11 Newborn Lambs to Two Weeks Old

Lambing the ewes successfully is only a start – if significant numbers of lambs fail to survive, all the investment of money and time is wasted and flock output will be adversely affected. Lamb survival rates vary according to the type of flock, how much supervision is given during lambing time, and in particular the influence of the weather. It should not come as a surprise if wintry weather arrives in January, February or even March in some parts of the country, so plans should be in place to provide sufficient shelter once ewes and lambs are turned out if lambing takes place during these months. Lambing outdoors later during April or even May in high hill flocks at least gives the best chance of getting decent weather – although this can never be a certainty. Surveys have put lamb mortality (including abortion losses) at 12–15 per cent on average across the country. It is difficult to achieve less than 3–5 per cent even with close supervision, but a target of 8–10 per cent should be realistic in well supervised flocks. Unexpectedly bad weather can raise deaths to 20–25 per cent in hill flocks, but this would be a disastrous loss rate, and should be an exceptional event.

Fig. 393 Lamb losses range from 12–15 per cent in the average flock, but it should be possible to reduce this in most flocks, although there will always be a few deaths in even the most intensively supervised flock.

Fig. 394 Post-mortem examination of dead lambs can be very instructive, enabling plans to reduce losses to be drawn up.

Fig. 395 Just born, but will they both survive? Lambing indoors protects from bad weather, but infections are more common. The orange-stained lamb (foetal dung) is likely to have been the first born, showing that this stage of labour was quite long.

Fig. 396 A hardy breed lambing outdoors can cope with most weather, but can she successfully look after twins in harsh conditions?

Colostrum

Colostrum is the key to a good start in life for lambs. It provides concentrated energy to protect the lamb against cold and to enable growth to start. It also contains important proteins, antibodies and other substances that help protect against bacteria and other harmful organisms to which the lamb is immediately exposed – those which the ewe has met naturally or against which she has been vaccinated. The sooner lambs get their first feed of colostrum, the better (minutes after birth rather than hours).

Fig. 397 This lamb is having a good suck and the ewe is attentive, so the lamb is well on its way to a good start in life. Vigorous tail wagging signals that the lamb is feeding successfully.

Fig. 398 These quads are looking well, but only because of ensuring each had a good feed of colostrum soon after birth. One or two of these lambs will need removing and fostering or rearing artificially.

Fig. 399 Feeding colostrum by bottle and teat can be time-consuming, so tube feeding is commonly used. Make sure all equipment used for feeding lambs is cleaned thoroughly.

One of the post-lambing procedures should be to check both of the ewe’s teats to make sure colostrum is present. This also removes the waxy plugs that are usually present in the end of each teat, making it easier for lambs to suck straightaway. Most strong lambs will soon find the teat, but if there is any doubt about whether the lamb will suck, the ewe should be milked out and colostrum given to each lamb either by bottle (rather time-consuming) or using a stomach tube (quick and easy, once you know the technique). The volume of colostrum required for a first feed is:

50ml for a very small lamb

100ml for an average lamb

150ml for a large lamb.

Most healthy lambs will then go on to suck normally after this initial feed. If they don’t there is probably something wrong with them, or they have been rejected by the ewe, and they will need more care, perhaps by removing them to a hospital pen. A lamb needs about 250ml/kg bodyweight of colostrum in the first twenty-four hours of life, a little less for those in good housing, a little more for those outdoors.

Fig. 400 This is a large syringe and tube for feeding colostrum to newborn lambs. Lubricate the tube before carefully passing it into the lamb’s mouth. It will usually go down the oesophagus if pushed gently, but if the lamb objects, remove and start again. The tube should be inserted until no more than about a quarter of it is visible – if it is not inserted far enough the lamb may choke if the colostrum is regurgitated. Then push the plunger gently to expel the colostrum.

Fig. 401 This is a different design, with a rubber tube and funnel. If the colostrum is very thick it will not run down the tube without diluting it a little.

