sheep & lambing special feature

| 21FRIDAY JANUARY 9 2015WWW.FARMERSGUARDIAN.COM

22 LAMB SURVIVALCritical first few hours of life23 PREPARATION IS KEYGetting ewes ready to lamb26-27 MILKING SHEEPTechnicalities involved30-31 PLANNED MARKETINGTiming for steady lamb sales33 FOOTBATHINGTackling lameness in ewes

LAMB LOSSESTop tips forpreventionPAGE 32

SOIL STATUSImportance to a flockPAGES 28-29

MAEDI VISNAGet to gripswith diseasePAGES 24-25

SHEEP & LAMBINGA 13-page Farmers Guardian special feature

Edited by Katie Jones01772 799 [email protected]

When housed inside during lambing, sheep often do not get the right quality or amount of water.

Adequate supply of waterat lambing time is essentialBy Louise Hartley

Asheep’s water require-ments change from2.5kg per day whendry, to nearly 8kg perday when at peak milk

yield, yet few farmers understandthe importance of providing adequate clean water duringlambing time.

Speaking at an Eblex ewe nutrition workshop in Bramp-ton, Cumbria, consultant DebbyBrown from Advanced Rumi-nant Nutrition, said sheep were‘fussy’ when it came to water,but often did not get enough orat the right quality when housedinside during lambing.

Mrs Brown said: “Not manysheds are specially designed forlambing. Often they are alteredcattle buildings or used for stor-age at other parts of the year.

“This can mean water troughsare not always set at sheepheight which restricts assess.

“It is also critically important

the water is clean. I would chal-lenge you to fill a glass from thewater in your trough and drink it. If you would not drink it, youshould not expect your sheep to.”

Sheep like fresh running water and so running a drainagepipe along the inside length ofthe lambing shed with holes cutout at intervals all the way downis one way to allow fresh wateraccess, said Mrs Brown.

“Water constantly tricklesthrough the shed and sheep loveit. It also means water does notfreeze so you do not have towaste valuable time on freezingmornings thawing water bowls.

“Outside, it is less of a prob-lem because sheep get a lot ofmoisture from grass, but theywill still look for water sources,especially in late pregnancy andearly lactation.”

Trough spaceAnother challenge when feed-ing inside is trough space, saidMrs Brown. If providing ad-libfeed, about 120-150mm (5-6in)per ewe should be adequate, butif feeding restricted concentratesonce or twice per day, each sheepwould need 450mm (18in).

Mrs Brown said: “This is especially important when thegroup contains shearlings andolder ewes together, as it allowssmaller and younger ewes,which really need the concen-trates, maximum opportunity to get them.

“Feeding outside is easier togive sheep more space to feed asconcentrates can be spread out.”

As long as bedding is clean

and dry, scattering concentrateson the floor is something worthconsidering to minimise pres-sure at feeding time, which willhelp to reduce issues such astwin lamb disease and prolapse,said Mrs Brown.

“Scattering concentrates inbedding can help take pressureoff sheep rushing to the trough,which is especially important ifsmaller sheep are mixed in withbigger ones.

“It also allows sheep to nibbleaway over a longer period oftime, meaning they take in theconcentrates more slowly anddo not gorge which can drop thepH of the rumen.”

WHEN fully digested, fibrousfeedstuffs such as hay, silageand straw leave the rumen atabout 1.2mm in length.The aim is to drive intakes and

get as much forage into ewes aspossible, but long fibre lengthtakes the rumen a lot longer todigest, and therefore can slowdown intakes. Much of the workto break down these fibres isdone in a sheep’s mouth byteeth, said Mrs Brown.“Farmers tend to look at front

teeth, but it is the back teeth

Are you checking teeth properly?

which actually do all thechewing. Running your handalong the side of the jaw is theeasiest way to assess them.“If teeth feel irregular and

bumpy or you can feel sharppoints, sheep will not be able tochew long fibre as efficiently asone with a smooth back jawwhich indicates good qualityteeth. When culling ewes, weall look for broken mouths, butdo not forget about the back ofthe jaw, which is the mostimportant bit.”

Scatteringconcentratesin bedding canhelp takepressure offsheep rushingto the troughDEBBY BROWN

SHEEP & LAMBING22 | FRIDAY JANUARY 9 2015

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Almost 50 per cent of all losses during lambing happen within 48 hours of the lamb’s birth.

