Lambing season success: Essential tips

Lambing season success: Essential tips for Irish sheep farmers

Lambing season is well and truly the busiest time of the year on any sheep farm in Ireland.

Whether you run lowland ewes that start lambing in January or hill breeds that don’t get going until March or April, the same principle applies: preparation is everything.

Research suggests that around 25% of a sheep farm’s annual workload is concentrated into the lambing period, so the more organised you are before the first ewe goes to the pen, the better things will go.

Here are some practical tips to help you have a smooth and successful lambing season this year.

Pre-lambing nutrition

Good nutrition in the final three weeks of pregnancy, often called steaming up, is one of the most important things you can do to set your flock up for a successful lambing.

This is the period when foetal growth is at its most rapid and when the ewe’s body is working hard to build up colostrum reserves.

During this stage, ewes need a ration that is high in energy and quality protein. A good-quality concentrate fed alongside adequate forage will support both foetal development and milk production.

Including vitamin E in the diet at this stage has been shown to improve colostrum quality and boost lamb survival rates.

Teagasc research highlights that thin ewes and those with a body condition score below 2.5 going into lambing are at significantly higher risk of twin lamb disease and reduced milk output, so keeping a close eye on condition during late pregnancy is well worth the effort.

Colostrum for lambs

Colostrum is the first milk a ewe produces after lambing and it is absolutely critical for newborn lamb survival.

It provides not only energy and nutrition but also the immunoglobulins like antibodies that protect lambs against disease in the early weeks of life, before their own immune system is up and running.

The key rule of thumb is 50ml per kilogram of bodyweight per feed, amounting to around 200ml/kg in the first 24 hours. Crucially, lambs must receive colostrum within the first six hours of birth. After this window, the lamb’s gut begins to close and its ability to absorb those vital antibodies drops off sharply.

If a ewe has insufficient colostrum or a lamb is too weak to suckle, you have a few options.

You can top lambs up with cow colostrum, use a commercial powdered colostrum supplement, or if you have a ewe with a large supply, milk and freeze her colostrum for emergencies. A stomach tube is an essential piece of kit for any lambing shed; don’t be without one.

Essential lambing supplies

Being caught short at 2am when a ewe is in trouble is a stressful experience. Getting your supplies together before lambing starts takes the pressure off considerably. Here is a checklist of the key items to have on hand:

Examination gloves and obstetrical lubricant
Iodine for navel dipping
Syringes, needles and a stomach tube
Powdered colostrum and lamb milk replacer
Bottles, teats, and a jug and whisk for mixing milk
Marker spray for identifying ewes and lambs
Calcium injection and twin lamb supplement
Powdered lime or disinfectant for lambing pens and high-footfall areas
Castration rings and applicator
Heat lamp or heat box for weak lambs
Drinkers and feeders for lambing pens

Lambing pens

Having enough lambing pens and keeping them clean makes a significant difference to both ewe and lamb welfare.

As a general guide, aim for one lambing pen for every ten ewes in your flock. For a 200-ewe flock, that means at least 20 pens available. Each pen should be roughly 1.5m x 1.5m with enough space for the ewe and her lambs to bond without being cramped, but not so large that she loses track of them.

Time in the lambing pen allows the bond between ewe and lamb to establish properly before moving them to a group pen or turning them out to grass. Rushing this process is one of the most common causes of mismothering.

Clean out pens between each use and apply powdered lime or a suitable disinfectant on the floor before adding fresh bedding. This keeps bacterial load down and significantly reduces the risk of navel ill, watery mouth and other infections in newborn lambs.

Lameness in ewes

Lameness in late pregnancy is more serious than it might seem. A lame ewe is less likely to get up and move to feed properly, which increases the risk of pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb disease), reduces milk production, and can result in smaller, weaker lambs at birth.

After lambing, a lame ewe will spend more time lying down, making it harder for lambs to suckle successfully.

If lambing indoors, keep bedding fresh and spread powdered lime beneath the straw in areas where sheep congregate to feed and drink.

If ewes are lambing outdoors, check feet regularly for issues such as packed mud between the claws or early signs of footrot, and treat promptly before conditions worsen.

Feeding Pet Lambs

Most farmers will end up with a few pet lambs each season, orphans or lambs from larger litters that cannot be adequately reared on the ewe.

The key with pet lambs is ensuring they receive adequate colostrum in the first hours of life. After that, they can be transitioned onto a good-quality lamb milk replacer, either by bottle or via an ad-lib feeder.

Lambs fed ad-lib tend to grow faster and are generally easier to manage than those on restricted bottle feeding. Make sure fresh water and creep feed are available from early on to encourage rumen development and a smooth transition to solid feed as they grow.

How Herdwatch helps during lambing

When you are working flat out during lambing season, the last thing you want is a pile of paperwork waiting for you afterwards.

Herdwatch makes it easy to log all your lambing data on the go, straight from your phone while you are still in the shed. Record the number of lambs born, gender, birth weight, lambing difficulty, and the dam’s details, all tied to the individual animal’s record.

Using our sheep management software helps keep your flock records up to date and compliant with DAFM requirements, without the headache of trying to reconstruct events after the fact.

Over 20,000 farmers across Ireland are already using Herdwatch, request a quote and see how much time it can save you this lambing season.