In sheep production, the careful management of the pregnant, parturient and lactating ewes will have a marked influence on the percentage of lambs dropped and reared successfully. So, the following steps may be taken to afford proper attention to these animals.
Management of Ewe
Do not handle the pregnant ewes too frequently.
Separate the advanced pregnant ewes from the main flock and take effective care in their feeding and management.
Extra feed during the latter part of pregnancy (3-4 weeks before parturition) will be beneficial for the condition of the pre-parturient ewes which will help in improving milk production of ewes, birth weight and growth of lambs.
Inadequate and poor nutrition may result in pregnancy, toxaemia, abortions and premature births of weak lambs.
Bring lambing ewes into lambing corals 4-6 days before parturition and provide maximum comfort. If possible, provide soft, clean bedding and individual lambing pens.
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Watch gestation length, which ranges from 142 to over 150 days. Early maturing breeds have slightly shorter gestation period.
Save parturient ewes from cold and chilly weather.
Management of Lamb
Care of lamb farm birth to slaughter age
Average gestation period is about – 150 days
About a week to lambing the following are observed
Production of milk from mammary gland
Ewe becomes nervous and excited
Few hours to parturition, theirs expulsion of the bag containing a fluid
It is not uncommon to have twin birth in ewe
Steps
The lamb should be able to suckle the dam 15-20mins after birth, if this does not happened the lamb has to be assisted by placing the ewe’s teat into the lamb’s mouth.
Keep the ewe and lamb in a confinement for at least 24hours, this is done in other to allow the ewe and the lamb get use to each other.
The livestock man should monitor closely the health of the ewe and lamb.
Provide for the ewe water, good quality hay, silage or freshly cut silage.
Preweaning management of lamb
This covers about 2-5 months
Steps
Take care of the navel by dipping it in 7% solution of iodine to avoid injection
Take data of the lamb (see farm records)
Provide creep feeding under intensive condition when ewes are milking
The feeding is separate from that of the mother.
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