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The purpose of this short video is to present a normal and uncomplicated lambing for beginning shepherds.
Pregnancy in sheep lasts approximate 147 days.
About a week before her lamb is due, a ewe will have made a large udder, her vulva will become swollen and she will begin to take interest in other newborn lambs.
The lambing process in a ewe is divided into 3 phases.
Labor
Delivery
Cleansing

Labor begins with involuntary uterine contractions.
Strong uterine contractions force the fetal fluid-sacs up against her cervix and ply her cervix open.
A ewe in labor will become restless and she may separate herself from the flock and refuse to eat.
During labor a ewe may paw at the ground, bleat, circle or pace in a small area, making nibbling or licking motions.
She may lie down and get back up several times and will often raise her nose and stretch out her neck during contractions.

As the cervix begins to open, the lamb is pushed into the birth canal.
And often the waterbag, clear or blood tinged mucus or fluid will be seen at the vulva.
Sometimes a foot or the nose of the lamb may be poking out.

Delivery begins once the cervix is fully dilated and the lamb is engaged in the birth canal.
At that time the ewe will begin to actively strain and push.
Maximum supervision with minimum interference should be the philosophy at lambing time.
Try and keep the lambing shelter a relatively peaceful environment without lots of noise and confusion.
Animals can sense fear or panic and a calm shepherd or shepherdess makes lambing easier for ewes.
Sometimes a ewe will stop pushing if they become too distracted by humans, dogs or other sources of stress.
Often the best assistance a shepherd can offer a laboring ewe is to walk away and leave her alone for awhile.
It is usually best to allow ewes to make their own progress in their own time and to resist the temptation to pull the lamb away to soon.
It is important to appreciate that lambing is a process which has evolved over many thousands of years and need not be hurried.
And while sometimes things do go wrong, for the vast majority of ewes, lambing goes perfectly right.
The time it takes for a ewe to complete lambing will vary from ewe to ewe.
First time lambers may take considerably longer than older ewes.
In general, lambing will be complete within 1 to 1 ½ hours after the waterbag breaks.

The third and final stage of lambing is the cleansing.
Lambing is not complete until the ewe expels the placenta or the afterbirth.
The amount of time needed to complete the cleansing will vary.
Cleansing can take place almost immediately after the lamb has been delivered or may take up to 24 hours.
A nursing lamb will encourage further uterine contractions and this will hasten the cleansing.

The ewe lamb bond is critical for the survival of lambs.
The influence of hormones immediately before birth, together with the pain and pressure that the ewe receives while the lamb is in the birth canal stimulates a strong maternal instinct in a ewe.
The ewe has an instinct to lick the lamb dry and to protect it.
And by licking the lamb dry, the ewe encourages her lamb to breath, get up, to follow her and to join the world.

Duration : 0:5:53

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