[Jacob-list] Lambing question

[Robert May]

HELLO JOY, ET ALS...

I CAN ONLY SPEAK TO MY EXPERIENCES IN RAISING SHEEP
FOR THE LAST 25 YEARS.  DURING WINTER, WE FEED HAY AM
& PM AND GRAIN IN THE AM.  OUT OF THE 30 LAMBS THAT
HAVE BEEN BORN SO FAR THIS LAMBING SEASON, WE'VE HAD
LAMBS BORN PRIOR TO 5:45 AM; LAMBS BORN PRIOR TO 7:30
PM; LAMBS BORN MID-MORNING; LAMBS BORN MID-AFTERNOON
AND LAMBS BORN LATE EVENING.  

THIS LAMBING SEASON ISN'T MARKETEDLY DIFFERENT FROM
WHAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED OTHER YEARS.  SO, MY CONCLUSION
IS THAT NEITHER TIME OF FEEDING OR AMOUNT OF DAYLIGHT,
ETC. HAS HAD ANY CORRELATION WITH THE TIME OF DAY THAT
OUR LAMBS HAVE "POPPED OUT".

WOULD BE INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT OTHERS HAVE
EXPERIENCED.

REGARDS,
BOB MAY
SWAYZE INN FARM
HOPE, NJ
--- Jacobflock at aol.com wrote:

> In a message dated 2/11/2005 2:09:05 PM Central
> Standard Time, 
> shepherdofspots at yahoo.com writes:
> 
> > Does where you live determine the time of day for
> > lambing? Is it random?
> > 
> > Read once that it depending upon what time of day
> you
> > fed -- I feed usually at night.
> > 
> > Eager to hear what others think about this.
> > 
> > Joy
> > 
> 
> The birth of a lamb is determined by the lamb.  The
> time from conception to 
> birth varies by breed, sex of the lamb, number of
> lambs, age of the ewe, health 
> of the ewe and of course, diet.  
> 
> The actual onset of parturition is controlled by a
> hormone called ACTH which 
> signals the lamb to produce cortisol which develops
> the lambs lungs (expels 
> liquid) and starts the ewe's contractions by
> producing estrogen and 
> prostoglandins that soften the cervix and there it
> is.
> 
> Where you live does not determine lambing time nor
> is it a random event.  The 
> time the lamb is ready to leave the ewe follows some
> pretty rigorous 
> chemistry and is extremely complex.  
> 
> A cattle breeder Gus Konafel said in the early 1970s
> that he controlled 
> calving to the hours of 6AM to 6PM by feeding
> between 5PM and 10PM; successful 
> about 85% of the time.  In this case, the
> temperature rise following eating was 
> antagonistic to the temperature drop that usually
> occurs before calving. Thus 
> about a 12 hour delay between eating and calving.
> 
> There are numersous studies that one can shorten
> gestation by several days by 
> "underfeeding" the ewe; reducing placental nutrition
> and stressing the fetus 
> so that the fetal lamb produces the ACTH to start
> the "I want to get out of 
> here" hormone rush to the ewe.
> 
> Fred Horak
> 
> > _______________________________________________
> Jacob-list mailing list, sponsored by Swallow Lane
> Farm & Fiberworks
> Jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
> http://www.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/jacob-list
>