How to Know when your Ewe is Lambing

Ewes generally follow a similar pattern when they are about to give birth. Most of the following signs will be displayed, but possibly not all of them. 

Your ewe will remove herself from the flock a day or two before she has her lamb, standing on the periphery and generally not being very active. She may seek out a sheltered secluded spot and just hang around that area for a day or two. She may not do this, she may stay with the flock, but most often she will prefer to be away from the others.

She will still eat and drink at this time but as the labour progresses, she may stop eating and just stand or lay in the same area. She may continue to eat- I have seen both things happen. I have seen a ewe eating between contractions.

She will try to urinate frequently once the labour has begun.

Your ewe will get a certain "look " about her that you will come to recognise the more often you see it. She will look hollower in the sides, just under the spine and in front of her hips. Her tail will be elevated. She will hang her head down and look at her sides.

You will see a discharge from her vulva.

She will look a little depressed and tired. Her back will arch and she will hang her head low to the ground.

After a period of time from minutes to hours, and occasionally a day of the above posturing, her membranes will rupture (waters will break) and the labour is well under way and the arrival of the lamb is imminent. This is when you need to start observing the ewe for a normal birth and be prepared to intervene if things are not progressing as they should be. 

 Your ewe's contractions will start to get sharper and closer together and she may paw at the ground, circle, lie down and get up and generally look preoccupied and anxious. Do not disturb her if possible- she will not welcome any intrusions at this point. Observe from a distance. 

After a time she will start to actively push with each contraction. This stage usually does not last more than an hour, but it can take longer if she is a first time mother, if she is small, or if the lamb is large. If she has not progressed past the pushing stage (no lamb parts are visible in her vulva when she is pushing), after 4 hours, be prepared to assist. Gather all the equipment you will require to do an internal examination to see if the lamb is in an unusual position and therefore difficult for the ewe to deliver. See my post on "Assisting a Ewe to Deliver a Lamb"

This is how your ewe will look as she pushes with each contraction. Her head will generally stretch out or up and her lips will curl up. Her back legs will stretch out stiffly, and her abdomen will tighten up into a round ball. 

 If her labour progresses normally, you will see the lambs front hooves start to protrude with in less than an hour or so.The next two photos show the lambs feet protruding. The next few photos are of a different ewe during labour- delivering a single lamb only.

 More lying down and pushing may occur in between standing up and pushing or walking.

The lamb's head will be delivered and the rest will happen quickly.

The lamb emerges covered in membrane. The ewe will start to clear the membrane from the lambs face quickly, often while the lamb is still being delivered or immediately after. Once the umbilical cord is severed, the lamb will need to have the membrane removed from his nose straight away so he can breath. If the ewe fails to do this, you must get a cloth ( your shirt will do) and wipe the membrane from the lamb's mouth and nose.

Once the active pushing starts, the birth should happen within an hour or two, four hours at the most before you will need to consider assisting.

All over without a great deal of fuss or noise.

The ewe will  smell the lamb immediately after birth to impregnate the lamb's scent on the ewe's brain. The release of oxytocin in the ewe's brain ensures the ewe gains a pleasurable sensation when she smells her lamb, which we commonly call 'bonding' . The same process happens when humans have babies.

It is not uncommon for other ewes to come and smell the lamb. 

Tilly (the mother) cleaning her lamb's face and encouraging her baby to breathe

Getting to know her lamb's scent and encouraging the lamb to sit up. Cleaning the products of birth from her lamb. The placenta will also be eaten by the ewe, even though sheep are herbivores, as it provides needed protein and iron to the ewe, and the scent of blood will attract predators to the area. 

The ewe may look exhausted for a few hours and it is good if she stays at the birth place with her lambs for at least a few hours so they can rest. During this time she will encourage her lamb to stand and drink. 

This ewe has delivered twins. When a ewe has a multiple pregnancy she increases her chances of complications during labour. However, in all the years we have kept sheep we have never had to assist a ewe in labour.

After they are rested, the ewe will encourage her lambs to drink and will frequently smell their rear ends to make sure they are hers. Ewes and lambs will recognise each other by the sound of their voices and by smell. The ewe will call to the lambs during labour and after birth to instill in the lamb's memory her voice. She will also smell them frequently so she imprints their odour in her brain.

Observe your lambs for the first 48 hours- this is the most critical time in a lamb's life. If the lamb is not feeding, is weak, looks very small, or gets very cold, it will need your assistance and may need to be raised as an orphan. If the mother rejects her lamb, you will definitely have to intervene. See my post on "The Art of Raising an Orphaned Lamb" for advice on how to do this.