How many ewes do you have to assist when lambing ?

Bullocks

Well as the title says , how many ewes roughly need assistance during lambing and how many lambs need a bit of help to get sucking ?
I have 6 ewes , 4 have lambed triplets and they all needed to be pulled except the last ones she popped out herself and they were a good bit smaller than the rest but they needed to be put suckling for a few days because she has bottle tits .
The last 2 are singles and I'm hoping they will lamb by themselves but will probably be big if the triples are anything to go by so may need assistance.
They are out of a texel ram , would texels usually be easy lambed ?
What is the best ram to use for lambing ease and also be hardy lambs that are inclined to get up and suck without any help ?

sea12

Bullocks wrote: »

Well as the title says , how many ewes roughly need assistance during lambing and how many lambs need a bit of help to get sucking ?
I have 6 ewes , 4 have lambed triplets and they all needed to be pulled except the last ones she popped out herself and they were a good bit smaller than the rest but they needed to be put suckling for a few days because she has bottle tits .
The last 2 are singles and I'm hoping they will lamb by themselves but will probably be big if the triples are anything to go by so may need assistance.
They are out of a texel ram , would texels usually be easy lambed ?
What is the best ram to use for lambing ease and also be hardy lambs that are inclined to get up and suck without any help ?

It all depends on a lot of factors when it comes to how many. The ram used and the level of feeding are probably the biggest factors.
Allot of people will disagree but yes I find texals can be hard lambers.
Personally I like Charolais and find them easy lambers. Rangler on here swears by vendeen. Best of luck with the 2 singles and yes if had to pull triplets then the odds are not in Ure favour.
I take it that you are new to sheep. Are u perhaps stepping in too early.

rangler1

Bullocks wrote: »

Well as the title says , how many ewes roughly need assistance during lambing and how many lambs need a bit of help to get sucking ?
I have 6 ewes , 4 have lambed triplets and they all needed to be pulled except the last ones she popped out herself and they were a good bit smaller than the rest but they needed to be put suckling for a few days because she has bottle tits .
The last 2 are singles and I'm hoping they will lamb by themselves but will probably be big if the triples are anything to go by so may need assistance.
They are out of a texel ram , would texels usually be easy lambed ?
What is the best ram to use for lambing ease and also be hardy lambs that are inclined to get up and suck without any help ?

I couldn't tell you the percentage that need assistance, but it wouldn't be much, Texel are inclined to be hard lambed but we manage it with scanning and feeding according to what the ewes are carrying.
Some ewes get big teats as they get older, but they're culled for that.
Triplets would be more prone to be tangled up in each other in the ewe, but not very often.
Any of the continental breeds are easy lambed

Bullocks

sea12 wrote: »

It all depends on a lot of factors when it comes to how many. The ram used and the level of feeding are probably the biggest factors.
Allot of people will disagree but yes I find texals can be hard lambers.
Personally I like Charolais and find them easy lambers. Rangler on here swears by vendeen. Best of luck with the 2 singles and yes if had to pull triplets then the odds are not in Ure favour.
I take it that you are new to sheep. Are u perhaps stepping in too early.

I am new to sheep alright, I don't think I stood in too early except maybe the first one , the next two lambed the first lamb but couldn't stir the next two after a couple of hours and they were coming backwards and together .
Just back in from the shed now and one of the singles lambed on her own , a fine big ewe lamb but the mother is a big stump of a Galway ewe so guessing she had plenty of room . Happy with that .

Bullocks

rangler1 wrote: »

I couldn't tell you the percentage that need assistance, but it wouldn't be much, Texel are inclined to be hard lambed but we manage it with scanning and feeding according to what the ewes are carrying.
Some ewes get big teats as they get older, but they're culled for that.
Triplets would be more prone to be tangled up in each other in the ewe, but not very often.
Any of the continental breeds are easy lambed

Yup she will get the road after this , never noticed it until she started bagging

Green farmer

Bullocks wrote: »

Well as the title says , how many ewes roughly need assistance during lambing and how many lambs need a bit of help to get sucking ?

Another big factor is what breed the ewe is. Most traditional lowland ewes are out of terminal bred sires. so they could be more muscular in nature and might not have as much room to work with. If you have ewes that were bred especially for their mothering ability, then you should have less lambing difficulties overall. Ie mules or llyen x sheep amongst others

Bullocks

Green farmer wrote: »

Bullocks wrote: »

Well as the title says , how many ewes roughly need assistance during lambing and how many lambs need a bit of help to get sucking ?

Another big factor is what breed the ewe is. Most traditional lowland ewes are out of terminal bred sires. so they could be more muscular in nature and might not have as much room to work with. If you have ewes that were bred especially for their mothering ability, then you should have less lambing difficulties overall. Ie mules or llyen x sheep amongst others

I have Galways , suffolk and 1 rouge X galway .

Connemara Farmer

2 last year, one single that had large horns, simple matter of manipulating the skin over the horns. One twin I can't remember the issue, think it was late and she was taking a while. In reality is likely both would have landed fine on their own, just that I was there for both.

