Lambing has been in full swing for the last couple of weeks and apart from the ewe's problems of prolapsed cervix pre lambing, (we are seeing an awful lot of cases, at least two a day every day) and prolapsed uteruses post lambing (called a lamb bed locally) we of course deal with the lamb issues as well. Much of the road is not fully fenced so sheep on the roadside is normal. The problem gets worse when new lambs are born as they have no road sense. However, I have only seen two HBC lambs so far.
 |
| Ewe with lamb on the side of the road |
The lamb problems that we have seen have been varied. Intestinal umbilical hernias, both natural, and as a result of over enthusiastic cleaning by mum. I even had a lamb with both its' tail and part of one foot eaten off by mum. Mum is not the only "predator", Golden Eagles and Sea Eagles will both predate lambs. So much so that many crofters will no longer lamb sheep in the hill country as they loose too many lambs. The eagles will pickup the lambs and then drop them from a height to kill them, before taking them away. Conservationists respond that the crofters can claim compensation but they do not seem to grasp the emotional connection between a farmer and his stock - it is not just about the money.
 |
| Golden Eagle |
Pneumonia in older lambs occurs. We also see selenium deficiency causing White Muscle Disease.
Last week I had a lamb with a growth on its' back leg brought in. It was the size of a mandarin but pedunculated. We were able to remove it and send the lamb back home.
 |
| Lamb in clinic for surgery |
Another oddity that I have not met before is the problem of horn buds on foetal lambs. These can be quite substantial and cause a real problem getting caught on the pelvic brim with breech births. Entropians are not excessive and are fixed locally with a metal skin suture clip applied below the affected eye.
Although we do not see the heavy tick infestations on lambs here like we do at home the ticks here can be more deadly as they can carry Louping Ill, a potentially fatal viral disease of sheep. Lambs that are born on the machier are often injected with long acting tetracyclines before they are put onto the moor to give them some protection for a few days. Lambs are often numbered with spray paint. I can not workout the system as the numbers often are too high and even the crofters that I have asked don't have a good reason for it.
 |
| Numbered lambs |
Another interesting case has been one property at the North of the island that has had 3 cases of Foetal Hydrops in his lambs. All have been from maiden ewes (called gimmers here). The really interesting thing has that two of the sheep were having twins. In both cases one lamb was born dead with foetal hydrops and the second born alive and normal. It appears that the problem may be the ram, as all the affected lambs were black faced, and the surviving twins white faced. We have informed the ministry but they are not greatly interested. As with these thing by the time you realise there is an issue and you want to collect samples all the sheep have finished lambing!
Lambing has largely come to an end now. On Easter Sunday the emergency work suddenly slowed and we have now shifted to more planned work castrating and dehorning calves. I have also had time to go and see the cattle sale in Lochmaddy that was held last week. The sale starts after the ferry comes in that has bought the buyers and stock trucks. A second sale is held in Lochboisdale later in the afternoon to make it more worth their while.
 |
| Cattle sale ring at Lochmaddy |