Nearly half of lamb loss-es are estimated tohappen in the first two days of life, somanagement at this

time is paramount.Georgina Croxford, Cargill

technical sales manager, advisesproducers to run through achecklist of three Q’s to makesure they do everything possibleto maximise flock productivity.

“The survival rate of lambs isa useful indicator of the level ofmanagement of the ewe andneonatal lamb,” she says.

“It is important producerscheck they are avoiding – or atleast minimising – physical losses.”

A survey conducted on 70flocks in Wales found 49 per centof total lambing losses occurredin the first 48 hours after birth.

“Colostrum feeding is vital inthis period. Remember there isno transfer of maternal antibod-ies across the placenta to the developing foetus in ruminantsso lambs are born without

protection against disease. Theyare totally reliant on colostrumcontaining antibodies which canfight off infection and give them adegree of passive immunity.”

Ms Croxford highlights threegolden Q’s to colostrum feeding:quality, quantity and quickly.

Status“How much colostrum a lambneeds will depend on its size andthis often goes with its status – ifit’s a single, twin or triplet.

“As a rule of thumb, lambsneed 50ml per kg liveweight perfeed every six hours for the first24 hours. They should have tak-en 210ml/kg liveweight withinthe first 24 hours and this needsincreasing by 20-30 per centwhere lambs are exposed to extreme cold or wet conditions.

“It is easy to check if a lamb isbeing fed colostrum but if theewe is feeding them it is goodmanagement practice to sup-plement the ewe’s colostrumwith an additive providing

100ml per lamb within the firstfew hours after birth.”

The quality and yield of thiscolostrum will be dependent onthe ewe’s diet in late pregnancy,her body condition at lambing,her parity and health status.

“Lambs need high qualitycolostrum, ideally with 50g/litreor more of immunoglobulin-G.IgG content. This can be meas-ured by using a colostrometer.

“If the quality is not goodenough then a booster can beused, or in the case of very poorquality then a replacer will be asafer bet.”

Ms Croxford says the vitalthird ‘Q’ is quickly.

“Speed is vital. It is essential anewborn lamb receives 3g of IgGas soon after birth as possible.

“The highly permeable gut lining of the newborn lamb allows for large antibody mole-cules to be absorbed directly intothe bloodstream in the first sixhours after birth.

“This permeability graduallyreduces up until 12 hours afterbirth, after which antibodiescannot pass through the lininginto the bloodstream.

“As such, small frequent feedsare required in the first 24hours, starting as soon afterbirth as possible.”

As well as providing antibod-ies needed to fight off infection,colostrum is a highly nutritiousenergy source which helps thelamb maintain body tempera-ture and survive.

Heat loss“Hypothermia and starvationare two key causes of lamb loss-es – their large surface area tobody weight ratio at birth makesthem susceptible to heat loss.

“Lambs born in a cold, wet,windy environment will lose heatfar quicker than lambs born in awarm, dry, draft free one.

“A finite amount of brown adi-pose fat tissue at birth keepsthem warm but only up to aboutsix hours old. By this stage theyneed to have ingested enoughcolostrum to help keep themwarm.”

Lambs which do not feedwithin the first few hours afterbirth will run out of energy reserves to keep warm and willdie rapidly if there is no inter-vention. To maintain body temperature, a newborn lambmust produce as much heat as itis losing to the environment.

“It is up to the producer to as-sist the lamb in doing this bycontrolling the environment asmuch as possible and to makecolostrum intake a priority.”

Lambs aretotally relianton colostrumcontainingantibodieswhich can fightoff infectionGEORGINA CROXFORD

Use ‘three Q’s’ tosave lambs’ lives

SHEEP & LAMBING | 23FRIDAY JANUARY 9 2015WWW.FARMERSGUARDIAN.COM

Supplement feed energyto improve lambing ratesE

we body condition maybe in decline due to recent inclement weath-er and a fall in grass drymatter (DM) content

and digestibility, despite the factewes started the season in goodcondition given the plentifulsupplies of grass.Independent sheep consult-

ant Kate Phillips says conditionscoring at scanning in Decem-ber and January is crucial tohelp make decisions on latepregnancy feeding.“Assess body reserves by reg-

ular handling; place your handover the loin area and feel thelevel of fat cover and muscledepth.“It is preferable for ewes to

reach the correct conditionscore eight weeks pre-lambingand to maintain this conditionright through to lambing, ratherthan trying to gain or lose ewecondition in the last few weeks.“If ewes are too thin, they are

unlikely to have good sizedlambs and enough milk, whileover-fatness reduces appetiteand is a risk for prolapse.”

