During my half term I went to Layburn in North Yorkshire for a lambing course. I had no real farm experience before I went and was not sure what to expect when I was faced by a room of farmers also on the course. However, I was quickly put at ease when we were taught about all things lambing, from the very basics to more advanced and complicated issues.
We started with the 3 main stages of lambing:
1. This is when the sheep starts to separate herself from the flock and looks uncomfortable. You may also begin to see some mucus. Within an hour or so labour will usually start.
2. At this point you should be able to see the water bag.
3. Next the lamb should be able to be felt and will start to be expelled.
Usually a normal, healthy birth means the lamb is presenting normally with the two front feet at the front with head between them and this should not normally require assistance. However this is not always the case and it is important to know the correct way to assist a lambing without causing damage or distress to the sheep and lamb.
One of the most essential pieces of information I took away from the day was the importance of hygiene. Many farmers find it easier to simply assist a birth without the use of gloves, but this is far less sanitary and could potentially cause more harm. For a clean and safe birth, disinfectant, towels, warm water and gloves should be used.
During the day we used a ‘lambing simulator’ to practice how we would help react when a lamb was not presenting normally though. There are many different positions the lambs could present in:
- Backwards
- One leg and head
- Two legs
- Breech (backwards with tail near opening)
- Hang (head only)
- And with twins or triplets you can get a variety of them all
It is important when trying to move a lambs legs into a more suitable position that you cup the lambs hooves so as to prevent them ripping the uterus or any other damage. The aim is to get two front legs if the are presenting forward or two back legs. Although the simulator was not the most advanced equipment (a box with a hole in it!) it was still a very informative way of learning the correct way to assist a birth when not in an urgent situation.
The use of a lambing aid was also impressed upon us as an essential piece of equipment. This was a loop of soft wire or string that is hooked around the ears and tightened in the mouth of the lamb, which enables you to then push the lamb back into the birthing canal, rearrange its position and pull the lamb back to the opening.
Finally, we were educated about what shouldn’t happen. Lambs that are born and are red signifies that you may have ruptured a blood vessel and it was not delivered successfully. Also, a brown lamb means that it has been so distressed that it excreted and been covered by its own faeces. Neither of these scenarios is ideal.
Overall, I felt I learnt many things about lambing that I had not known before and was happy to get some hands on experience when I knew that nothing could go wrong, giving me confidence for anytime in the future when I may have to assist a birth!
