Lambing training in Ghent vet school
For vet students in UK spending Easter holidays lambing is a
normal routine before and after starting vet school. However for some students
this is not the case, and there is less opportunity to experience the highs and
lows of lambing and lamb survival. A student-led initiative at the Ghent
Veterinary School - the Ghent Lambing and Husbandry Project - has set out to
offer students the opportunity to spend time on sheep farms across the UK and
elsewhere, and to practice their lambing and husbandry skills.
As part of this
project JMICAWE director, Cathy Dwyer, spent two days at the vet school to help
with lambing training and to discuss with students opportunities to improve
sheep welfare and lamb survival in their work. It is obviously a very popular
option for students as the auditorium was packed with would-be lambers, and
there was lively discussion around the various practical scenarios Cathy had
prepared to help students prepare for lambing.
Cathy explained the biological
basis for maternal behaviour in the ewe, and how taking this into account in
lambing management can help ewes look after their lambs, improve lamb survival
and improve the welfare and well-being of sheep and lambers alike.
‘I was really impressed to see so many students keen to stay behind in the evening for extra lectures, and how excited the students were to be able to spend time in UK lambing’
- Prof Cathy Dwyer
Cathy shared the platform with farmer, Peter Myles, who has
been hosting lambing students at his Scottish sheep farm for many years and
both Cathy and Peter were delighted with the enthusiasm of the students to
learn and be involved in lambing.