MANAGEMENT OF EWES AT LAMBING TIME.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 366, 8 May 1889, Page 4

MANAGEMENT OF EWES AT LAMBING TIME.

Professor Wmgiitson is an acknowledged authority on the management of shoep. He has recently been contributing ft series of papera on " Sheep and their Management" to the columns of the Live Stock Journal. In one of these he treats of the management of ewes at lambing time, and gives valuable and practical advice on the subject of 'difficult parturition. The loss oi a few ewes and lambs in an ordinary station flock is perhaps not considered of any great importance, but in the case of valuable stud flocks, where the best of the lambs may be worth pounds a piece, it is worth a good deal of trouble to save the life of a ewe and lamb, Professor VVrightson writes as follows :—: — Sheep, although able to withstand the vicissitudes of our changeable climate anc to resist the injurious effects of a damp bee and nierht air, are nevertheless easily "up set." They are, so to speak, as hardy as the hares which play around them as lons as they are well ; but, for all that, m domestic animal gives way more suddenb and more hopelessly when attacked b> di&eascd. A flock of ewes resting upon frozei ground, placidly chewing the cud, while thi snow wreaths are forming around them give the idea of extreme hardihood, anc when the frost and snow are exchanged fo: mud and driving rain, the beholder mai well feel asEbni&hed at the quiet indifferent of these creatures to the most rapid change: of their meteoric surroundings. Sheep are however, liable to many diseases and sundr kinds of death, and when once a flock goei wrong the individuals composing it exhibi a weakness of constitution which the abovi picture would little lead a tyro to expnet All is well as long as the flock is kep healthy, but the mortality is terrible whei the conditions of health have been outraged These strokes of "bad luck" are familia to most farmers, but may be avoided b; strict observance of the laws of health. The cause may be remote in point o time, but, when the blow falls, it usuall; falls heavily. At such times the entir flock has been known to succumb, or i may be that the loss is measured by score of lives. Constant forethought and observance c the rules of good management are the best safeguards, and when due precautions are always taken .the rate of mortality can be kept within bounds. A competent shepherd thinks carefully over every change of food or situation, and often, by a timely word of caution or practical suggestion, saves his master from loss ; and, on the other hand, a careless or inexperienced man may in a few hours do incalculable mischief. Good general management, careful feeding, and judicious changes are better means of keeping a flock in health than any amount of tinkering or doctoring. A flock well treated during the months preceding the lambing season approach that critical period in robust health with well kept fleeces, bright eyes and clean faces. Their dung falls in form of glossy black pellets, and there is no indication of scour or dirt about the tail. The animals are, in fact, clean both before and behind, and all between looks thriving and lusty. When ewes come up to the lam bin «; pen in the condition we have endeavoured to describe, we may hope for what is called good luck in lambing, and as we have no wish to describe a badly-manaeed flock, we shall assume that due regard having been paid to the previous management, our flock approaches the great event of the year in a healthy state. Parturition is a thoroughly natural event. It is not strictly speaking an illness, but an act of exuberance. It is accompanied by evident uneasiness, and in some cases with great pain, but when once over the ewe seems to forget her troubles immediately, and promptly undertakes the cares of maternity. In normal cases, which, by the way, are by far the most numerous, tho ewe should be carefully watched and attended to, but a?sistance ought not to be given. Patience should be exercised, and a somewhat long period of labour often ends in an easy birth. A watchful eye in such cases is all that is needed and attention to the newly-born lambs. The mouth must be cleared, and the first gasp for breath must not be stifled by the water and mucus which often envelop the mouth and nostrils. Exposure to intense cold or bitter weather might at this stage prove fatal, and hence the shepherd transfers his*charges to a comfortable pen, and is content when he sees the youngster fairly struggled on to its long spindly legs, and groping about in its quest for the source of its first meal. This, then, is our answer to the question so often asked, * Should assistance be given to a ewe during lambing ?' No interference, no inter-uterine examination, no forcing on the the pains by pulling at the legs of the fuetus, but only carefully watching the course of events. There are, however, times in which the shepherd needs to put forth his obstetric skill. This is necessary in all abnormal cases. Before a shepherd interferes in the process he should at all times think whether or not artificial help is needed, and if he comes to the conclusion that the ewe wants help he will give it, in the manner about to be described. The ewe is laid gently down upon her &ide, and ohe hand is carefully introduced into the vagina. If the fwtub is to be found coming forward in the natural position — i.e., with his head resting upon his two forelegs — immediate assistance is not required, and the ewe had better be released and allowed a little more time. Examination may, however, reveal the fact that the lamb is presented in such a manner that assistance mus>t be given. The false or abnormal positions are best enumerated. They all have one common character — namely, variation from the normal position abovo indicated. These variations are either precisely defined in the lifet now to be given of false presentations, or are modified by some slight complication, or peculiarity. The are, then, as follows :—: — First.— One fore-leg only presented with the head lying upon it. In this case it is difficult for a ewe to lamb without help. The operator will endeavour to get hold of the missing limb, and, bringing it forward into its proper position, deliver the ewe. The best manner of doing this we shall consider after passing in review the principal abnormal presentations. Second. — Both fore-legs lying back, the head alone being presented. In this position the ewe mu&t have assistance, as birth without it is impossible. The head must be pushed back, the legs brought forward, and the lamb extracted. Third. — The head slipped down between, or on one side of the forelegs. This must be set right by bringing the head into its natural position above the fore-legs, and extracting the lamb. Fourth. — A broadside presentation, in which case the broad side of the lamb is found within the uterus, and of course no progress can be made until the hand and forearm of the operator are introduced

