By Kirsten Williams,

beef and sheep consultant, SAC Consulting

Preparation through management and feeding is the first step to a successful lambing.

The aim is to have the ewe in the correct condition to avoid difficulties like metabolic disorders with a good supply of quality colostrum. You want vigorous lambs which get up on their feet and suckling quickly.

Remember, a huge 75% of foetal growth takes place in the last six weeks of pregnancy. As well as supplying nutrients for this foetal growth, the ewe must maintain her self and prepare for producing colostrum and milk.

The diet offered must be high quality and nutrient rich with intake sufficient to meet these demands.

The second most common cause of lamb deaths is hypothermia/starvation, with colostrum and milk supply an absolutely essential element for lamb survival.

Colostrum is a super food which provides energy and nutrients, helps to maintain body temperature and allows for antibodies which form the lamb’s passive immune system, as well as being a laxative cleaning out the digestive tract of the new born lamb.

Antibodies in the ewe’s blood stream do not cross the placenta, so the lamb has none at birth. Therefore, it is essential in-lamb ewes are fed properly to ensure the production of good quality colostrum.

Rations should be tailor made to the quality of forage that is being offered to the ewe and ideally pregnant ewe hoggs should be managed in separate groups from mature ewes.

Their nutritional requirements are higher as they are still growing themselves as well as a foetus inside them and there is a risk of older, more mature ewes, will compete for any feed.

Another essential tool for managing ewes pre lambing is vaccination against clostridial diseases. Vaccination should be given four to six weeks pre-lambing to allow for passive protection to the lamb through the ewes colostrum.

Ideally, separate groups within a ewe flock should be vaccinated, according to tupping marks. This allows for more accuracy over the lambing date – if you vaccinate four weeks from the expected date of the first birth any ewes in the second cycle or later would be outside the four to six weeks pre-lambing time frame needed for the vaccine to be fully effective.

Take the opportunity to handle ewes at vaccination time and condition score them so you can batch them accordingly, eg thin twins with triplets, etc.

Ewes likely to be housed at lambing time should be crutched one month prior to lambing. This will make it easier for lambs to find teats and means there is less moisture in the air and around the 'milk bar', a cleaner drier environment.

The lambing area should be prepared well in advance. Lambing fields should have adequate shelter and space to allow the ewes to find a suitable lambing site.

For multiple births, select fields that are not too steep. Indoor lambing areas should have been disinfected between lambings, with the potential of putting a layer of builders' or hydrated lime down before bedding.

This has a high alkaline pH which makes it difficult for bacteria to survive. It also absorbs moisture, reduces odour and it is cheap and easy to apply.

The lambing area should have no drafts and troughs should be checked for leaks and repaired in plenty of time. Remember to disinfect individual pens between ewes and as a rule of thumb, there should be enough pens for 10% of non-synchronised flocks, plus release pens.