DevelopmentFor October-mated ewes, December is mid-pregnancywhen the placenta is forming andfoetal blood supply is established.Good placental development requires fit ewes to have no morethan 5 per cent of their bodyweight – about 4-5kg – as fat. Late lambing ewes – those

mated in late November for late April/May lambing, are approaching mid-pregnancynow and embryo implantationshould be complete. Supplyingsome high dry matter forage,such as hay or big bale silage,now could help make up for low dry matter grass and low energy intake.About 70 per cent of foetal

growth occurs in the last sixweeks of pregnancy and, depending on forage quality,ewes may need supplementaryfeeds to help meet the growingenergy and protein demands offoetal lambs.Dr Richard Kirkland, Volac

ruminant nutritionist, says:“During this period, ewes canlose condition by rapidly mobil-ising body fat in an effort to

Impact of ewe energy supplementation on lamb performanceTwin suckling ewes Triplet suckling ewesControl Treatment Control Treatment

concentrate concentratePercentage ewes rearing all lambs 90 95 60 100Lamb gain to weaning (g/day) 218 233 170 203

Lowland ewes should besplit into groups accordingto these body conditionscore (BCS) ratings:� Thin: Those ewes with aBCS less than 3. Introducesupplements earlier� Fit: Ewes rated from 3-3.5.Start to feed as planned

� Fat: Ewes with a BCSgreater than 3.5. Introducesupplements a week or twolater than for fit ewes, allowingthem time to lose up to 0.5 BCS.This weight loss must be beforethe final four weeks prior tolambing, which is when mostfoetal lamb growth occurs

Differential use of additives

Higher energy feed boosted lambing rates in the ADAS trial.

bridge the energy gap. Feedinga rumen-protected fat in latepregnancy and early lactation isan ideal way of increasing dietenergy density, helping to increase energy intake andmaintain ewe body condition.”In an ADAS trial offering diets

containing rumen-protected fatas a source of supplementary en-ergy to in-lamb ewes during latepregnancy and early lactation,100 ewes were fed either a con-trol concentrate – ME 12.7MJ/kgDM – or a treatment concentratein which 10 per cent of the cere-al ingredients were replacedwith a rumen protected fat, increasing the compound ME to13.9MJ/kg DM. The concen-trates were fed from eight weeksbefore lambing, starting at0.5kg/day, rising to 1.1kg/day.Post-lambing, ewes were fed

1.4kg of concentrates per day,with ME values of 12.5MJ/kgDM and 14.0MJ/kg DM for thecontrol and supplemented con-centrates, respectively. Ad-libstraw was available throughoutthe trial.“Ewes offered the higher

energy concentrate reared significantly more lambs, withlamb growth rates up to 19.4 percent higher to weaning com-pared to the control group,” saysDr Kirkland. (See table).

Reared“The trial showed ewes fed thehigher energy concentrate andcarrying twins reared 95 per centof their lambs – 5 per cent morethan those fed the control diet. “Furthermore, the trend was

much more apparent in thetriplet group where all the ewesgiven the higher energy concen-trate reared 100 per cent of theirlambs, compared to only 60 percent of lambs successfully rearedby those fed the control diet.“In addition, the ewes fed the

higher energy concentrate werein better body condition atweaning, scoring an average of2.4 compared with 2.0 for theewes fed the control diet.”



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Maedi visna (MV) in sheep is a serious disease and one for which no treatment or vaccination is available. With levels in the national flock on therise, one expert offers advice on reducing the risk of infection, while a producer outlines how he dealt with an outbreak.Wendy Short reports.

Dealing with anoutbreak of MVA

survey conducted in2010 to establish the in-cidence of MV revealedthe number of infectedflocks had doubled

since the previous screening in1995, with about one flock in every35 returning a positive result.

Lynn Gibson, of Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), has beeninvestigating this fatal and com-plex disease and stresses alongwith failing to respond to treat-ment or vaccination, infectedsheep cannot develop protectiveimmunity.

