Ewe Pregnancy Symptoms, Lambing Time, Number of Births Per Year, and Number of Lambs Per Birth
Many beginners raising sheep do not know how to tell whether a ewe is pregnant, nor do they know how many months until she gives birth to lambs. This knowledge is essential for farmers. Without understanding it, losses are very likely. So, today the editor will walk you through what symptoms a pregnant ewe shows, how many months until she gives birth to lambs, how many litters she has per year, and how many lambs she can bear at once.
A pregnant ewe mainly shows 4 changes:
1. After a ewe is mated in estrus, if she shows no estrus one month later, her appetite increases, her body condition gradually improves, and her coat becomes glossy and shiny, it means this ewe is already pregnant.
2. After a ewe becomes pregnant, she is docile in temperament, cautious in movement, and fond of quiet.
3. As the pregnancy progresses, the ewe's abdominal circumference gradually increases, and her breathing becomes faster.
4. At 2~3 months of pregnancy, a hard lump can be felt by hand under the abdomen in front of the udder. At 4~5 months of pregnancy, the fetus grows and develops rapidly, the ewe's abdomen becomes larger, the flank hollows in, the udder enlarges, her movements become careful and slow, and her temperament is docile. This stage is late pregnancy, and nutrition must be strengthened.
How many months until a pregnant ewe gives birth to lambs?
The lambing time of a ewe varies according to breed, nutrition, number of lambs, and other factors. Generally, the gestation period of sheep is 146-161 days, with an average of 153 days, and the gestation period of goats is generally 146-157 days, with an average of 150 days. Ewes that lamb twice a year, three times in two years, or first-time ewes often have a single lamb, while after the 2nd litter they often produce twins or triplets. Among them, the High-leg Small-tailed Han sheep can be mated and conceived at 6 months of age, lambing twice a year or five times in three years, with 3~5 lambs per litter, and up to more than 8; the Boer goat matures early and comes into estrus in all four seasons, and can generally produce three litters in two years; the Small-tailed Han sheep can be mated and conceived at 6 months of age, producing 2 litters per year, with 2~6 lambs per litter, and up to 8 at most.
How should pregnant ewes be fed more reasonably?
1. In about the first month of pregnancy, before the fertilized egg implants and forms a placenta, it is very easily affected by external feeding conditions. Feeding the ewe spoiled, moldy, or toxic feed can easily cause early embryonic death.
2. After two months of pregnancy, as the months of pregnancy increase, fetal development gradually accelerates, so the amount of concentrate fed should be gradually increased. Soybeans 40%, corn 30%, barley 20%, and wheat 10% can be soaked in warm water for 6 hours~8 hours, ground into a slurry, then add bean cake equal to 10%~15% of the total feed such as soybeans, 5%~8% bran, 1% salt (salt can be replaced with salt bricks, which is simple and quick and also supplements trace elements), and 3%~5% bone meal. Supplement-feed the pregnant ewe 2 times~3 times a day, feeding each sheep 50 grams~100 grams of mixed concentrate each time. Young ewes should also have their concentrate feeding amount appropriately increased.
3. After three months of pregnancy, the total volume of forage fed to the pregnant ewe should be appropriately controlled, and supplementary forage and added concentrate should be given in small amounts and frequently.
4. After four months of pregnancy, the fetal weight has reached 60%~70% of the lamb's weight at birth, and at the same time the ewe must also store a certain amount of nutrients to prepare for lactation after birth.
5. About one month before lambing, the amount of roughage fed should be appropriately controlled, and feed with a soft texture should be given as much as possible, such as ammoniated, micro-stored, or salted straw, and green juicy feed. The amount of bran in the concentrate should be increased to help promote bowel movement and relieve constipation.
6. From 2 days~3 days before lambing, if the ewe is in good physical condition, the udder is greatly swollen, and there is edema under the abdomen, the feed amount should be reduced by 1/3~1/2 from the original daily ration, to prevent excessive milk volume or milk that is too thick in the early postpartum period from causing mastitis, milk let-down problems in the ewe, and indigestion and diarrhea in the lambs.
Postpartum feeding and management of ewes
After lambing, a ewe is weak in constitution and low in body resistance. Because she has consumed a large amount of water and physical strength, she shows thirst and a strong appetite, but at this time the digestive system has also undergone great changes, and digestive function is extremely poor. Only by carefully feeding and reasonably arranging the daily ration can the ewe recover her constitution as quickly as possible.