Colostrum Substitutes

There are always ewes with too little colostrum or too many lambs, so a readily available store of colostrum or substitute is essential. Lamb milk powder is fine after the first day, but does not take the place of the first feeds of colostrum. Possible colostrum substitutes include the following:

Surplus ewe colostrum: Always the best and the cheapest, it just requires the time to milk out those ewes with a surplus supply. Any not needed immediately can be frozen.

Commercial powdered colostrum: Readily available and just needs mixing up, but is relatively expensive.

Goat colostrum: Some people keep goats especially to supply colostrum for lambs, as it is similar to that of ewes and can be frozen. There are some diseases that can be spread to sheep from goats, but this may only be of concern if lambs are being kept for future breeding.

Cow colostrum: Readily available in quantity and supplies energy and some antibodies, but is less concentrated than ewe colostrum. It can also be frozen. Its main problem is the possibility of causing anaemia in some lambs to which it is fed. Try to minimize the risk by mixing colostrum from several cows (this can be done by freezing, then carefully thawing to mix batches, then refreezing):

If using frozen colostrum, be careful not to overheat it when unfreezing it, as this will destroy the antibodies.

Fig. 402 Goat colostrum is a good substitute for ewe colostrum provided the goat is healthy.

Fig. 403 Cow colostrum can be fed to lambs, but sometimes causes anaemia. This may not become apparent until the lamb is one to two weeks old, and can be fatal.

Fig. 404 This lamb is very anaemic as a result of having been fed cow colostrum.

Checks for Newborn Lambs

Lambs being born without supervision have to take their chance. They may die if they are born with the placenta over their head, or through chilling if the mother does not lick them, or starvation if they do not suck. They may also become mismothered, particularly if the ewes are lambing indoors. However, where lambs are born under supervision, a quick check can pick up potential problems early, as well as making it possible to put a ewe with more than one lamb in an individual pen so that bonding occurs and lambs cannot wander away.

First, check that each lamb is breathing. If not, everyone has their own methods of stimulating breathing, including rubbing and gentle slapping, holding it with the head down to drain fluid, or using a respiratory stimulant obtained from your vet. Be wary of blowing directly into the mouth in case of any transmissible disease problems.

Check the eyelids for entropion (inturned lower eyelids, see later), particularly if this is known to be a problem in the flock.

Check the ewe’s udder to make sure she has plenty of colostrum and that both teats are functioning.

Check the navel and spray with antiseptic such as iodine (this can be left until the ewe has finished licking the lambs).

Fig. 405 This Herdwick ewe has triplets, which is very unusual and would not be welcomed by most breeders, as the breed is usually expected to survive in harsh hill conditions. With all multiple births care needs to be taken that all lambs get a good feed of colostrum.

Fig. 406 The ewe is licking her lambs, stimulating them to stand, and establishing a bond. She has a full udder, so plenty of colostrum for them.

Fig. 407 A good set of individual lambing pens, where ewes can bond with their lambs and where they can be kept until the shepherd is happy that the ewe and lambs are strong enough to be put into a group or turned out.

Fig. 408 The umbilical cord is very vulnerable to infection if lambs are born indoors, particularly if the pens are not well bedded.

Fig. 409 Spray the navel with iodine or some similar product to try to prevent navel infection. Make sure the whole cord is well covered. It is worth re-checking lambs before turning them out from individual pens, and any with navels that are still wet should be sprayed again.

Fig. 410 Check the eyelids. If the lower lid is abnormally rolled inwards (entropion) the eye quickly becomes sore and damaged. This can be successfully corrected immediately after birth simply by pulling the lid downwards to expose the rim of the lid. If not corrected at this stage it is much more difficult to do later.

Fig. 411 You can see that this lamb’s eyelids are normal, as the edges of the lower lids are readily visible.

