Lambing Difficulty can be the single biggest burden on sheep farms at lambing time. It’s important information that should be recorded properly.
If lambs sired by a particular ram prove to be very hard lambing it can leave the farmer counting the financial loss of increased lamb mortality.
Sheep Ireland uses a 4-point scale to record Lambing Difficulty.
See the table below for the descriptions of each point:
| Lambing Difficulty | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Unassisted | Ewe lambed down totally unassisted |
| 2. Voluntary Assistance | The lamb was pulled for convenience purposes, if the lambs chances of survival were increased due to human intervention then this would be a score 3 (Slight Assistance) |
| 3. Slight Assistance | There was no adverse impact on the ewe or the lamb but the lambs chances of survival was increased due to human intervention - (reverse presentation/leg back etc.) |
| 4. Significant Assistance | A prolonged intervention by farmer and/or vet, and/or noticeable subsequent impact on ewe and/or lamb performance. Without human intervention a dead ewe and/or lamb would have been the likely outcome. |
When recording a lambing event, breeders should select the proper score. In case of multiple lambs, the recording should reflect the lambing event. This means that if one lamb requires assistance, that lambing should be considered for the score.
It’s easy to record, and very important for the genetic evaluation and for your DQI.
Watch this video on how to accurately record Lambing Difficulty.
