What should be noted when a sheep gives birth?

The number of lambs a sheep can produce each year is quite good, and the number of times is only once or twice, but these few times are of utmost importance, after all, the self-breeding and self-raising of your own farm depends on this. So what issues need attention when managing the lambing stage of sheep in detail?

1. Adjust feeding ingredients

Fattening the ewe before lambing is key. Only when the ewe grows well will the lambs be healthy after birth, so the feed adjustment for the ewe at this stage must be timely. At this time, roughage accounts for about 50-70% of the daily feed, concentrated feed accounts for 20-30%, and the rest is some urgently needed nutrients and fresh forage supplementation. The feed can have a certain amount of residue to ensure the ewe can eat her fill. After feeding, you can leave a little fresh forage beside the ewe for her to chew.

2. Separate into groups in time

Grouping should be carried out promptly after the ewe becomes pregnant, otherwise it can easily cause problems during lambing. At this stage, the ewe's body resistance is not very strong, and she is relatively weak, with extremely poor tolerance to external forces. If not grouped, the probability of the ewe being injured will increase, and the offspring produced may already be dead. When grouping, the density should not be too high. Divide the pregnant ewes into multiple groups, controlling it at 5-10 ewes per pen, or 3-5 per pen if the number is small. Let them have sufficient space for free movement and protect them.

3. Improve the sheep shed

At this stage, the sheep shed for raising ewes should also be appropriately renovated, mainly to provide them with a better living place. While keeping the sheep shed clean, it should also maintain a dry environment. The feed trough and water trough should be closer together to prevent the ewe from frequently walking back and forth. If there is a lot of moisture in the feed trough, it is best to replace it promptly. You can prepare a few extra feed troughs for easy replacement and cleaning. Prepare thicker bedding where the ewe rests most often. The inside of the sheep shed should be smooth, with no relatively sharp places, to avoid accidentally injuring the ewe.

4. Control temperature and supplement feed

Before and after lambing, preparations for temperature control need to be made. The temperature should be controlled at a level suitable for the lambs, and it needs to be controlled at this level for a long period. Especially within the few weeks of lambing, the temperature must be kept relatively balanced within an appropriate range, to avoid temperature fluctuations bringing discomfort to the lambs. Feed supplementation after lambing is also very important. One is nutrient supplementation for the ewe, and the other is initial nutritional supplementation for the lambs. The former allows the ewe to recover quickly, while the latter allows the lambs to grow quickly.

The above are some points to note when sheep give birth. These are only some of the more important ones. There are also many other small details that everyone should not ignore. The lambing stage of sheep can be considered the most troublesome stage in sheep raising, even more troublesome than sheep getting sick.