She says: “While the MV viruscannot survive for more than afew days outside its sheep host, itsincubation period is long, at threeto five years. Transmission is usu-ally via nose-to-nose contact, butit can also be spread via milk andcolostrum, carried on clothing andpossibly transmitted by semen.

“In some flocks, about 30 per

Lynn Gibson

John Mitchell (left) with son Peter (right) in front of a group of ‘clean’ sheep. PICTURES: Eric Beard

cent of sheep will show clinicalsigns of the disease. It may take sixmonths for an infected sheep toshow a positive result on testing,so animals with negative resultsmay still be carrying infection.”

Mrs Gibson points out 20 percent of more than 30 flocks testedby the SRUC in recent monthshave returned positive results. Sheadvises flock keepers who suspect

their sheep might be infected toselect 12 of their older and thinnestanimals for blood sampling.

“On average, the samples wetest show about half the flock is already infected, by the time theproducer has realised there is aproblem. The disease is extreme-ly difficult to eradicate and has asignificant effect on profitability.It is also a welfare issue and Iwould urge farmers to remain vig-ilant and take steps to ensure theirflocks remain free of infection.”

MV-affected flockPeter Mitchell and his parents,John and Christine, farm 100hectares (250 acres) at NorthwayCourt, near Tewkesbury, Glouces-tershire. MV was confirmed intheir flock in May last year.

The sheep have always been divided into two groups, with 120pedigree ‘Avondale’ Texels and a350-strong hybrid commercial

flock, made up of Texel crossCharolais and Texel cross Blue-faced Leicester. While the pedi-grees were MV-accredited, thecommercials were excluded fromthe testing regime.

The first sign of a possible healthproblem emerged when the pedi-grees were lambing in February2014, says Mr Mitchell. Their lastMV test, in the spring of 2011, hadreturned a negative result.

“We noticed an unusually highincidence of mastitis; where we

might normally expect an oddcase or two, numbers reached themid-teens,” he explains. “In addi-tion, there was a general feelingsomething was wrong.

“However, mastitis was the onlyindication of a potential issue. Thepedigrees are performance-recorded using EID tags linked toa computer-based system. This

� Source animals from MV-accredited flocks or testincoming sheep on or beforearrival and again six months later

� Isolate incomers for as longas possible – ideally until thesecond test results have beenreturned

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The Mitchell’s MV-affected ewes are kept on a separate block of farmland at Northway Court.

� Test all sheep over 12months of age� Remove unthrifty andinfected sheep� Test negative sheep everythree to six months and cullpositives� Create a ‘clean’ and a ‘dirty’flock and keep them apart� Maintain a younger flock� Lamb outdoors wherepractical� Try to limit handling

Outbreak advice

THE 2010 MV survey involved11,000 blood samples, collectedfrom more than 700 UK flocks. Itwas the first national test since1995. The results showed:� The number of sheep infectedhad increased four-fold

� The level of infection withininfected flocks had doubled to24 per cent� The estimated number ofinfected ewes in thenational flock at the time wasmore than 100,000

MV investigation

MAEDI visna was first detectedin the UK in the 1970s and isbelieved to have been broughtin via sheep imported fromcontinental Europe.� MV symptoms include:pneumonia; mastitis; loss ofcondition; lameness/swollen

joints; poor fertility and growthrates; hind limb paralysis;circling and blindness� Once the MV virus gets intothe bloodstream, it multipliesand attacks soft body tissues� MV-accredited flocks aretested every two to three years

Maedi visna

would normally highlight any unusual results, but fertility levelswere satisfactory and the lambshad been achieving good growthrates.”

Some 80 per cent of the pedigree ewes were found to be infected and the commercials alsotested positive. Sampling has sincebeen carried out at six-weekly intervals.

“It was devastating to find bothflocks were infected. We had invested a lot of time and moneyin the pedigree side and we alsoconsidered it a hobby, so there wasa degree of emotional involve-ment. Both flocks had been closedfor a decade, apart from buying ina few ewes and rams from MV-ac-credited sales. We have tried totrack down the source of the dis-ease, but we still do not know howit got on to the farm.”

After the diagnosis, theMitchells sold all their pedigreeshearling rams as culls, along withany pedigree sheep more thanfour years old. The younger pedi-grees were moved into the com-mercial flock, but kept away fromthe main group. The yearlings andewe lambs had negative resultsand these have also been retainedand kept in seclusion.

