What should I pay attention to after the ewe gives birth?

Postpartum management and care of ewes is an important part of ensuring flock health and reproductive success. Ewes need extra care and attention after giving birth to ensure they provide enough breast milk for the lambs and recover smoothly. So how should ewes be cared for after giving birth? Let’s take a look below.

1. What should we pay attention to after the ewe gives birth?

1. After the ewe gives birth, the dirt attached to the vulva, udder, buttocks and hind legs should be cleaned with warm soapy water, and then disinfected with potassium permanganate solution.

2. The ewe's lying area should be covered with clean, soft and dry grass.

3. After giving birth, you can use 100-200g brown sugar, 10-20g salt, 200-500g bran, and an appropriate amount of water, stir well, and let the ewe drink.

4. Remove the expelled placenta in time to prevent the ewe from accidentally ingesting it. If the placenta is not expelled within 24 hours, it should be removed in time.

5. It is normal for ewes to discharge lochia within a few days after giving birth. However, if the lochia discharged by the ewe has a foul odor, is gray-brown in color, and has not been discharged for more than 20 days, an examination is required and the uterus should be flushed with anti-inflammatory drugs.

6. Before breastfeeding the lamb, use warm water to clean the ewe's udder. If a ewe suffers from mastitis, the milk in the udder should be squeezed out first, and then 400,000 units of penicillin and 0.5g of streptomycin should be injected into each affected lobe through the nipple hole. If the milk contains thick juice, the affected leaf should be injected with 0.02% furacillin or 0.1% revoxanol solution, then squeezed out and injected with a mixture of streptomycin and penicillin twice a day until there is no thick juice in the milk.

7. The ewe should be allowed to rest quietly after giving birth.

2. How many hours does it take for a ewe to give birth?

1. Lambing time

Generally speaking, the lamb can be born within a few minutes to 30 minutes after the amniotic membrane ruptures. If it is twin lambs, the time interval between their births is generally about 10-20 minutes, and sometimes the time interval is longer.

2. Delivery technology

(1) During delivery, the wool around the udder and the inner side of the hind legs of the ewe in labor needs to be sheared clean, then the udder needs to be cleaned with warm water and a few drops of colostrum need to be squeezed out.

(2) Clean the vulva, anus, and tail base of the ewe and disinfect them with 1% Lysol.

(3) Allow the ewe to give birth on its own. After lambing, remove the afterbirth to prevent the ewe from accidentally ingesting it.

(4) After the lamb is born, wipe the mucus in the ears, nasal cavity, and oral cavity clean, and let the lamb cut the umbilical cord by itself. If the lamb's umbilical cord cannot be severed, it can be torn off by hand or cut with scissors 5-10 cm away from the lamb's navel, and then disinfected with 5% iodine.

(5) After the lamb is born, the ewe will lick the mucus off the lamb's body. If the ewe does not lick the lamb, you can sprinkle an appropriate amount of bran on the lamb to encourage the ewe to lick the lamb.

That’s it