Fig. 412 Uncorrected entropion: the lower lid is rolled inwards, the eye is partially closed and is running tears. It can probably be corrected at this early stage simply by pulling the skin below the lid down and slightly pinching it. Check, and repeat as necessary until it stays in place.

Fig. 413 Another entropion case with damage visible on the cornea, which has partially turned white. This will need extra treatment in order to correct it.

Numbering family groups with a purpose-designed spray marker allows wandering or lost lambs to be quickly reunited with the correct ewe once they have been turned into larger groups.

Recognizing Healthy and Unhealthy Lambs

One of the many important tasks during lambing time is picking out lambs that are not thriving, either because of lack of milk or disease. Healthy lambs look contented and have a full, though not distended, abdomen. When they stand up they give a good stretch – you can be fairly sure that any lamb doing this is fine, and you can devote your time to those that do not look well. Lambs which are not normal or not thriving do not stretch when they stand up, and look hunched up and miserable. Another sign that all is not well is when a lamb constantly shakes itself, which seems to be an indication of prematurity or immaturity. This is different from the constant shaking or trembling shown by lambs affected with border disease (known as hairy shakers).

Fig. 414 One method of correcting entropion if it was not spotted and corrected at birth: the lid is pulled down and antibiotic injected into it. It is best to get your vet to show you how to do this, as having a sharp needle so near the eye is obviously potentially dangerous. Better still, prevent this being necessary by spotting and correcting the condition at birth.

Fig. 415 This model lamb shows an alternative method using Michel clips. They should be placed, using a special applicator, below the rim of the lower lid, leaving the rim of the eyelid clearly visible. They can be removed after a few days, or left to drop out on their own.

Fig. 416 These lambs lying in the sun look contented, but can you be quite sure they are doing well?

Fig. 417 The typical appearance of a healthy, thriving lamb: when it gets up it stretches, curls its tail and wrinkles its top lip.

Fig. 418 This lamb is very hollow and obviously not getting enough milk.

Fig. 419 The first dung passed by a lamb should be bright orange: this shows it has had a good feed of colostrum.

Fig. 420 This lamb has had a good feed of colostrum, but the sticky dung has built up under its tail causing it discomfort…

Fig. 421 …Deal with it by gently loosening it, then removing the excess.

Fig. 422 This lamb also has a dirty behind, but in this case it is scouring. You can also see its hip bones, which shows it is not thriving.

Fig. 423 This lamb is very thin and obviously not getting enough milk to drink. It might recover if offered extra milk, although it can often be difficult to get lambs like this to take to a bottle or artificial feeder.

Castration and Tailing

The view today regarding tailing and castration is that the procedures should only be carried out if there is a real need to do so. For lambs going for meat under six months of age there is no need to castrate; in fact the lambs will make heavier, leaner carcases by not doing so. It should also be unnecessary to tail dock these lambs as there are various chemical methods of preventing fly strike. For lowland breeds of sheep it is likely that females being retained for breeding will be tail docked. For male lambs that may be slow to fatten, some farmers feel castration is necessary to prevent accidental pregnancies, since ram lambs can become fertile by five to six months, and to enable the lambs to finish faster.

The most common method of castration and/or tailing is to apply a tight rubber ring to the scrotum and tail. However, this undoubtedly causes pain for the lamb, and the hope is that a practical method of pain relief will be available before too long. These procedures should not be carried out within the first few hours of birth, as lambs may not suck until the pain has passed. This method is only legal for lambs up to one week old. Other methods, such as the use of a bloodless castrator, can be used without anaesthetic up to three months of age; thereafter the procedures must be done by a vet using anaesthetic. If tail docking is carried out, make sure that this is not done too high so that the remaining tail is not too short – it is illegal to short dock, and sufficient tail should be left to cover the anus of rams and the vulva of ewes.

Fig. 424 Applicator and rubber rings used for castration and tailing. This method is only legal in lambs less than one week of age.

Fig. 425 Applying a ring to the tail of a lamb. Sufficient length of tail must be left to cover the vulva of a female and the anus of a male.