Nucleus flockDespite admitting it would proba-bly have been more cost-effectiveto cull all the high-index pedi-grees, the Mitchells decided to retain a nucleus flock. One tech-nique they have used is to flushtheir ewes and have the eggs‘washed’ free of the disease, beforehaving them fertilised with semenfrom an MV-accredited ram.

The estimated cost of preserv-ing these bloodlines amounts toabout £10,000, excluding saleslosses, to date. Meanwhile, thecommercial flock will be run down to zero and restocked withsheep of the farm’s own breeding,as the number of MV-accreditedcommercial ewes on the market islimited.

The farmland at NorthwayCourt has always been divided intoa number of separate blocks andthis has made it easier to maintainthe sheep in distinct ‘clean’ and‘dirty’groups. The boundary withthe only neighbouring sheep farmhad been double-fenced manyyears earlier and the mobile

handling system is now disinfec-ted between uses. Anyone han-dling the sheep always visits the‘clean’ flock first, or changes theirclothes when moving between thetwo. The pedigrees used to beshown occasionally, but in futurethey will not leave the farm.

“Pedigree flocks are at greaterrisk of a rapid disease spread afterinfection, as they are generallyhoused at lambing time and oftentaken to shows, so there is moreopportunity for transmission,”says Mr Mitchell. He has some advice for producers with con-cerns about MV.

“I have noticed some farmersbecome impatient at sales, whenthey are made to wait while MVand non-MV accredited sheep aresegregated. We are all short oftime, but it is vital biosecuritymeasures are maintained, if we are to continue to bring breed-ing sheep together at a central location.

“I would like to see a review ofthe testing timeline, as our flockcould have been carrying the disease for a number of months,in between blood-sampling. Un-derstandably, there is a stigma attached to a flock which has beenaffected by MV, but the only wayto reduce the incidence of the disease is to deal with it openly.

“A flock where MV has eradi-cated and has just tested clear isprobably one of the safest sourcesof replacement stock. My missionis to raise awareness among sheepproducers, so they do not have togo through the devastating effectwhich MV had on our lives.”

My mission is toraise awarenessamong sheepproducers, sothey do not haveto go throughthe devastatingeffect which MVhad on our livesPETER MITCHELL



Milking sheep may sound like something from the Swiss Alps, butit is a burgeoning industry in the UK and requires a very modernapproach to farm management. Jane Brown reports.

Milking sheepfor year-roundproduction

Helen and Tom Garland with some of their three-week-old Friesland lambs. PICTURES: Sam Clarke

This group of dry ewes, which is due to lamb in July, is fed a diet of hay and high energy block.

Ask most sheep farmersabout their milkingroutine and you arelikely to get a funnylook, but not at Burton

Dairy Farm in Somerset.Having shelved conventional

farming in favour of milking sheepfour years ago, Tom and HelenGarland have not looked back, and it is not hard to see why.A beef and sheep farmer with

previous dairy experience, MrGarland became interested indairy sheep when he saw some advertised for sale.

“Helen and I were not reallysure what to do with the farm, butI knew some people who milkedgoats, and when we went to SheepSouth West we got talking tosomeone at the British SheepDairying Association,” he says.“It felt like it was meant to

be, and within a month we hadbought some sheep and a second-hand parlour.”Helen’s father Geoff manages

240 hectares (600 acres) of arableland on the Burton Pynsent Estateat Curry Rivel, off which the couple rent some buildings and

62ha (155 acres) of permanentand temporary pasture.Starting out with 150 ewes, they

bought another two flocks, andthis year will be milking 550 ewes,as well as keeping 120 commercialMules and Suffolks.

DairyThe two flocks are treated very dif-ferently, with the dairy sheep runjust like a dairy cow enterprise.Mrs Garland says: “Frieslands

are the Holsteins of the sheepworld. They are pretty wimpy andhave to be managed carefully.”

In a bid to produce a stockierewe with harder feet, and whichnaturally lambs out of season, thecouple are now putting Frieslandsto Poll Dorset rams. The resultingcross-breds will then go to a Friesland ram to produce a three-quarter-bred ewe.Selling to five customers across

southern England – from Corn-wall to Kent – the Garlands areaiming to produce milk all yearround.Mr Garland says: “Sheep only

have an eight-month lactation, sowe have to lamb them in batches.They are also difficult to get tolamb before Christmas, so we synchronise the first two batcheswith sponges.”The first batch of 150 ewes is

lambed from November 12-20,with the next group lambing inearly January, followed by anotherin March.He says: “All returns and ewe

lambs lamb at the end of June.”

