Babes In Soayland
Ewes stimulate their lambs into action — and life outside the womb — in a variety of ways. Although possibly distasteful-looking to us humans, the ewe's action in licking off the membranes that cling to the lamb when it comes out is essential to get the lamb's blood circulating, keep it from getting chilled, and encouraging it to get up and moving toward the udder. Ewes lick off their lambs' backends for the same reason, and also to help get the initial stool (which is not a stool at all, in fact, but rather the lining of the lamb's intestines) out.
In addition, the ewe's action in nudging the lamb's back end helps steer it (the lamb) in the right direction, back toward her bag.
Ewes know who their lambs are by smell, by the lamb's unique "baa," and apparently by the unique feel of the lamb's mouth on the ewe's teat (we are not making this up). Here one of the ewes uses her back leg to gently (?) push away some other ewe's lamb that was trying to poach her groceries.