Fig. 426 This ewe has been docked too short when a lamb. Be careful to leave sufficient length of tail – this often needs to be more than you think.

Fig. 427 Castrating a lamb with a rubber ring. Make sure the ring is above the testicles, but is not so high that it has trapped the urethra.

Fig. 428 Wet-fostering lambs is often successful providing you are there to thoroughly soak the lamb in the ewe’s birth fluids at the time the foster ewe lambs.

Specific Problems of Young Lambs

Spare Lambs, Rejected Lambs and Fostering

Managing surplus lambs is made easier when ewes have been scanned so that those with triplets can be matched up with ewes with singles. If a lot of ewes are lambing over a short period the best way is wet fostering – covering the foster lamb with foetal fluids from the adopting ewe, and if possible, letting her lick it before her own lamb is put with it. This method is often successful. If the ewe has a single dead lamb, the long-standing method of skinning the dead lamb and putting the skin on the foster lamb is also often successful, but less so if the ewe has another surviving lamb.

Fig. 429 This lamb has been fostered by using the skin of the dead lamb.

Fig. 430 This lamb has also been fostered using the skinning method, and most of the skin has now been cut off. The skin of the dead lamb is usually removed in several stages to avoid rejection by the ewe.

Fig. 431 This fostering crate holds up to four ewes. It is important to keep the pens clean and hygienic and to keep the ewes supplied with fresh water and food.

Fig. 432 The lambs take on the smell of the ewe, but ewes should not be confined for more than two to three days. If fostering has not been successful by then, it is unlikely to be so by confining the ewe for longer.

Fig. 433 This ewe has been tethered using baler twine. Care must be taken with this method that the string is not too tight, and allows the ewe to lie down.

The other method commonly used is to fasten the ewe in a fostering crate so she cannot turn and smell the fostered lamb, which then gradually takes on the smell of the ewe and any other lamb she has. If this method does not work after about forty-eight hours it is unlikely to do so, and ewes should not be confined for periods much longer than this. It is also important that the fostering crates are kept clean and the ewe is provided with water, good forage and concentrates.

Rearing Surplus Lambs

Any lambs that cannot be fostered will need to be reared on milk powder, having ensured that they have had adequate colostrum first. This is an expensive business but can be economic. It is a waste to get to the stage of live lambs being born and then failing to rear them. Commercial milk replacement powders formulated especially for lambs usually achieve good results providing the instructions are followed closely, and all equipment and housing is kept in a hygienic condition. Small numbers of lambs can be reared by bottle feeding several times a day, but larger numbers are best reared using an automatic feeder. Water, hay and creep feed should be available right from the start so that lambs can be weaned as quickly as possible – this will usually be a minimum of five weeks of age, preferably at least six weeks.

Fig. 434 This fostering pen is dirty: it should have been cleaned out before it got to this state.

Fig. 435 Here is a successful fostering – you can tell the lambs were born to different ewes because they are numbered differently.

Fig. 436 Milk powder should be made up according to instructions, and scales used to weigh it accurately.

Fig. 437 Bottle feeding is the usual way of dealing with small numbers of surplus lambs. Bottles can also be used to ‘top up’ lambs that are short of milk, but which have been left to run with their mother. The lambs soon learn to come for the bottle even if they are turned out in the field.

Fig. 438 Lambs being reared artificially should be housed in a well bedded pen. Heat lamps provide warmth.

Fig. 439 For larger numbers of lambs, a simple method of feeding is to use teats with tubes attached, which are placed in buckets of milk. It is best to feed cold milk in this situation, rather than feeding milk at varying temperatures; lambs do surprisingly well on cold milk replacer.

Fig. 440 A large group of lambs with an electrically heated automatic feeder. These should be dismantled and cleaned regularly.

Fig. 441 Teats and fittings need cleaning regularly. Diseases such as orf can readily spread through the group.