Mr Garland has 20 rams; fiveFrieslands and a mix of PollDorsets, Vendeens, Charollais,Suffolks and Beltex crosses.“Frieslands are very prolific –

they have a lambing percentage of220 per cent, so we quickly haveenough replacements,” he says. “By putting a meat ram on the

rest, we have better quality lambsto sell on.”All ewes are scanned at 40 days,

so empty ewes can be served againin time for the next batch. Theyare scanned again at 95-100 daysto ascertain lamb numbers.He says: “We feed all of them

exactly the same, regardless ofwhether they are carrying singlesor more, as the Frieslands do notput on a lot of fat and we have never had any lambing problems.We already run a lot of pens, so wedo not want to make it any morecomplicated.”Dry stock are fed hay and high

energy blocks, and are housed twomonths prior to lambing, movinginitially to a molasses, oat, strawand hay mix before being fed thefull total mixed ration (TMR) inthe five weeks before lambing.The daily TMR comprises 2.5kg

of grass silage, 1kg of whole oats,300g of hipro soya and 200g ofsoft meadow hay per head.In addition, milking sheep get

1kg of a 20 per cent protein cakefed in the parlour each day, declining to 750g when down toonce a day milking.“I also feed 15g of minerals in

the TMR, and give a multi-vitamindrench pre-lambing and pre-tupping,” says Mr Garland.“We are taking so much out of

the sheep we have got to put some-thing back. Three years ago, weforgot the pre-lambing drenchand had a lot of retained placen-tas, selenium deficiency and whitemuscle problems in lambs.”

CleanlinessAll ewes are shorn two months before lambing, to prevent themgetting too hot in the shed and tomake them cleaner and less bulkyto handle in the parlour.They are turned out by day

from mid-March, depending onthe weather, then 24 hours a dayover summer before being housedagain in early October.“We have 20 acres of good qual-

ity grass which we strip graze infive paddocks with back fencing,”says Mr Garland.He makes three or four cuts

of silage each year from other temporary leys, and grazes dry

� Milking 550 ewes,averaging 340 litres a head� Crossing Frieslands andPoll Dorsets with meat siresto produce better lambs� Full-time work for twopeople� Gross margin of 46.8ppl,including all variable costs,lamb sales and replacementcosts

Burton DairyFarm

I spend a lot oftime on thephonearrangingcollections anddeliveries, andyou have toplan aheadTOM GARLAND


A batch of two-and-a-half-week-old Friesland cross Poll Dorsets. The milking stock receives a TMR and 1kg of cake in the parlour. Ewes should yield about 340 litres over the course of a lactation.

and youngstock on rough HigherLevel Stewardship ground, fromwhich he also makes hay.After lambing, lambs stay on

the ewe for two days before beingmoved into pens and are auto-matically fed warm powderedmilk ad-lib. They remain on milkwith nuts for up to six weeks, before being weaned at a targetweight of 14-15kg.“We sell some at three weeks

old, with the rest going as stores,either privately or at market,” saysMr Garland. “With a meat sire,they are making about £25 atthree weeks old, with Frieslandtup lambs at about £16.”Fresh ewes are milked twice a

day for about six months, drop-ping to once a day for the final two months of lactation. The first

group was giving 3.3 litres/day bymid-December, and should yield340 litres each over the course oftheir lactation.“Last year, they did 290 litres,

but we have got better breedingthis year and a new mixer wagon,so will buffer feed them through-out summer to avoid too manydiet changes,” says Mr Garland.

BouncingWith a 20-point parlour, it takesthe couple about an hour to milk100 ewes, including wiping teats,cupping up and then ‘bouncing’udders after the initial let-down. He says: “Sheep have a double

let-down, and if you do not bouncethem [to mimic a lamb’s butting],you will leave about 20 per cent ofthe milk behind.”

After milking, teats are sprayedwith iodine, and ewes releaseddown the race to a formalin waterbath.Mr Garland says: “We footbath

twice a week to keep feet clean and healthy. Lameness can be a problem and prevention is betterthan cure. If we have a lame ewe,we stand her in zinc sulphate solution and isolate her on a drysurface. If you let them throughthe footbath, you will spread lameness to the rest of the flock,whether it is footrot or contagiousdigital dermatitis.”Apart from lameness, sheep

suffer from few health problems.Mr Garland says: “We worm andquarantine any bought-in stockand carry out a lot of faecal eggcounting.

