Department of Agriculture, has been instrumental in developing the graded marketing program for goats and sheep. A model for surrounding states, the program has provided Kentucky producers access to quality markets for their products.
HoofPrint HoofPrint I I VOLUME VOLUME33SPRING SPRING I I 7 7
8
I VOLUME 3 SPRING I HoofPrint