Fig. 442 Artificially reared lambs, particularly those reared on bottles, often look rather ‘pot bellied’, like this one.

Hypothermia and Starvation

Hypothermia and starvation are the most common and important causes of lamb losses in the first couple of weeks after birth. Lambs born to well nourished ewes have internal stores of special fat (brown fat) that can be metabolized to generate heat quickly and keep their body temperature at a normal level. If they get adequate colostrum this also provides a concentrated heat source as well as initiating growth. Lambs born from undernourished ewes, or of below normal birthweight for some other reason (for example a triplet or premature) have poorer stores of brown fat so are at greater risk. Normal body temperature is 39–40°C; lambs with a temperature of 37–38°C are mildly hypothermic, and below 37°C are severely hypothermic.

Hypothermia occurs when lambs get insufficient colostrum or are born in adverse weather conditions, such as cold, wet and windy, where loss of heat is greater than heat generation. In either case, lambs lose body heat, look tucked up and miserable, and eventually cannot get up, become comatose, and die. Starvation is usually the case with slightly older lambs, which have survived the first couple of days but then fail to get sufficient milk either because the ewe has too little or because of rejection or mismothering. Starving lambs also look miserable, and their hip bones are visible. When any post-mortem examination of dead lambs is carried out, the key sign of hypothermia and starvation is that the abomasum (the fourth stomach) is empty: well fed lambs should have clotted milk present. Increased lamb losses should be investigated by your vet to try to establish the cause.

Fig. 443 This newborn lamb is still wet and will quickly become hypothermic if it does not get colostrum and shelter.

Fig. 444 A Herdwick lamb: its very thick coat will help protect it from hypothermia.

Fig. 445 Lambs born indoors are less likely to become hypothermic than those born outdoors, though they can still be affected if they do not feed, and the building is draughty.

Fig. 446 This miserable-looking lamb is hypothermic: its temperature could well be at least 3 to 5°C below normal. It will become comatose when its temperature is 10 to 15°C below normal. Quick action is necessary if a lamb in this state is to be successfully revived.

Fig. 447 Heat lamps are commonly used to provide extra heat for lambs, but there is a real fire risk if they are not kept well away from straw.

Fig. 448 Another problem of having heat lamps low enough to be of benefit to lambs is that ewes lie under them.

Fig. 449 Ewes may also stand under them, getting their wool burnt. To avoid this, fasten a piece of mesh across the corner of the pen raised high enough that lambs can get underneath but too low for the ewe. The lamp can then be safely put at a lower level.

Fig. 450 This lamb is fitted with a biodegradable plastic coat that helps prevent excessive heat loss where lambs are born outdoors or have to go outside soon after birth.

Fig. 451 A shelter for lambs born outdoors where they can escape from the wind. Shelter is important and can be as simple as putting up strategically placed tin sheets.

Fig. 452 This model lamb is being used to show the site and angle for injection of warm 20 per cent glucose solution – about 1.5cm to the side and 2.5cm below the navel, with the lamb held up by its front legs.

Fig. 453 A box used for warming hypothermic lambs after giving them an intraperitoneal injection of glucose. There is usually a fan heater to provide hot air, though this one has a heat lamp. Care must be taken not to overheat lambs, so you need to check their temperature frequently. Once warmed up, the lamb should be fed and either returned to the ewe, or put in with other surplus lambs.

The risk of hypothermia can be reduced by making sure lambs get adequate colostrum, by giving with a stomach tube if necessary, and by making sure shelter is available. Indoors this means avoiding draughts around lambing pens. Outdoors, extra protection can be given by fitting plastic coats that disintegrate after a few days, and/or by providing sheltered areas where lambs can get out of the wind. In addition, do not castrate and tail lambs too early, certainly not within the first hours after birth, as the pain caused by these procedures will put lambs off sucking for a time.

