Lameness issues: Farmers are reporting a rise in animals suffering from scald. Signs include a red/pink inflammation between the hoof horns, with a white, grey dark appearance around the inflammation. This is similar to the first signs of footrot, but a significant difference is that footrot has a strong, distinctive smell. Scald can cause severe pain and sheep can become lame very quickly.
Scald is generally easier treat than footrot and foot bathing should clear up any problems. The most common footbath products are copper sulphate, zinc sulphate and formalin. Dilution rates are typically 10% for copper and zinc sulphate and 3% for formalin. Dilution rates can be dropped from 10% to 5% where sheep are routinely passing through footbaths as a preventative measure.
Kill-out percentage: Kill-out percentages have increased in recent weeks, but many farmers still report lambs killing out poorly, at 41% to 42% kill-out. Where lambs receive the same treatment, the situation will not get any better as the dry matter and feeding value of grass reduces. Supplementing lambs will help improve lamb thrive and kill-out percentage. But, it is important to be wise in selecting the lambs to supplement and the levels fed. Introducing high levels of meals to long-keep lambs will significantly increase input costs.
A better response is got from targeting meal supplementation to lambs close to slaughter weight. Recommended levels of supplementation are 0.5kg to 0.7kg. Higher levels can be fed where lambs are competing with ewes for grass and the aim is to get lambs finished and moved quickly. Farmers saving grass for ewes should also consider the strong store trade for light and short-keep stores.
Ram infertility: Be vigilant of ram infertility issues. Keeping rams raddled will allow high repeat rates to be identified and quick action to be taken. Switching rams between groups or running rams in groups will also help guard against ram infertility issues. Issues such as lameness or a harness incorrectly fitted can also interfere with a ram’s normal mating behaviour. Close supervision during mating is critical.
Cobalt drenching: Cobalt is an important mineral that is commonly deficient on farms. It is not stored in an animal’s body and a deficit will have a significant effect on reducing lamb thrive. Characteristic signs are lambs performing poorly, losing condition or pining away. In some cases, their ears will also become scaly or scabby. Where administering orally (purchased or diluted on farm) it must be given every two to three weeks. It can also be given in bullet form or through minerals included in meals. When purchasing store lambs coming off marginal lands, it may be beneficial to give these lambs a mineral dose to correct any mineral imbalances that may be present.
Spreading FYM: The closing date for spreading slurry has passed, but farm yard manure can still be spread until the end of the month. Sheds should be power washed and disinfected following the removal of manure.
Lameness issues: Farmers are reporting a rise in animals suffering from scald. Signs include a red/pink inflammation between the hoof horns, with a white, grey dark appearance around the inflammation. This is similar to the first signs of footrot, but a significant difference is that footrot has a strong, distinctive smell. Scald can cause severe pain and sheep can become lame very quickly.
Scald is generally easier treat than footrot and foot bathing should clear up any problems. The most common footbath products are copper sulphate, zinc sulphate and formalin. Dilution rates are typically 10% for copper and zinc sulphate and 3% for formalin. Dilution rates can be dropped from 10% to 5% where sheep are routinely passing through footbaths as a preventative measure.
Kill-out percentage: Kill-out percentages have increased in recent weeks, but many farmers still report lambs killing out poorly, at 41% to 42% kill-out. Where lambs receive the same treatment, the situation will not get any better as the dry matter and feeding value of grass reduces. Supplementing lambs will help improve lamb thrive and kill-out percentage. But, it is important to be wise in selecting the lambs to supplement and the levels fed. Introducing high levels of meals to long-keep lambs will significantly increase input costs.
A better response is got from targeting meal supplementation to lambs close to slaughter weight. Recommended levels of supplementation are 0.5kg to 0.7kg. Higher levels can be fed where lambs are competing with ewes for grass and the aim is to get lambs finished and moved quickly. Farmers saving grass for ewes should also consider the strong store trade for light and short-keep stores.
Ram infertility: Be vigilant of ram infertility issues. Keeping rams raddled will allow high repeat rates to be identified and quick action to be taken. Switching rams between groups or running rams in groups will also help guard against ram infertility issues. Issues such as lameness or a harness incorrectly fitted can also interfere with a ram’s normal mating behaviour. Close supervision during mating is critical.
Cobalt drenching: Cobalt is an important mineral that is commonly deficient on farms. It is not stored in an animal’s body and a deficit will have a significant effect on reducing lamb thrive. Characteristic signs are lambs performing poorly, losing condition or pining away. In some cases, their ears will also become scaly or scabby. Where administering orally (purchased or diluted on farm) it must be given every two to three weeks. It can also be given in bullet form or through minerals included in meals. When purchasing store lambs coming off marginal lands, it may be beneficial to give these lambs a mineral dose to correct any mineral imbalances that may be present.
Spreading FYM: The closing date for spreading slurry has passed, but farm yard manure can still be spread until the end of the month. Sheds should be power washed and disinfected following the removal of manure.
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