Lambing in Wales - 13/3/09-22/3/09

I went to wales on a lambing course and to help out on the farm either side of the course.
At the farm they had over 100 sheep, a few cows and pigs, as well as a variety of poultry.
My daily jobs included feeding; the ewes (pre-lambing), ewes (post-lambing), the sows, boar and weaners, the rams and the calf. Other jobs included cleaning out the animals, refilling waters and general maintenance and care of the farm animals. The lambing course was extremely useful.

On the Monday I learnt how to tube feed lambs and witnessed an injection into the eyelid of lamb.
In addition, I watched an assisted birth of a Texal ewe where the lamb had its head out and one front leg out and the other tucked up. I watched a lamb being fostered from one ewe to another after the birth mother ewe rejected it - it was a shearling. I learnt about the fostering techniques such as skinning and using a bag.

I used an artificial ewe where I practised assisting births where the head was back and learnt the normal position for a lamb in the womb. I placed lambing ropes onto the head and 2 front feet. I also used the artificial ewe for the delivery of twins where 1 was in the posterior position using lambing ropes.

We had a talk from a local vet who talked about common problems associated with sheep such as ORF, hypo/ hyperthermia, foot rot, twin lamb disease, calcium deficiency, listeria etc and the importance of vaccinations. In addition, a nutritionist came to give information on livestock feed- and levels of different nutrients in the feed.

I was educated on dealing with prolapses and the advantages and disadvantages of treatment methods such as a prolapse spoon and/or stitching. I took part in worming, delousing and numbering lambs and ewes ready for release into the field. For me to be able to do this I learnt how to turn over many sheep including the large texal sheep and clip their tails and feet. I checked the teeth of the ewes and condition scored them. I discovered that the back teeth are very important and that swelling from bad back teeth can appear as liver flux.

I had to help with modifying the horn shape on rams where the horn had grown into the eye.
At night, I took turns being on shift in the lambing shed with the 2 farm owners. Some nights I done over a 24 hour shift at the farm and this allowed me to see just how much I could do when pushed through the exhaustion barrier.

As I had been able to spend so much time watching the ewes normal behaviour I was able to see the signs of imminent birthing and difficult births (crouching etc) I was able to conduct an initial examination of 2 ewes to check that the lambs were in the correct position after the ewes appeared to be straining more than usual at birth.