Lamb Husbandry

Question 1

What can be useful during lambing?

Answer 1

Lambing ropes

Question 2

Dystocia

Answer 2

Obstructed labour, usually 20 minutes

Question 3

When to intervene

Answer 3

More than 30 minutes, if you can only see head or tail

Question 4

How to care for a newborn lamb?

Answer 4

Dip naval in iodine to reduce tracking of bacteria into the abdomen and ensure the lamb is up and suckling within 30 minutes

Question 5

Hungry lambs

Answer 5

Look gaunt, and quickly become weak, important for them to consume colostrum to help with the immune system

Question 6

Lambs and hypothermia

Answer 6

Very susceptible to the cold as birthing coat has low insulation compared to the adult fleece, large SA to volume, increased heat loss- newborns are wet so high heat loss rate

Question 7

Normal temp for a lamb

Answer 7

39 to 40 degrees, severe hypothermia under 37, need to get the lamb warm, dry and fed

Question 8

What do you do in cases of hypothermia, less than 5 hours

Answer 8

Dry lamb and put in warming box, feed colostrum using stomach tube

Question 9

What do you do in cases of hypothermia, more than 5 hours and holding head up

Answer 9

Feed colostrum using stomach tube

Question 10

What do you do in cases of hypothermia, more than 5 hours and unable to swallow

Answer 10

Glucose injections into the stomach

Question 11

Where are the injection sites on lambs?

Answer 11

Subcutaneous, scruff of the neck and behind/ in front of the shoulder or intramuscular front of the upper leg- quadriceps

Question 12

Orphaned lambs

Answer 12

Generally triplets, if left on the ewe they are likely to die, can be hand reared or fostered onto another ewe,

Question 13

Fostering orphaned lambs

Answer 13

Can babe big welfare implications, transferring of foetal fluids at time of lambing, can skin dead lambs and place skin on foster lambs or use foster crates

Question 14

Tail docking

Answer 14

The surgical or non surgical removal of a large proportion of the tail

Question 15

Why do we tail dock

Answer 15

Prevent accumulation of matted faeces, which could increase flystrike, also facilitates shearing

Question 16

How do we tail dock

Answer 16

Rubber rings/ bands, cuts of blood supply so it drops off

Question 17

Why is it not ideal to tail dock on the first day

Answer 17

Causes pain, may prevent bonding with mothers

Question 18

Considerations of tail docking

Answer 18

Need enough tail to cover anis and vulva, rubber rings only applied within first 7 days, not all breeds need to be docked

Question 19

Castratiom

Answer 19

Re,oval or alteration of the testes to render the male infertile

Question 20

Why do we castrate

Answer 20

Avoid unnecessary breeding, hormones can effect testosterone levels

Question 21

When and how do we castrate

Answer 21

Must be done under 7 days, how- rubber rings around the testes, tight band around the neck of the scrotum to cut off blood supply,

Question 22

Welfare considerations

Answer 22

After 7 days, anaesthetic must be used, only done if necessary

Question 23

Entropion

Answer 23

Presence of in turned eyelids, may effect one or both eyes causing the eye to weep can cause damage to the cornea, if untreated can cause ulceration or blindness

Question 24

Selecting lambs for slaughter

Answer 24

Rib coverage- individual ribs are soft, detection of ribs means not enough fat cover
Dock coverage- individual vertebrae bones are easy to detect- light touch means there isn’t enough fat cover