The treatment of hypothermic lambs depends how badly affected they are. If the lamb can hold its head up, feeding with colostrum by stomach tube, then putting it under a heat lamp or in a warming box should be effective. If it cannot hold its head up it is dangerous to give it colostrum by stomach tube since this is likely to be regurgitated and inhaled. In this case, giving an intraperitoneal injection of glucose can be life-saving. Glucose (dextrose) is usually supplied as a 40 per cent solution: this needs diluting before use. The recommended method is to use the same volume of freshly boiled water to dilute the glucose, making a 20 per cent solution, which will be at the correct temperature for injection. The volume given is 10ml/kg bodyweight. Syringes and needles must be sterile and the injection done as cleanly as possible. The injection site is just to the side of and about 2.5cm behind the navel, using a 19g 1in needle pointing backwards at about 45° to the skin.

The lamb can then be warmed up, preferably in a warming box, and fed as soon as it is holding its head up. If a hypothermic lamb is warmed without being supplied with energy, either as colostrum or by injection, it will develop hypoglycaemic fits and die. It is also a wise precaution to give a treated lamb an antibiotic injection to guard against infection.

Watery Mouth

This is a common problem in some flocks, caused by lambs swallowing bacteria from the environment (for example, by sucking at wool when looking for the teat) before they have had a good feed of colostrum. The bacteria are able to pass straight through the stomach to the intestines where they multiply, producing toxins that get absorbed into the lamb’s circulation. These toxins slow down gut movements, leading to the classic signs of drooling and swelling of the abdomen with gas.

Treatment is antibiotic by mouth and anti-inflammatory injection – consult your vet – and has to be rapid to have any hope of success as affected lambs soon collapse and die.

The main way of preventing watery mouth is to make sure lambs get colostrum quickly after birth (minutes, not hours) and to keep lambing sheds and pens well bedded and clean. For flocks that still experience problems your vet may prescribe oral antibiotics to be given to lambs immediately after birth, although this should be avoided if at all possible since mass medication is not a good long-term solution.

Fig. 454 This lamb is drooling saliva, a classic sign of watery mouth. It needs treatment urgently if it is to survive.

Fig. 455 This lamb’s abdomen is rather distended: is it milk or gas? Swelling of the stomach is a sign of watery mouth, due to a build-up of gas. If you tap the lamb’s side gently it helps to tell if gas is present as it will sound like a drum.

Fig. 456 Giving oral antibiotic to a newborn lamb – this should not be done routinely, but only if watery mouth is a regular problem.

Fig. 457 This lamb has a dirty tail indicating scouring, probably of nutritional origin. Artificially fed lambs may also look rather like this because of excess urine production causing scalding of the perineal area.

Scouring

Diarrhoea can be the result of nutritional upsets, particularly in artificially fed lambs, or infection with bacteria (E. coli, salmonellosis, clostridia), viruses (rotavirus) or protozoa (cryptosporidiosis). Generally, with nutritional diarrhoea, lambs may not thrive very well but are not ill, whereas with infectious forms of diarrhoea they often rapidly become dehydrated and weak and may die in spite of treatment. Lambs may also die before diarrhoea has time to develop if the cause is the clostridial disease lamb dysentery, which can occur if the ewes have not received their pre-lambing clostridial vaccination. If lambs affected with this disease do survive long enough to show diarrhoea, it is bloody in nature.

If lambs are on artificial feeding, procedures for weighing and mixing the milk need to be checked as well as frequency of feeding, possible milk temperature variations, and cleanliness of equipment and pens.

If lambs are ill, you will need veterinary help to determine the cause and decide on possible treatment and preventive measures. Making sure lambs are getting adequate colostrum quickly enough after birth will be a key feature.

Navel Infection

Navel infection will rarely be a problem in lambs born outdoors, unless the lambing field is overcrowded and muddy. For lambs born indoors, navel infection is always a risk, which is why treatment with a product such as iodine is recommended. Iodine application causes the navel cord to shrivel and dry up; if the cord remains wet, it can easily get infected with bacteria from the environment causing swelling, with infection tracking up the cord to the liver, resulting in liver abscesses. Affected lambs look tucked up and miserable, do not thrive, and usually fail to respond to treatment.

