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Difficult Delivery & Lamb Behaviour
Lambs born after a long labour and/or a difficult delivery may be exhausted or compromised following their difficult birth. In some cases the lambs can have suffered physical injury and brain haemorrhage.
In general, these lambs are slower to stand and suck after birth. In addition, a prolonged labour is known to affect the way the lamb maintains body temperature. Thus lambs born after a long or difficult birth are more likely to die from hypothermia than lambs delivered quickly.