Veterinary students plunge into the world of lambing

In spring, the sheepfold at the Centre de Recherche Ovine (CRO) in Faulx-les-Tombes enters a period of excitement, that of lambing. Over a three-week period, some 70 ewes of the Île-de-France breed give birth. To mark the occasion, two types of internship are offered to students: a three-day lambing internship for baccalaureate veterinary students, and a more in-depth internship for final-year students. Two complementary formats that pursue the same objective: to train students as closely as possible to the reality in the field.

"To be a good veterinarian, you first need to know how a farm works and understand the breeder's job," explains Astrid Petit, veterinarian and CRO member. "That's why we ask students to take part in all farm tasks: daily care, feeding, mulching, monitoring ewes ready to lamb, assisting with parturition, resuscitating lambs, checking colostrum intake, neonatal care, etc."

As a first-year veterinary student, Valentine has been living to the rhythm of the births for the past two days: "Our days depend on the births. It's up to us to be attentive, to detect the first signs and make sure everything goes well. But alongside the births, there are a huge number of other things to do: feed the young that the mother hasn't recognized, check that they're taking the colostrum, mulch, fill the troughs...". A job that requires constant presence, day and night. That's why the students stay on site, enabling them to intervene at any hour and monitor the ewes continuously. "These are three intense days when we don't sleep much at night, but our fatigue is more than compensated for by the "cuteness rate" of the lambs," she smiles.

Available from the first year of veterinary medicine, the lambing internship is based on active teaching and transmission between students. Every day, students progress in their role on the farm. They start the internship as "beginners", then evolve on day two as "confirmed trainees", before finishing as "experienced trainees" on the final day. "It's the students themselves who ensure the transmission of knowledge, enabling them to evolve rapidly and with total autonomy," Astrid Petit points out. "Having three different levels, learning thanks to the other students and then passing on our knowledge to the next ones, it's really very rewarding and empowering," adds Valentine.

Alongside the three-day internships, CRO also offers another, more advanced formula: lambing internships. This eight- to nine-day program allows students to live at the rhythm of the farm, coordinating trainees and supervising care outside staff hours. "This immersion offers students a unique opportunity to acquire in-depth knowledge and operational skills essential to the management of parturitions and the early stages of newborn life (neonatology)," explains Astrid Petit.

Before starting, interns receive theoretical training and clinical coaching. They learn how to spot certain pathologies (metritis, retentions, mastitis...), intervene in obstetrical complications, perform certain authorized medical procedures under supervision (taking blood, injections, placing a probe, neonatal resuscitation...) and ensure careful monitoring of ewes and lambs.

"What we miss during our studies is contact with animals, especially live animals. Being able to be out there and apply theoretical information we've received in class is really an incredible opportunity," testifies third-year student Chloé. "Here, we're also supervised by professionals from the University and by veterinarians. They are there to help us and give us additional information, while leaving us a great deal of autonomy. The fact that interns and trainees get together creates a real learning dynamic, with very rich exchanges," she concludes.

Located in an exceptional natural setting in Faulx-les-Tombes, the CRO is part of the Integrated Veterinary Research Unit of the Department of Veterinary Medicine. The Center combines three main missions:

• Research : the center studies sheep as a model for locomotor diseases, neonatal pathologies and sustainability issues in animal husbandry. It hosts university researchers and industrialists.
• Teaching: it serves as an educational farm for veterinary students (since the 1st year), enabling them to put theory into practice (clinical examinations, animal handling, lambing, perinatal care...).
• Breeding: as a sheep breeding site, the center produces lamb meat and breeding stock. The CRO also offers various services to breeders: analyses, advice, supply of seeds, health support, etc.

The Center has the ambition to become a place of convergence where researchers, students and breeders share and develop knowledge in a collaborative way.