Fig. 458 Ewes suffering from footrot will contaminate bedding in lambing pens.

Fig. 459 This lamb’s navel cord is being sprayed with iodine, although the cord is already partially dried. It should be done soon after birth to be effective.

If infected navels are a problem, make sure lambing pens and individual pens are well bedded and as clean as possible. Also make sure that the whole of the navel cord is thoroughly covered with iodine, and re-check and spray a second time a few hours later to be on the safe side. Having a lot of ewes with footrot in the lambing pens may be implicated, since the infected feet will contaminate the bedding, so these should be treated on housing (see Chapter 14).

Joint Ill (Neonatal Polyarthritis)

Infected and swollen joints in lambs from a few days of age can be a big problem in some flocks. Although poor hygiene at lambing is often blamed, some very well managed flocks suffer from this problem, so there is certainly more to it, which we don’t fully understand at present. The most commonly implicated bacterium isolated from cases is called Streptococcus dysgalactiae, and this has been found in swabs taken from the vagina of some ewes, so it is possible that lambs get infected during birth.

Affected lambs should be picked out as early as possible and treated with appropriate antibiotic and anti-inflammatory injections (after consultation with your vet). If neglected, the joint surfaces become damaged, making recovery much less likely. Good hygiene precautions including wearing disposable gloves at lambing and for handling newborn lambs may help, together with navel treatment as dis cussed above, and good colostrum management; however, we still do not have all the answers to this problem.

Fig. 460 This lamb has a swollen knee joint as a result of joint ill. Early treatment is essential if it is to be successful.

Fig. 461 Wearing disposable gloves to lamb ewes and handle newborn lambs may help reduce the risk of joint ill.

Fig. 462 This lamb has a grossly swollen hock joint which is unlikely to respond to antibiotic treatment. Veterinary treatment would involve flushing the joint to remove the pus which is distending the joint, but this is rarely economically worthwhile.

Fig. 463 A typical claw abscess, with a swollen claw on the left and a bead of pus in the interdigital space.

Claw Abscess

Occasionally young lambs become very lame, and on examination, one claw is found to be swollen and very painful. When squeezed, pus appears in between the claws. Although it seems harsh, the best treatment is to squeeze any pus out, bathe the foot, and inject the lamb with antibiotic. They usually make a surprisingly rapid recovery.

Contracted Tendons, ‘Bent Leg’ and Broken Legs

Lambs are sometimes born with the joints in the lower part of the leg unable to extend fully, so they walk on the front of their fetlock (contracted tendons). These can usually be corrected if attended to soon after birth, but if left for a few days are much harder to get back to normal.

If the lamb can get on to its toes, things will usually correct themselves, but the condition can be helped by a little physiotherapy, gently stretching the affected joints. If the lamb cannot stand on its toes, applying splints and bandages can be very successful but must be done carefully with plenty of padding to avoid rubbing injuries. The bandages should be removed every couple of days to check progress, and removed as soon as the lamb is able to stand properly.

Bent leg is a slightly different condition, where the upper parts of the legs bend outwards, and the condition must be corrected quickly as the increasing weight of the lamb will soon make things much worse. Again, careful application of splints and bandages to bring the upper part of the legs closer together under the chest can bring success.

Fractured legs also occur, often caused by the ewe treading on the lamb; this is particularly likely if individual pens are too small. If the break is below the knee or hock, it can usually be treated with a splint and bandaging. As highlighted above, be careful to pad the splint well, and check and rebandage every few days as lambs grow quickly and bandages can become too tight. Lambs’ bones heal quickly and the splint can usually be removed after a couple of weeks. Fractures higher up the legs are more difficult to fix and usually require veterinary attention.