“We can only really worm in thedry period because of milk with-drawal rules, but the pasture isvery clean so we rarely have aproblem. This year, they have notneeded to be wormed at all.”Mastitis is a rare occurrence,

which is fortunate as it has beenknown to cause permanent udderdamage in sheep.

Energy“If the transition diet is too high inenergy you can get a problem,”says Mr Garland. “Last year wefed too much barley and wheatand not enough soya, whichmeant ewes laid down fat in theudder, causing mastitis at lamb-ing. But this year we have not hada single case.”Although last year the Garlands

only culled 12 ewes, they expectthis year’s replacement rate to be 15 per cent as many of the sheep are older. “We take them straight to a local abattoir for the ethnic market, as Frieslands have lean meat.”One of the greatest challenges

of milking sheep is managing thecustomer base, he adds. Most ofthe Garlands’ milk – which aver-ages 6.3 per cent butterfat and 5.2per cent protein – goes for cheeseand yoghurt processing, with each customer wanting different quantities throughout the season.Mr Garland says: “It is not just

a case of a tanker collecting allyour milk every other day. I spenda lot of time on the phone arrang-ing collections and deliveries, and you have to plan ahead as, for

example, at turnout you will sud-denly have 250 litres more milk.”But there is also one consider-

able advantage over milking cows,in that the couple set their ownmilk price – in agreement withbuyers – rather than taking what-ever a global market dictates.Mr Garland says: “It is prof-

itable. Our input costs went up this year so we had to increase the price. But ewes are getting better, lamb quality is getting better and we are gathering speedin terms of customers, ewe num-bers and yield.“You would be bonkers to jump

straight in and milk 600 ewes, butthere is a lot of scope to developand now we are on the lookout forour own farm so we can expandthe commercial flock further.”



Managing trace elementsL

ivestock farmers need tobe more aware of in-creasing variations inthe trace element statusof land if they are to

make the most of the narrowmargins now predominant in

sheep and beef enterprises, believes Levens Hall Estatefarm manager Stephen Lord.

Greater variability in weatherconditions is now affecting thenutrient status of grazing on ayear-by-year basis and livestock

businesses must become moreaware of the damaging econom-ic effects of poorly managedtrace element problems, MrLord says.

“The land is changing all thetime. We have had four reallywet summers and you just can-not sit back and assume whatyou knew a few years ago is stillright for now.

“We have known about seri-ous cobalt problems on parts ofour land for many years and issues with iodine, but bloodtests taken by our vet last yearshowed copper deficiencies –something which we have neverseen before.”

TopsoilsMr Lord runs two units rangingfrom 228-580 metres (750-1,900 feet) above sea level, looking after 3,500 predomi-nantly Swaledale ewes and a180-strong suckler herd.

The 2,000-hectare (5,000-acre) Forest Hall Farm, near

Selside, Lake District, is thehigher of the two units and haspredominantly thin topsoilsover clay, while the lowerGaythorne Hall Farm, Orton,Penrith, has medium soil typesranging from peat to limestone.

“We had serious cobalt prob-lems, particularly on the higherland over the years, although itseems to be a characteristic ofthe Eden Valley.

“Iodine is something we havealso been aware of for severalyears, too.

“Issues have been apparentthrough a range of problems,from low lambing percentagesin the ewes to sickly, lethargiccalves with the sucklers.”

Mr Lord’s vet, Helen Latimer of Tethera Vets, Appleby, saysgreater variability in trace elementprofiles is definitely now apparent.However, the only way these vari-ations can be properly identifiedis through blood testing animalsand analysing forage.

“Forage analyses can be agood indicator, but even themost accurate of these can bemisleading,” she explains.

“When you start looking atblood tests, a very different picture to what you might havesuspected can be revealed.”

DeficienciesThe main trace element defi-ciencies Ms Latimer tends to seeare iodine, selenium, copper andcobalt but they are quite difficultto spot, particularly at border-line levels, so blood testing is theonly way to pick them up.

These element deficienciescan result in general poorgrowth and, in particular, reduced fertility, she says.