After lambing, the ewe is weak in constitution, and her body loses a relatively large amount of water, salt, and sugar. To relieve the weakness after lambing and supplement water, salt, and sugar, which is beneficial to the ewe's lactation, salt water bran soup should be fed in time. You can use 200-500g of bran, 10-20g of salt, and 100-200g of brown sugar, add an appropriate amount of warm water and mix well, and give it to the sheep to drink.
1. Environmental sanitation is the guarantee
For a ewe about to lamb, use warm water to clean the vulva, udder, tail base, and contaminated areas of the hindquarters, and replace the bedding with clean, soft straw to prevent diseases of the birth canal and reproductive organs. In the first few days of lambing in winter, the temperature inside the shed should be controlled at around 0°C to prevent dampness, and the relative humidity should preferably be 50%-70%. On sunny days, ventilate, but pay special attention to drafts.
2. A reasonable daily ration is the foundation
In early lactation, the ewe's requirements for protein and minerals are even greater than during gestation. Protein, calcium, and phosphorus need to be supplemented, and more green feed, juicy feed, and feed rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals should be fed, and attention should be paid to increasing the ewe's exercise.
When formulating the daily ration, in addition to ensuring that the required protein, energy, and other nutrients are sufficient in quantity and reasonable in proportion, consideration should also be given to feeding more fresh, tender, juicy, and easily digestible feed, such as sugar beets, sugar beet pulp, and carrots. Juicy feed not only increases palatability but also supplements the deficiency of vitamins, and has a very good effect on promoting lactation.
For a period after birth, the main food of lambs is breast milk. Therefore, the higher the ewe's milk yield, the greater the average daily weight gain of the lambs, the better their development, the stronger their disease resistance, and the higher their survival rate. The ewe's milk yield generally reaches its peak within 4-5 weeks, and gradually declines after 8 weeks.
As milk yield increases, the nutrients required by the ewe also increase accordingly. If the supplied nutrients cannot meet the demand, the ewe will mobilize large amounts of nutrients stored in the body to make up for it. Ewes with good lactation performance are often relatively thin, and this is an important reason.
Therefore, supplementary feeding of the ewe should be done well according to the number of lambs she is nursing or the level of milk yield.
For a ewe nursing a single lamb, supplement-feed 0.3-0.5kg of mixed concentrate per day; for a ewe nursing twins or multiple lambs, supplement-feed 0.5-1.5kg per day. For ewes in better body condition, no concentrate supplement is needed within 1-3d after lambing, to avoid indigestion or mastitis. To regulate the ewe's digestive function and promote the discharge of lochia, a small amount of laxative feed can be given (such as adding a small amount of bran to warm water). After 3d, gradually increase the amount of concentrate fed.
The ewe's nutritional requirement can also be determined according to the daily weight gain of the lambs during the nursing period. Generally, for every 100g of average weight gain of the lambs, the ewe needs 4180kJ/kg of feed digestible energy, 36g of digestible crude protein, 19g of calcium, and 1.2g of phosphorus. For a lactating ewe weighing 50kg, the daily digestible energy should be guaranteed at 19000-24000kJ/kg of feed, crude protein 110-190g, calcium 7.5-8.5g, phosphorus 4.5-5.5g, salt 12-14g, and carotene 8-10g.
3. Feeding and management are the key
The 15 days after lambing are a period of physical recovery for the ewe. In this stage, not only must nutritional needs be met, but feeding must also be careful and thorough, with scientific management.
When feeding, first sprinkle warm water on the mixed concentrate and let it sit for a few minutes to soften, then mix in some dried grass powder, silage, and juicy feed, mix well, and feed.
The feeding amount should be flexibly controlled according to the recovery of the ewe's digestive function, and the feeding amount should be gradually increased to prevent retention or indigestion. Generally, do not feed concentrate for 3-5 days, to prevent indigestion or mastitis.
After 5 days, feed each sheep 300-400g of mixed feed, 0.8-1.0kg of hay, 2-3kg of silage, and 200-300g of sugar beets and carrots per day. Always pay attention to each ewe's appetite, feces, mental state, movement, and gastrointestinal motility, and adjust the feed promptly if any abnormality is found.
Take care not to feed frozen, moldy, or spoiled feed. For ewes within 10 days after lambing, warm water should be given 2-3 times a day. It is best to grind soybeans into powder or chop bean cake, scald it with boiling water, and let the sheep drink it, which can ensure sufficient milk.
According to experimental reports, giving ewes soybean milk water to drink increases milk yield, raises the lamb survival rate by 3%-8%, and increases weaning weight by 17%-20%.