Lambing - birth of a lamb

A series of photographs showing the birth of a lamb.

Sheep breed - the lamb is a cross between a Dorper-Romanov Ram and a Pelibuey Ewe.

This lamb was born on 30 July 2003

The ewe's udder swells with milk several days before the birth.

The ewe becomes restless, standing up, lying down and pawing the ground. She loses interest in eating and stands away from the rest of the flock. She eventually finds a quiet place to lie down.

The water sac appears followed by the lamb's two front feet and nose.

In a normal birth a lamb appears head and front feet first.

The ewe starts to clean the lamb.

The lamb struggles to his feet and instinctively looks for milk. The first "milk" is actually colostrum, which contains antibodies.

Lambing Web Health Links

Mexico Child Link is a UK registered Charitable Trust with a project in Puebla, Mexico for abandoned and orphan children with learning disability. The project is based on a small farm where the children live in two purpose built adobe houses and learn about sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry.
The children and young people, all of whom have learning disability, learn practical skills on the farm. They look after a flock of over 60 Pelibuey sheep and a programme is underway to improve the sheep genetics through the addition of a Romanov-Dorper Ram to the flock. The aim is to establish the farm as a resource for the local community by showing that a wide range of crops can be grown other than the traditional maize. The focus of the farm is self-sufficiency rather than commercial production.

Please ask for permission if you would like to use any of the photographs on this site. All material is copyright Mexico Child Link Trust.