March 2025
Hello and welcome to the March Newsletter. February seemed to pass very quickly and now we are into Spring-let's hope the weather catches up soon!
Postmovement Testing
Just a reminder on timings-the post movement test should be done 60-120 days after the animal arrived on your holding. It's a bit of a brain ache to work out, but if you do multiple purchases, you may be able to combine a couple of post movement tests at the same time -and even better if you can combine with a tracer test, whole herd test etc.
Lambings are well under way here at the practice-a few interesting ones. Don't forget, we can do bloods on ewes about one month before lambing to check on their nutritional status -giving us enough time to do something about it. Correct nutrition makes a big difference to colostrum quality and lamb mortality.
Hopefully Schmallenberg will not be a feature this year-we have had a few odd calvings-fused joints, uneven calf size. So far, nothing in sheep that we have seen.
The supply of drugs has continued to be problematic with one of our staple antibiotics being unavailable. There is some uncertainty regarding if one of the ewe abortion vaccines will be available when we usually order it-give us a ring to find out more. We are told that most of the problems are due to manufacturing issues-failure of a batch etc. Whatever the reason, it's really quite annoying and many apologies for the inconvenience.
A quick reminder that when treating twin lamb disease, giving an injection of anti-inflammatory greatly improves treatment success rate alongside twin lamb drench. Always use a twin lamb drench containing glycol rather than dextrose or molasses additionally aim to get one containing calcium.
Mary
Calving and Lambing Tips & Tricks
After Sarah's newsletter last month on optimising lamb survival in the lambing shed I wanted to expand on the actual lambing and calving process. Sharing some tips and tricks that have got me out of some difficult calvings/lambings before. Please excuse my drawings!
A normal birth process is in three stages. Stage one takes approximately 24 hours and involves the dilation of the cervix and relaxing of the birth canal. Early signs of stage one can be hard to spot, however towards the end the mother may isolate herself, show discomfort, raise her tail and the 'mucoid plug' may be seen. Stage two takes approximately 1-6hours, it involves passing of the foetus. It tends to be quicker in animals that have given birth before and is also the stage where the most problems are encountered. Stage three is passing of the foetal membranes and normally takes <24hrs. Problems during stage two will influence how quickly these membranes are passed and anything >24hrs is considered retained membranes. In cattle we manually pull these after 5 days, in sheep they very rarely have an issue.
When to intervene is one of the hardest decisions to make with the birthing process. Going in too early will stress the mother and slow down the birthing process, but on the flip side going in too late can lead to increased mortalities, especially of the calf/lamb. Personally I would monitor the mother, make a mental note of what stage she is in and ensure she is showing signs of progressing through the stages, checking her at regular intervals. This is easier said than done, especially when multiple animals are giving birth simultaneously.
Clients who have CCTV swear by it and it allows monitoring without disturbing and interrupting an animal. If you are concerned an animal is not progressing, I would recommend checking her (clean glove), you can then make an informed decision on the next step.
Normal Position
Normal (Backwards) presentation
As stated, stage two is the time most issues occur. The calf or lamb should be presented in the "diving position" (Right) and its stimulation of the uterus drives oxytocin and contractions in a positive feedback loop. Any deviation from this position can result in ceasing of Stage 2.
When correcting a malpresentation I would carry out the following:
Be prepared - do I have everything I need to hand. eg calving aid, calving ropes/lambing snare, lube, medication
Ensure mother is safely restrained. Calving gates are fantastic!
Assess the presentation of the foetus. How is it deviating from normal?
Assess whether the limbs that can be palpated belong to the same foetus. Run a hand over head then down neck/shoulders
Do I have a front leg or a back leg? Remember front legs have two bends below elbow, hind legs only have one below the hock.
How does the foetus need manipulating to get it to the diving position? Cup feet to protect the uterus where possible. Space is your friend, pushing the foetus back into the animal can help. If a breach, manipulate foetus back to backwards position (above).
You have time. Providing the foetal blood supply is not compromised you have time to assess what is going on. No need to rush/panic.
You should be progressing. Make a mental note of times and if you're not progressing every 5-10minutes, then is the time to ask for help.
Head ropes and snares are your friend!
My lambing snare is my favourite tool during the lambing period. It's a lifesaver for those animals where the head keeps sneaking back and needs support through the pelvis. It should be placed around the back of the head and tightened in the mouth. They can be fiddly to master but well worth persevering with.
Picture 1
When using calving ropes attach them above a joint (Picture 1, above). This reduces the chance of a rope slipping, ideally using two loops of rope spreads the pressure and reduces chance of a limb breaking.
Calving aids, (note they are not jacks!) are a fantastic tool when used correctly. They can exert a tremendous force (up to that of 6 adults). Use it to work with the cow by removing the slack between contractions. When the ropes are taut do not "jack" just use the aid as a lever by moving it up/down or sideways depending on the cow position.
Figure 2
Walking the front limbs through the pelvis
Personally I like the Vink Calving Aid (unfortunately my van isn't big enough for one), it secures nicely to the back of the cow reducing slippage. I also like how the leg ropes hooks are staggered. This really helps walk a calf through the pelvis
(Figure 2). If your aid doesn't have this you can achieve a similar effect by either attaching one rope higher up the limb of the calf or knotting the ropes at different levels. Ensure your calving aid is well maintained, you don't want it to fail on you mid-calving.
