5 Signs Your Sheep Is In Labor
So it has been quite a while since I’ve been able to post anything new! Now that the holiday season is over, I can get back to it and the timing couldn’t be better as we’re entering a “busier” season around the ranch. During fall, our ram was definitely overly active and doing his duties quite well. We’ve been watching our lovely ladies get slightly larger knowing that it wasn’t just their winter coats coming in.
This past week, one of our ewes welcomed twins! Yes, twins, and they are the most precious things. This is her second pregnancy. It’s not uncommon for sheep to have multiples, especially after having had one baby in a prior lambing season.
I wasn’t fully convinced she was in labor – mainly hoping she wasn’t since it’s just a little early in the season. (Lambing season usually starts in February and goes into the spring months – the milder weather is far more ideal for lambs.) But, she sure was. So how did we know?
Let me preface with this: you should know your animals and what is normal behavior for them at all times! This is the only way to identify if any of your animals are sick, injured, or in labor. We check on them often and have a great view of them from multiple places within our house so it makes identifying the abnormal behavior within a few seconds. Also, while I’m speaking from our experience with our sheep, this may be applicable to other animals.
Ok – so back to the main idea – how did we know she was in labor?
1. She was vocal! Our sheep are typically very quiet. When they do make noise, they’re “baa-ing” is always intentional. They’re clearly communicating something and for some reason.
2. She began to separate herself from the herd. Ewes will often isolate themselves during the labor process. I’m no professional here but I am fairly certain it’s to keep their newborns safe from the herd.
3. She was up and down a LOT! I’ve been in labor before so I 100% can explain this. She was uncomfortable (and likely in pain). You’ll notice that your ewe just can’t seem to settle in and one position.
4. Physical signs. In the days leading up to birth, you’ll notice the udders will be enlarged as they begin to fill in preparation for the baby (babies). The biggest immediate indicator right before giving birth, if you’ve not noticed any of the above, is that her udders may be leaking, and her lady parts (vulva) will be swollen and very visible. If you see this, you better get ready because you’ll likely a newborn within a few hours. Something we’ve not yet experienced, BUT know happens from our research in preparing, is that her bag of water will begin to show and expel itself as well. Our sheep tend to give birth at night so we’ve never been around for this particular display but, know that that is another physical sign.
5. This one is NOT necessarily indicative of labor, and perhaps it was just this particular mother-daughter bond but we noticed that momma’s first born daughter stayed particularly close to her mom the ENTIRE time. When we had a feeling she was in labor, my husband put momma in the barn stall to keep her and the baby safe when she had him/her. Her daughter went right with her mom. I love, love, love that the mom had her own support system! It’s absolutely incredible that the daughter knew what was happening! I’ve seen videos and read stories from other sheep owners who have had similar experiences where the mom stayed with the daughter so I think this is TOO amazing not to share. God always knows what He’s doing and the animals are no exception.
We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve not had to help any of our sheep during the lambing process. They’ve all birthed very healthy babies on their own. We’ve simply just paid attention so we know how to prepare for the impending arrival (s)! Happy Lambing!
