Not all lamb milk replacements are the same. Following colostrum feeding, the choice of a lamb milk replacer for artificially reared lambs is an important consideration. A digestible, carefully formulated milk replacer can help lambs to achieve their full growth potential to develop into strong, robust lambs which continue to perform.
Beef and Sheep manager, Bryn Hughes advises farmers to make informed adjustments to their ewe management practices for greater success during the lambing season.
Lambs are born with an immunological disadvantage due to immunoglobulins being unable to be passed through the placenta to the lamb during pregnancy, making them particularly vulnerable to diseases. During the first two hours of life the gut is 20-30% efficient at absorbing IgGs, but the capability of the gut declines to 0% after 24 hours. Consequently, it is crucial that lambs receive colostrum soon after birth in order to absorb sufficient antibodies to reduce the risk of disease and mortality.
Wynnstay customer Rob Powell has found wintering ewes at home, on grass and root crops, a cost-effective option.
For sheep, constant management of fluke is necessary because there is often no break in the grazing cycle. So, with no product persistent against fluke, a sheep treated one day can pick up infection the next if they are grazing infected pasture.
Sheep scab is an allergic dermatitis which is caused by the mite Psoroptes ovis. It is a highly contagious condition as the mites live and feed on the skin and so they are easily spread onto in contact sheep.
Farmers are being advised to get ewes in the correct condition ahead of tupping to avoid a second year of poor scanning rates.
It was widely reported that scanning rates were back 15-20% on some farms in 2022/23 because the drought-affected feed availability pre-tupping, this could happen again this year and farmers must plan ahead.
Accurately measuring and recording the weight of lambs plays a vital role in monitoring flock performance. This blog aims to highlight the importance of weighing lambs, discussing the benefits it brings to the overall health, management, and profitability of a sheep flock.
Forage4Profit is a 4-point plan to help livestock farmers maximise the quality of homegrown forage and improve milk or meat from forage.
In this blog we look at the 4 factors to help improve milk from forage this season.
The amount of milk produced from forage averages just 2,900 litres nationally, figures from Kingshay’s cost report from December 2022 show. There is huge scope to improve this and reduce purchased feed costs, with the best farms achieving 5,300 litres of milk from forage.
Every 1,000 litres of milk from forage equates to approximately 460kg of concentrate feed, and so by increasing homegrown forage quality, it's essential to maximise homegrown to make the most efficient use of purchased feed.
Shearing sheep (the ancient skill) is a vital element of good flock management. The process provides a clean and sanitary environment for the sheep but also reduces overheating in the summer. Many will bring in a shearer to complete the job, but some will shear their flock themselves. Lister global has created a step-by-step guide on how to shear your flock.
