Lamb birth issues

[icanshootwell]

Had a couple of ewe,s that have had the 1st lamb alive, but 2nd lamb was barely alive, the ewe i just helped had a healthy lamb which was coming ok but just needed a slight pull, the 2nd however looked ok but never showed much sign of life, the lambs are a good size as well, what could be wrong with them. Every year there seems to be something, getting a bit sick of it to be honest.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Had a couple of ewe,s that have had the 1st lamb alive, but 2nd lamb was barely alive, the ewe i just helped had a healthy lamb which was coming ok but just needed a slight pull, the 2nd however looked ok but never showed much sign of life, the lambs are a good size as well, what could be wrong with them. Every year there seems to be something, getting a bit sick of it to be honest.

Are you ok for trace elements

 

[Paul E]

Iodine and Selenium would be my guess.

 

[icanshootwell]

Are you ok for trace elements

They been on buckets, new grass lays, since they been in shed , nuts and red clover silage what else can you give them.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Have you ever taken bloods?

 

[icanshootwell]

Have you ever taken bloods?

No not yet, we havn,t long started, but these dead lambs look a good size to me. debating whether to inject alamycin in the other ewes

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

No not yet, we havn,t long started, but these dead lambs look a good size to me. debating whether to inject alamycin in the other ewes

Probably worth having a word with your vet and taking bloods, there's a lot of TE deficiencies around

 

[Nithsdale]

It could be a TE deficiency

Or it could be Toxoplasmosis.


Get a lamb and as much placenta as you can into a lab

 

[Chasingmytail]

def get vet to do biopsy and test bloods. If your soil is low in selenium then lick buckets are nothing going to achieve much. Have you had soil tests done recently? We bolus twice a year now even with bloods coming back normal find it pays off now.

 

[Tamar]

It's a sheep, so could be anything.

Sounds like a possible iodine deficiency............but I am just a farmer, not a vet.

 

[puppet]

No not yet, we havn,t long started, but these dead lambs look a good size to me. debating whether to inject alamycin in the other ewes

Why Alamycin? Doesn't sound like abortion and you would certainly need lab confirmation.
2 dead second twins is just part of lambing I would suggest. Our vets wouldn't get too excited about that

 

[Timbo]

No not yet, we havn,t long started, but these dead lambs look a good size to me. debating whether to inject alamycin in the other ewes

Speak to vet first. Take some bloods. Don't arbitrarily poke & hope.

 

[Jerry]

Literally just had one lamb like this. Found her with first one nearly up on feet. Walked field for a few minutes to check another ewe. Turned around and out slipped the second.

It’s alive and breathing but looks thin and very very dark/stained.

That like yours?

 

[spin cycle]

another vote for toxo

 

[glensman]

As above, sounds very like toxoplasmosis.

 

[Jerry]

For info mine are vaccinated agains toxo and enzootic as shearlings. That ewe in picture is a second lamber.

 

[puppet]

Literally just had one lamb like this. Found her with first one nearly up on feet. Walked field for a few minutes to check another ewe. Turned around and out slipped the second.

It’s alive and breathing but looks thin and very very dark/stained.

That like yours?

View attachment 1095379

I would say that is an asphyxiated lamb covered in meconium. The first one looks yellow too so been a difficult birth. Whenever I see that the next one needs out ASAP as it will be worse which looks like the case there.
Warm box, tube, fingers crossed.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Had a couple of ewe,s that have had the 1st lamb alive, but 2nd lamb was barely alive, the ewe i just helped had a healthy lamb which was coming ok but just needed a slight pull, the 2nd however looked ok but never showed much sign of life, the lambs are a good size as well, what could be wrong with them. Every year there seems to be something, getting a bit sick of it to be honest.

I could be wrong so apologies if I am….but from memory didn’t you have the same/similar problem last year?

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Literally just had one lamb like this. Found her with first one nearly up on feet. Walked field for a few minutes to check another ewe. Turned around and out slipped the second.

It’s alive and breathing but looks thin and very very dark/stained.

That like yours?

View attachment 1095379

I'll stick my neck out and say I don't think that's toxo. I think it's more likely the result of a hard lambing

 

[Jerry]

I'll stick my neck out and say I don't think that's toxo. I think it's more likely the result of a hard lambing

Not sure. It just died not look right and was very thin.

Coat looked odd as well.

Ewe spat it out with no effort.

The positive is that toxo tends to abort lambs couple weeks before they are due. That group are lambing now.