Ewe cleaning a newborn lamb. The domestic sheep (Ovis aries) is raised on farms for its meat and wool. Birthing takes place in the spring, and the mother cleans the newborn lamb, removing the amniotic sac using her tongue. She will also eat the placenta (afterbirth). The act of cleaning a lamb encourages it to stand on its own feet and start to move around. This ewe is a Texel breed of sheep. Photographed in the UK.