Green farmer

They probably all perfectly fine. all crosses of ewes are capable of having lambs and minding them. It's just that maternal breeds of sheep are bred especially for their mothering abilities. Most of my own ewes are out of texels and are working fine, but some are gone too muscularity and wouldn't be particularly milky. So this year I bought a maternal ram to bred me replacements , that would have in theory, wider a pelvis and have stronger mothering traits about them.

Cran

For the main flock I kept a note one year of ewes that needed assistance, it finished at 5%. It was an exceptional year though and about 18 degrees for the main two weeks lambing. Had two vet students for 10 days, one of them only got to deliver a lamb on her last day I always remember.
The ewes I lamb indoors in January are a different story would think it runs at nearly 40% there, but pedigrees are a different game and maybe 1/2 of the assistance for my benefit rather than the ewes.

Green farmer

Are the main flock llyen x ?

Cran

Green farmer wrote: »

Are the main flock llyen x ?

Mainly Mule, currently runs at about 80% mule remainder are made up of mainly Mule x Lleyn but this year only second time lambing them. First time having Mule x lleyn hoggets, were ewe lambs last year.
The lambing I mentioned above the flock would have been over 90% Mule that year.

MayoAreMagic

Last year out of 80 odd I only had to pull 1. Big lamb, small first lamber, bad combination! This year Im hoping to have to pull none for the first time.

Famous last words...

AnFeirmeoir

I assist more than i have to. I often step in at the last minute.. why risk anything at that point?

Green farmer

Having to pull a lamb isn't the end of the world, unless it happens when you ain't about and find a ewe walking about with a swollen head sticking out. Not to pleasant, but part of the job unfortunately and we've all been there.

Connemara Farmer

Green farmer wrote: »

Having to pull a lamb isn't the end of the world, unless it happens when you ain't about and find a ewe walking about with a swollen head sticking out. Not to pleasant, but part of the job unfortunately and we've all been there.

Lube & tube would be the two essentials for that case, lube to get him out easier, tube to feed as swelling & hassle won't have helped him get his first feed.

AntrimGlens

Does everyone wear gloves when assisting a lambing, i wear AI gloves when handling a ewe, but can never get any bloody grip with them and end up discarding them if i'm getting it tight. Remember a vet telling me about the % of ewes that get infection from being handled and didn't go back in lamb - shocked me anyways.

Green farmer

That's if your lucky enough to get there on time Con. I Found one the following morning last year. Lambs head size of football . Took some effort to save the mother. Real nasty it was.

Connemara Farmer

I must be lucky in that regard because I don't think I've ever had a dead stuck lamb if you know what I mean.

Green farmer

The type of ewes you run would have good wide pelvises, Con. Had two different cases of it here over last 5 years, Coincidentally or not, both times it happened, the mothers were 3/4 bred suffocks. Sort of put me off the breed. Now I look for ewes with female slender looking heads.

arctictree

Lambed 12 last year. Didn't assist any.

Found one in the field with two dead lambs and a half developed lamb. Just my luck that she was the first as I bring them in once the first starts lambing. Could probably have salvaged something from that if she was inside.

Another one of a triplet died. Looked like he suffocated as the bag was still around him when I got there in the morning.

Username John

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

I must be lucky in that regard because I don't think I've ever had a dead stuck lamb if you know what I mean.

Green farmer wrote: »

The type of ewes you run would have good wide pelvises, Con. Had two different cases of it here over last 5 years, Coincidentally or not, both times it happened, the mothers were 3/4 bred suffocks. Sort of put me off the breed. Now I look for ewes with female slender looking heads.

Had it happen here a good few times... But I have Suffolks, and sure I just love the hardship
Its funny how hardy the lambs are in that scenario, once the cord isn't broken I guess, they're ok. Can be tricky enough to get the head back in and find the legs tho...

Connemara Farmer

Cheviot and blackface will lamb most anything, let the sheep do the work.

supersean1999

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Cheviot and blackface will lamb most anything, let the sheep do the work.

The hill ewes we have fire out there mountain lambs normally without any bother, a first timer may occasionally have trouble but it's normally after they lamb they cause trouble, Iv had trouble with a big Suffolk on horny ewes, there is something wrong IMO if a farmer is constantly pulling big lambs, over feeding I'd imagine the biggest problem, followed by putting big Rams with smaller ewes,

Sheep breeder

if every lamb lived and ended on the hook we would be millionaires,not every ewe will lamb perfectly its all down to luck, you could watch for hours and go for quick cuppa come back and a lamb smothered, if lambing problems could have being run with dogs and twist up the lambs inside,

Connemara Farmer

supersean1999 wrote: »

The hill ewes we have fire out there mountain lambs normally without any bother, a first timer may occasionally have trouble but it's normally after they lamb they cause trouble, Iv had trouble with a big Suffolk on horny ewes, there is something wrong IMO if a farmer is constantly pulling big lambs, over feeding I'd imagine the biggest problem, followed by putting big Rams with smaller ewes,

Yeah, I remember the only time Dad had problems lambing was down to a Suffolk ram throwing monsters, they really were freakishly huge lambs.