The majority of ewes will give birth to their lambs unassisted, in a quiet spot someplace, with us waking up to a bouncy wee fluff-ball hooning about in the morning. But problematic lambings do occur, and while the rate of ewes needing assistance is variable amongst farms, the number of ewes needing assistance on lifestyle blocks is certainly much higher than their farm-reared counterparts. This is likely for a number of reasons, many of which will resonate with the average lifestyler. Most of these risk factors can be mitigated, but the trick is that they must be addressed well ahead of time. Let's break down how to set your girls up for success, to help you breeze through the next lambing season with happy ewes and low stress.

Breeding too young

Let’s take it right back to the beginning. One of the key risk factors on lifestyle blocks is that the flock is running together year round as a family group. This often leaves the hoggets (young sheep under a year old) at risk of being bred too young, often by their own father. Breeding hoggets in their very first year comes with high risks, so much so that it is infrequently done on farms- less than 20% of farms will breed their hoggets, and when done so, are closely managed.

Weaned lambs in the first year of life require the best feed on the farm, with long, lush grass, to allow them to grow to their full potential. They have almost double the protein requirements of an adult ewe. A hogget who is asked to instead divert her energy into a pregnancy is more likely to become stunted herself, resulting in problematic lambings year after year. She is also more likely to grow a small lamb herself, with poor survivability. She will require more management from the farmer, and require a large amount of extra food during pregnancy and for the following year, if she has any chance of growing successfully and lambing safely.

It is always going to be safer to allow your hoggets to focus on their own growth until the second season- ie keep the ram away from them when they are in season at 6 months old, and wait to introduce him until the following autumn, when they are 18 months old. This will allow her to develop a large, wide pelvis ready for her child-bearing years later in life.

Breeding too early

Another issue with the year-round family-flock is that ewes are often bred too early, placing them in the middle of winter, or at unpredictable times, making monitoring and management difficult for the owner.

The commercial lambing season lines up with the flush of the spring grass, so that ewes have the best food source available when their milk production is sky high during the first 6 weeks of lamb-rearing. Commercial farms are trying to allow the lambs as much time on the mother as possible before selling in summer, to the “Christmas lamb” market. A heavier, well grown lamb means more profit. However this can sometimes plonk early lambs at the end of winter, at high risk of severe weather events and hypothermia.

The safest option on lifestyle blocks is to keep the ram away from the girls until a deliberately planned “start of mating”. Extrapolate this 150 days down the track for a “planned start of lambing”. Generally ewes will start coming into heat early February, and will cycle every 17 days through until the end of may. If they catch the ram on the first cycle, this would put her lambing in early winter- no good for anyone, especially in cold climates. Most commercial farms begin mating in March. If profit is not a key driver for you and you have plenty of grass in summer, you may choose to play it safe and hold the ram until a little later still, say end of march. This means your lambs will be hitting the ground in the warm spring season.

If you know when the ram went in, then put him in a chalk harness to know which ewes he has bred each month. This way you can identify the early, mid and late-lambing ewes, and manage them appropriately.

Nutrition

Many owners will accidentally focus on her nutrition through early and middle pregnancy, but the key with sheep is to plan ahead. Be sure that she is being mated at the correct Body Condition Score (BCS3). If she is overweight at this stage you will already be setting her up for failure.

Pregnant sheep do not require any extra calories during the first two thirds of pregnancy (the first 12 weeks). Doing so will encourage her to gain weight, which puts her at high risk of difficult lambings and prolapses further down the line. Restricting her weight during the first half, however, may result in miscarriage. Be sure to mate her at a healthy body condition, then simply maintain that body condition until 6 weeks out from lambing. At this point, slowly introduce your concentrates (eg sheep pellets) and feed grass 4+cm long right through until the lambs are 6 weeks old. Once the lambs are weaned (usually at 4-6 months old), Body Condition Score the ewes and feed appropriately to get them back to a healthy BCS3, ready for the next mating. (See here, for more on how to Body Condition Score).

Low stress handling

Sheep are at particularly high risk of problematic lambings when encountering a bout of stress in early labor. While monitoring of your heavily pregnant ewes is crucial to identify any issues, keeping a quiet, stress-free approach is crucial. Yard your pregnant ewes 4 weeks out from the start of lambing. Administer their pre-lambing vaccination, a pre-lambing drench (if necessary), and quietly crutch and dag while leaving her standing. Do not tip a heavily pregnant ewe. Check her feet for any signs of lameness, and treat any issues as necessary. From here, “set-stock” the ewes in their lambing paddock and avoid any further handling unless absolutely necessary.

It is always a good idea to mingle with your flock frequently to acclimatize them to human company, so your presence does not cause them stress. Yard them frequently throughout their lives, feed some yummy treats, and let them go again. This way, when help is needed, everything feels calm and familiar.

Lambing paddock

A safe lambing paddock is crucial to set your ewes up for success and provide protection to your newborn lambs. Your lambing paddock should be flat, or only gently sloped. Heavily pregnant ewes grazing on a slope are at higher risk of vaginal prolapses. Lambing on those slopes often results in lambs tumbling down hills into brambles, holes, or bodies of water.

Your lambing paddock should be well set up with shelter. Don’t forget lambs are born wet, and often on cold wintery days. Cold, wet paddocks can increase your lamb mortality by up to 80%, and as such, mass outbreaks of hypothermic deaths is not uncommon. When it comes to lamb survival, protection from the wind and plenty of sun, are the most important considerations.

Options for shelter may include vegetation; A densely hedged shelter-belt of trees planted in a V-formation, facing prevailing winds, will offer maximum protection. Large tussocks and shrubs can also work wonders, giving ewes and lambs plenty of opportunity to shield themselves from different directions. Sheep will naturally use the lay of the land to their advantage as well, using rocks, slopes and gullies to avoid harsh wind.

In colder areas of the country, or in particularly exposed areas, you may find it essential to use man-made shelters. Open barns are frequently offered, as well as smaller individual huts dotted around. Be sure to have these in place well ahead of the time. Feed the ewes in the shelters, to make sure they see it as a comfortable space rather than a novel item in the paddock.

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