Ewes in sub-optimal body condition score are a continuous drain on flock productivity and can also act as a reservoir of disease.

This was one of a number of key messages delivered at Tuesday night’s Teagasc Lowland Sheep Conference held in Tuam, Co Galway.

An analysis of ewe performance records in the Teagasc BETTER Farm Sheep Programme by sheep specialist Frank Campion showed that ewes falling below optimum body condition score performed significantly poorer than their flock mates.

The poor performance was manifested in lower lamb birthweights and weaning weights, lower ewe output, higher culling rates and higher flock mortality.

It was highlighted that addressing ewe condition will not happen overnight, but doing so has the potential to greatly enhance flock performance and output, and lower replacements rates from upwards of 30%, to the normal level of 20% to 25%.

Seamus Fagan from the Athlone regional veterinary laboratory also addressed the topic of ewe condition and warned farmers that thin ewes can also be a disease reservoir within the flock.

This can occur from two avenues: an underlying health issue possibly responsible for the poor body condition can be unknowingly spreading disease, while progeny of such ewes can also succumb to health issues.

For example, lambs born to such ewes are at a higher risk of suffering from E-coli scour (watery mouth), joint ill or coccidiosis, for example, and spread this within the flock.