and the ffvtus is turned and brought into position. Fifth. — The fcelus on its back, in which case a similar manipulation must be em- ' ployed as in the last case. ( ! Sixth.— A breech presentation. If the ' hocKs are doubled, the breech of the lamp ' must bo pushed forward and the hind feet i brought up. The lamp is then pulled away backwards without turning. Seventh — The fcefus too large, or the passago too small. This is a troublesome case, sometimes involving the loss of the lamb and occasionally of the ewe. Shepherds sometime" aro obliged to carefully introduce a knife and cut off the shoulders and remove the fmfus piecemeal. More commonly by patience and by exertinga good deal of strength the lamb is safely born. Eighth. — Monscrosities are not uncommon, most seasons providing example* of lambs with five legs, headless lambs, fusion of two lambs into one, etc. These cases are puzzling, and require special treatment, and when such malformations are presented there need be no hesitation in employing the knife for their removal. Having given all the possible unnatural presentations likely to bo mot with, I ohal* next explaia how assistance ought to be rendered to a ewe in distress. In all cases great care and gentleness are requisite, and all roughness or hurry should be avoided. The hand should be anointed with fresh lard or oil, and the finger-nails must be short (shepherds' nails always are.) The hand must be compressed into as narrow a space as possible and gently introduced. In giving assistance the operator t>hould draw the lamb in accordance with the natural pains of the eM'e, and wait for her to pain. Assistance given at that moment is useful ; but if force is used during the intervals of the labour- pains, the muscles of the utcnis are excited, and the result is the early exhaustion of the mother. Again, in using force thefaluo should be drawn downI wards towards the hocks of the ewe, and the operator need not be afraid of using his strength when the faitus is once brought into a proper position. Casualties may always be expected in a large flock, but it is only rea«onable to expect that a shepherd understands his business, and that; he will be able to cope with the various cases above cited. After hard labour the parts should b e soothed by suitable applications. Decoction of poppy heads, turpentine, weak solution of carbolic acid, and oils have all been used, no doubt with good efiect, as a means of preventing inflammation. Too often, after ewes have had a severe time, and much manual assistance has been necessary, "heaving," or after-pains, accompanied with inflammation of the uterus, set in on the second or third day, land end in a painful death. ♦