malpresentation of lambs

[spin cycle]

what causes this....random?...genetic?....jostling?

just thinking about this today

 

[GTB]

Feck knows. Probably all of the above.

 

[AvonValleyFarmer]

Beats me, I've heard it's from ewes jumping over things but I'm not convinced.

 

[Mcnulty24]

Oddly enough, I was just thinking the same. The message is not to keep breeding from ewes that give lambing problems, but surely there must be an random element. I expect there is a genetic part to play with narrow or wrong angled pelvis shapes. Add to that management of the ewes.........

 

[Hughesy]

I personally think its down to activity level. We find that ewes that are housed for a longer period (up to a month) of time seem to have more issues than those who either lamb within a few days or lamb outdoors.

 

[yellowbelly]

It's just another one of them annoying sheep things that they dream up to make life more difficult for us

 

[liammogs]

Always wonder what causes it, last year a lot of 'first timers' had breach lambings!! And a lot if breaches in general more than usual, this year think we had two?

 

[ladycrofter]

Beats me, I've heard it's from ewes jumping over things but I'm not convinced.

Sounds reasonable but I had a heavily pregnant cow try to jump a gate and get stuck, thought we'd be in for real trouble but calf came out normally.

 

[bovine]

I'm with 'random'. We don't see vastly more when people lamb and calve outdoors than inside. We don't see more in flighty cattle. I've known a lot of cows have a problem one year and go on to calve normally afterwards, so I'm not even sold on genetics. The uterus is quite tightly held to the lambs so I'm not convinced they can move about very much, whatever you do.

 

[Jameshenry]

After having two bad years of lambing , toxo and enzo found in them and now vaccinated against it , this year up to now everything is lambing very easy , literally dropping out ! Also the ewes are a bit leaner this year and i think that helps !

 

[Becs]

I'd say random although I have a 'pet' ewe who's on her 4th lambing and every year she delivers twins with one leg forward, one back, Superman style. I wouldn't notice that consistency in a main-flock ewe but because she's a pet, it sticks in my memory

 

[spark_28]

I'd say random although I have a 'pet' ewe who's on her 4th lambing and every year she delivers twins with one leg forward, one back, Superman style. I wouldn't notice that consistency in a main-flock ewe but because she's a pet, it sticks in my memory

I had the exact same thing with an old pet lamb. Every year id have to help her a little with her second lamb. last time I helped her the lamb came out backwards. She eventually got mastitis so was moved on. Shed have been punted earlier but was a good asset when trying to move sheep without a dog