Lambing problem advice

[Timo245]

So I’m only keep sheep as a hobby (about 50). 20 are earlier lambers. Finished lambing them yesterday. All have lambed previously and the same tup was used and I didn’t have this problem last year. all singles lambed fine. I had 5 twins. all of them birthed themselves but 1 lamb was alive and the other was dead. The dead ones had been dead in them for a while as they were always smaller than the live one and they had also started to rot and go smelly. any idea what could cause this?

 

[startinghandle]

We had similar problem some years ago ... we used to put mineral blocks directly on fields and the ewes were picking up soil the problem was fixed when we changed to mineral tubs
Are you putting sheep cake direct on ground?

 

[johnspeehs]

Sounds like abortion of some sort, not an expert but probably enzo or toxo but someone more knowledgeable than me will know.

 

[puppet]

After 2 you might have got some testing done.

 

[bobajob]

Sounds like Toxo? Do you do any abortion vaccines?

 

[Timo245]

Always feed into a trough. Did consider abortion but only twins were affect and each had 1 lamb born normal. They also all gave birth when then reached full term. Have sent one to the vets to be tested but have been told may take 2 months for lab results. Hoping someone might be able to shed some light as I have 30 that will lamb in March so if things need to be done now to stop it. These were vaccinated against enzo two years ago. From what I gather the vaccine does need redoing after a certain time?

 

[delilah]

If it is only the twin bearing ewes, then maybe a low level of nutrition causing them to put what energy they have into keeping one alive in the later stages of pregnancy ? Can they do that ?

 

[2wheels]

the singles maybe had 2 lambs originaly but lost one early on due to toxo?

 

[Timo245]

I did have them scanned at about 70 days so would have had to been earlier than that. I’d of throughly they’d all abort/lose lambs a similar stage of pregnancy? Can a sheep abort 1 lamb and keep the other inside?

 

[Al R]

I did have them scanned at about 70 days so would have had to been earlier than that. I’d of throughly they’d all abort/lose lambs a similar stage of pregnancy? Can a sheep abort 1 lamb and keep the other inside?

I’m sure I’ve had it happen but can’t remember 100% on it. I’ve had a lamb arrive 17 days after a ewe had had twins which is rare but not uncommon.
My scanner can tell me if a ewe has recently aborted or is in the process of losing one

 

[startinghandle]

2 months is too long time for result , how long before lambing did you start
feeding?
What feed are you using?

 

[Timo245]

About 6 weeks. 18% nut the brand is farmgate

 

[startinghandle]

Are you feeding haylage ?

 

[Timo245]

No

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Get the dead lamb and cleansing tested by the vet

 

[Wisconsonian]

20 ewes, 15 singles, 5 sets of twins with one dead each. What breed of sheep? what kind of lambing percentage did they have last time? how does their body condition compare to last time?

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

If they are not vaccinated against it I would suspect toxo

 

[DrWazzock]

Get the dead lamb and cleansing tested by the vet

It’s the only way to find out. Could be toxo, enzo, or campylobacter. Have you any contamination from rodents or cats? Do birds such as seagulls mess in the field or crows or other birds come to the troughs? We turn the troughs over when the sheep have cleaned up. Are the sheep lying on fairly clean ground or plop? Usually it’s mostly first time lambers that suffer the worst. Resistance builds as they get older but vaccination is the best plan.
It comes and goes.