Fig. 464 This lamb cannot straighten its front fetlock joints, and will need to be treated by applying splints and bandages.

Fig. 465 In this lamb, the fetlock joints of all four legs are affected.

Fig. 466 Splints and bandages have been applied to all four legs. Care must be taken that splints are well padded and that bandages are not too tight or the legs may be damaged.

Fig. 467 The same lamb a few weeks later.

Orf (Scabby Mouth)

This viral condition can be a big problem if it infects young lambs, as it can be transferred to the ewes’ teats, predisposing to mastitis. In very young lambs the virus can infect the gums around the erupting incisor teeth but may not be obvious until you see bloodstained froth around the mouth after the lamb has sucked. Although the lesions look severe, lambs usually manage to continue sucking and recover after a few weeks, but the knock-on effect to ewes’ teats with the possibility of mastitis developing may mean that the ewe becomes ill, her milk supply is much reduced, and so lambs may starve. (See Chapter 4 for details on vaccination against orf.)

Trace Element Deficiencies

Deficiencies of copper, selenium and iodine can all lead to problems in newborn or young lambs.

Copper deficiency: In sheep this is a complicated subject, since there is little margin of safety between too little and too much. Further complications arise since there is breed variation in response to copper, so advice needs to be taken before supplementing a flock unless there is a known deficiency. Copper deficiency is actually induced by an excess of molybdenum in the diet, when soil is eaten along with grass. Copper is toxic to sheep in excess so it is not safe to supplement ‘just in case’.

Fig. 468 This lamb has large orf lesions around its mouth. It was on an artificial feeder and many lambs in the group were affected.

Fig. 469 One of a group of lambs being artificially reared with infected orf lesions on its head.

The most common result of deficiency is the birth of lambs with swayback – as the name suggests, affected lambs cannot use their hind limbs properly. Other signs of a possible deficiency are stillbirths, unexplained increased deaths in young lambs, and failure to suck properly, but as these have other causes, laboratory investigation will be necessary.

If copper supplementation is found to be necessary, the most common methods are by injection or boluses given to ewes in mid-pregnancy.

Selenium deficiency: Can also result in the birth of weakly or ‘floppy’ lambs. It can also cause white muscle disease in slightly older lambs (see Chapter 12). If this deficiency is identified, the supplementation of ewes is most usually done by injection or by the administration of a selenium bolus or bullet during pregnancy.

Iodine deficiency: Not very common, but found in some areas. The signs are increased lamb deaths, with lambs showing enlarged thyroid glands at post-mortem examination. Your vet will advise on supplementation with iodine.

Copper, selenium and cobalt, which can all cause ill thrift in growing lambs as well as the problems described above, can all be supplemented by administering a soluble glass bolus containing all three trace elements. This method will not be appropriate for all flocks because of the potential copper toxicity problem in some breeds.

Neurological Problems in Young Lambs

Swayback is one disease affecting the nervous system, but there are others that may be present at birth or which may develop soon afterwards:

‘Daft lamb disease’ is sometimes an inherited problem, where lambs behave abnormally at birth, as the name suggests. Nothing can be done for affected lambs and they should be humanely killed. If associated with a new ram, he should be culled.
‘Hairy shaker’ lambs, resulting from infection with border disease virus, have already been mentioned.
Injury to the brain during birth can affect large lambs.
Infections picked up soon after birth can cause inflammation of the brain (meningitis and/or encephalitis), causing abnormal behaviour.
Lambs from unvaccinated ewes can get tetanus. This is a very nasty disease, and almost always fatal.

You will usually need help from your vet to diagnose and deal with most of these problems.

Fig. 470 This lamb of a few days of age developed a very swollen abdomen…

Fig. 471 …On closer examination it was found that it had no anus – there was just a dimple in the skin where it should have been. Unfortunately it was not possible to correct this, as the blind end of the intestine was too deep within the abdomen to locate it. The lamb was humanely destroyed.