Malformed lamb

[Erinlovescows]

We had a sheep give birth last night and the lamb was on her feet (very wobbly) and walking last night, but we noticed she keeps her head down. Her neck is curved down, almost like she is hunchback.. :/ Temp seemed fine, but I'm not sure she can actually reach the teat with her head like that, though she's been trying. Mom was very interested, licked her clean, and we helped lamb to the teat a few times. She's definitely got the sucking reflex. We've supplemented some bottle feeding.

I'll see if I can grab a picture to post, but anyone have experience with this? We maybe should have left it alone to naturally cull... but we lost two chickens to hawks yesterday and the day before we found a stillborn lamb in the stall and just wanted one good thing! There wasn't any evidence on any of the ewes that I could find, so I'm not sure if it was this mommas and she had twins on her first go and the baby with the curled neck was stuck in a funky position for awhile?

 

[Hens and Roos]

we have only goats but I'll tag some sheep people for you.

@Mike CHS @Baymule

 

[purplequeenvt]

I’d just keep watching to make sure that she’s getting enough to eat. Her neck issue could be from being cramped in her mom or possibly an injury from the birthing process and not an actual malformation.

Were you at the birth?

I had a bottle lamb with a wonky neck years ago that I got from a friend. She was a triplet and clunked her head/neck on the way out. She did ok, but her neck never straightened out.

 

[Erinlovescows]

I was not at the birth, we were close but missed it! Thank you! Vet recommended selenium/vitamin E in case that's the issue. But she seems to be nursing on mom. It could have been an injury potentially.

 

[Baymule]

I have never had anything like that happen. It is good that the lamb can nurse, so at least she is eating and you don't have a bottle lamb. @Mike CHS had a lamb that had a neck injury and he gave it to a nearby family to raise as a bottle lamb. Mike, did you ever find out how the lamb grew up?

 

[Mike CHS]

I have never had anything like that happen. It is good that the lamb can nurse, so at least she is eating and you don't have a bottle lamb. @Mike CHS had a lamb that had a neck injury and he gave it to a nearby family to raise as a bottle lamb. Mike, did you ever find out how the lamb grew up?

She actually grew out as a normal lamb and they still have her.

 

[Ridgetop]

Unless it is a brain injury the lamb could have been kinked inside if the ewe was small and had large lambs. As long as it can nurse it should straighten out. If necessary put it on a bottle and raise it until weaning time You might not want to keep it as a breeder but certainly it won't go to waste in freezer camp.

 

[Donald Chavez]

We had a sheep give birth last night and the lamb was on her feet (very wobbly) and walking last night, but we noticed she keeps her head down. Her neck is curved down, almost like she is hunchback.. :/ Temp seemed fine, but I'm not sure she can actually reach the teat with her head like that, though she's been trying. Mom was very interested, licked her clean, and we helped lamb to the teat a few times. She's definitely got the sucking reflex. We've supplemented some bottle feeding.

I'll see if I can grab a picture to post, but anyone have experience with this? We maybe should have left it alone to naturally cull... but we lost two chickens to hawks yesterday and the day before we found a stillborn lamb in the stall and just wanted one good thing! There wasn't any evidence on any of the ewes that I could find, so I'm not sure if it was this mommas and she had twins on her first go and the baby with the curled neck was stuck in a funky position for awhile?

Dear Erinlovescows,
The problem you described in your malformed lamb is a not so uncommon result of domestic sheep which have some degree of wild sheep ancestry. Specifically, Wild sheep, like Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep evolved with 58 chromosomes in their DNA genome. Domestic sheep only have 54 chromosomes. When you hybridize the two breeds 50/50, most of their lambs will inherit traits from both parents and about 75% will be normal. The smaller the percentage of wild sheep DNA, the smaller the chance of congenital problems like still-births or crooked spines.
There is a research/study by the University Of Copenhagen, Denmark that helps to explain some of the course of evolution and possible unintended consequences of historic crossing of domestic sheep with wild breeds like Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep.
In essence, the fact that domestic sheep and some wild breeds have different numbers of chromosomes and the various different sizes of chromosomes can result in much higher frequency of chromosome translocations and inherited Congenital (Cytogenetic) abnormalities (birth defects), and still births from crossbreeding. In other words, crossbreeding Bighorn Sheep with domestic breeds dramatically increases the risks of unsuccessful lamb populations; the closer the “wild parents’” relationship to the offspring, the higher the risk of unintended lamb losses. You can find the full research narrative by reading K. M. HANSEN Anatomy Department B, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (Received August 8, 1973).
See a layman’s excerpts of this study and glossary of terms below:

“According to SHIWAGO (193 1) the modal chromosome number of domestic sheep (Ovis Aries) is 54.”
“Populations with 54-58 chromosomes have been found among wild sheep (NADLER et al. 1971).”

“The modal chromosome number of the domestic sheep (Ovis Aries) is 54. It is possible to identify 25 out of the 27 pairs of chromosomes by means of quinacrine mustard staining and fluorescence microscopy. There is often a considerable difference in length between the homologues of the same pair. The submetacentric autosomes may be derived from the basic karyotype of the family Bovidae by Robertsonian fusion. Consequently, the karyotype of the sheep chromosomes has been arranged in another way than in the goat and cattle….”

“Populations with 54-58 chromosomes have been found among wild sheep (NADLER et al. 1971). In domestic sheep autosomal Robertsonian translocations result in chromosome numbers of 52-53 (BRUBRE et al. 1972). It is characteristic, however, that NFa (nombre fondamental autosomique)
is 58 in all cases, the same as in goat (Capru hircus) and cattle (Bos taurus).

Definitions:
Autosome: noun, plural: autosomes; (genetics) Any chromosome not considered as a sex chromosome, or is not involved in sex determination. It occurs in pairs in somatic cells and singly in sex cells (gametes)
Karyotypes: noun, plural:
(genetics) The characterization of the chromosome complement of a species (such as the shape, type, number, etc. of chromosomes)
Verb: To arrange and classify the chromosome complement of an organism based on the number, size, shape, and other characteristics of the chromosomes

Donald Chavez

 

[Ridgetop]

Very interesting. Thank you for posting this. I love learning stuff like this to apply to problems.