Lamb presentation, indoor vs outdoor

[Muddyroads]

In our second year of lambing, mostly Dorsets to allow out of season lambing. Both last year and this, we lambed outside during the autumn and winter, with very few real problems (other than Dr Fox last winter!). However when we lamb indoors in March, we seem to get far more instances of 1 or several times both legs back, and the occasional breach. My personal theory is that the ewes walk a lot more when outdoors, therefore aiding better presentations, but my vet isn't so sure. What are other people's experiences and thoughts?

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Sounds rubbish

 

[Muddyroads]

Helpful, thanks!

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Helpful, thanks!

Pleasure

 

[gatepost]

When you lambed out doors, did you see every lamb born? and now for a certainty that they were all presented correctly, if the lambs aren't too big ewes will push out most mal presentations 'eventually'

 

[DanM]

My view is it’s stress related. Indoors people are always about and ewes are more confined, so disturb natural process.

 

[spin cycle]

In our second year of lambing, mostly Dorsets to allow out of season lambing. Both last year and this, we lambed outside during the autumn and winter, with very few real problems (other than Dr Fox last winter!). However when we lamb indoors in March, we seem to get far more instances of 1 or several times both legs back, and the occasional breach. My personal theory is that the ewes walk a lot more when outdoors, therefore aiding better presentations, but my vet isn't so sure. What are other people's experiences and thoughts?

i'd give that theory a chance...i often wonder how outdoor lambers get away with it given the problems encountered indoors

i am a fan of 'pet theories' though

 

[Gulli]

I used to get quite a few with both legs back. Stopped feeding cake indoors last year and the problems disappeared.
I reckon it's down to them being bumped about in the daily scrum for feed. Ad lib silage now and I can walk through the shed without the fear of being trampled into the straw

 

[Man_in_black]

Pleasure

 

[TomPentre]

In our second year of lambing, mostly Dorsets to allow out of season lambing. Both last year and this, we lambed outside during the autumn and winter, with very few real problems (other than Dr Fox last winter!). However when we lamb indoors in March, we seem to get far more instances of 1 or several times both legs back, and the occasional breach. My personal theory is that the ewes walk a lot more when outdoors, therefore aiding better presentations, but my vet isn't so sure. What are other people's experiences and thoughts?

I'm not sure about presentation wise. But I think ewes walking around more/fitter seem to have less problems, prolapse etc

 

[Muddyroads]

I used to get quite a few with both legs back. Stopped feeding cake indoors last year and the problems disappeared.
I reckon it's down to them being bumped about in the daily scrum for feed. Ad lib silage now and I can walk through the shed without the fear of being trampled into the straw

We're organic, so they are only ever on ad lib silage.

 

[Muddyroads]

When you lambed out doors, did you see every lamb born? and now for a certainty that they were all presented correctly, if the lambs aren't too big ewes will push out most mal presentations 'eventually'

This has been part of my thinking-are we (am I) more likely to interview when they're indoors, whereas in fact they cope better with malpresentations then I give them credit for?

 

[Hooby Farmer]

I used to get quite a few with both legs back. Stopped feeding cake indoors last year and the problems disappeared.
I reckon it's down to them being bumped about in the daily scrum for feed. Ad lib silage now and I can walk through the shed without the fear of being trampled into the straw

I can't send my father to feed the sheep anymore for this very reason. 99 big Suffolk X's come charging at him.

 

[Ysgythan]

Heard another theory. Outdoor lambing ewes get mal-presentations because they run through gaps in hedges bumping themselves...

 

[spin cycle]

I can't send my father to feed the sheep anymore for this very reason. 99 big Suffolk X's come charging at him.

having an 80kg ewe come between your legs isn't as much fun as it sounds....sorry

 

[puppet]

Lots of sheep lamb with a leg back outside as you are never there to check them. Indoor your patience is less so tempting when a foot appears to have a feel and then congratulate yourself on saving another one. Of course you also stuck a mucky hand in but it got a jab of antibiotics too.
Secret is not to have big lambs.

 

[bazza3034]

Well I think sheep outdoors take less abuse as in fighting for feed and roughage and are not disturbed when getting up unlike when you walk into a shed at night to check sheep they never relax the same and this is probably why sheep lambing outdoors lamb unassisted most of the time not all the time though as I found out the other night

 

[Al R]

We lamb twins outside and singles/triplets inside at night/when wet but out when dry, nothing seems to show a pattern with any of them except when problems occur they occur in mass, 25 backwards lambs out of 50 born 1 day last week, have only had 1 since, today we had 7 ewes with only 1 side working in the udder...

 

[Gulli]

We're organic, so they are only ever on ad lib silage.

Maybe they need more space.

Maybe just one of those things. Most ewes will push a lamb with one leg back

 

[Tim W]

25+ years of lambing outdoors and only help 1 in 300

I think that animals outside get better exercise and are fitter/have better muscle tone. They can also go off to lamb where ever they want to , the stress is minimal and there isn't some dumb human wanting to interfere all the time ---- hence observation of mal- presentation is a lot less outdoors (whether there actually are more or less mal-presentations I don't know and think it's probably irrelevant to a certain degree )
Ewes can cope with most birth types most of the time ----humans are the biggest threat to successful births