“An iodine deficiency, for example, causes weaker lambsat birth with some being still-

We have hadfour really wetsummers andyou just cannotsit back andassume whatyou knew afew years agois still right fornowSTEPHEN LORD

Stephen Lord tests the blood of his sheep for trace elements.

Regular blood testing and a targeted approach to key nutrient supplementation is helpingone Eden Valley stock producer tackle increasingly changeable trace element needs andreduce costs on his 2,400 hectares (6,000 acres) of land. Farmers Guardian reports.

ACCORDING to trace elementspecialist, Ieuan Davies, ofAgrimin, the increasinglyvariable weather conditionsmean producers whopreviously thought traceelements were not an issue,could now be vulnerable.“Cold conditions, soil

erosion, poor rootdevelopment and plantestablishment can all affectlevels of key nutrients in soiland their subsequent take-upby plants,” he explains.

Vulnerable“This can then lead tosubsequent deficiencies inlivestock with breeding animalsbeing particularly vulnerabledue to the increased stressthey are under.”Most common problems in

the UK tend to be from low orvariable levels of cobalt,selenium and iodine with poorconception rates, highincidences of barren ewes andsubsequent poor lamb vitalitybeing the most commonindicators.“The key to avoiding fertility

and lamb health issuesresulting from deficiencies is toensure key trace elements aresustained at the right levelthrough the critical stages ofthe breeding cycle.“Modern controlled erosion

boluses are the best and mostcost-effective way of achievingthis and they can beadministered either pre-tupping or pre-scanning toensure correct blood levels oftrace elements are maintainedthroughout key periods.”

Trace elements

born. Selenium deficiency is associated with reduced fertility,impaired immune function,poor growth rates, more retained cleansings and whitemuscle disease which causesyoung animals to become stiff intheir muscles.

“The effects of an iodine defi-ciency can be very difficult to see but sub-clinical levels tendto be picked up through fertilityissues, such as animals not coming into heat and poor hold-ing to service.

“Generally speaking, if youtest blood, deficiencies can bepicked up before clinical signsare apparent,” Ms Latimer says.

The most important time forensuring animals have the correct levels of trace elementsis in the run-up to conceptionand during the period of preg-nancy itself when they are underthe most physiological stress,Ms Latimer explains.

Blood levels“The difficulty is you need to besure optimum blood levels arepresent at all vital stages of theproduction cycle, and not just inirregular bursts at the beginningor end.”

Working with his vet, Mr Lordnow takes a more scientific approach to his trace elementmanagement, combining regu-lar blood testing with sustainedand targeted delivery of trace elements.

Already the new regime hasidentified the previously unseenproblem with copper.

“We had just started to see the odd swayback lamb – whichis a sign of potential copper issues – but blood tests picked

up a significant problemstraight away.

“It is something we simplyhave not experienced before andI am convinced it is becausewhatever copper availabilitythere has been in the land hasnow been leached out by the recent conditions.

“Our weather patterns aredefinitely changing and I amconvinced they will keep chang-ing in the future too.”

Historically, drenches havebeen relied on to address traceelement issues – using one pre-tupping and one pre-lamb-ing – but as well as the cost involved, Mr Lord has been dubious about their efficacy.

“You get this fantastic burst of trace elements hitting the animals each time they aretreated, but one month later you are not really sure what isactually left in them.

“It has worked to a degree as we do not get the problemswe used to, but the cost is pro-hibitive. We probably spentmore than £7,000 each year ondrenches and you always felt itwas a bit hit-and-miss.”

BolusUnder the new system, all ewesare given a sustained release bo-lus one-month pre-tupping atthe beginning of October. Thesuckler herd is also given a sim-ilar bolus pre-calving in April.

The bolus sits in the rumenand releases controlled amountsof nutrients every day.

Tethera Vets say blood tests atseveral of their clients’ farmshave shown optimum levels ofkey trace elements being maintained in animals through-out the 180-day period the boluses are designed for.

“We were a bit apprehensiveat first,” Mr Lord says. “But Helen showed us how to admin-ister the boluses without caus-ing stress to the animal and allthree shepherds have found it a simple and quick operation.

“The consistency of the bloodtests speaks for itself but, for us, the other big plus side is thecost at about £1 per ewe.

“This approach has halvedour annual supplementationcosts compared to when wewere relying on drenches.”

The worry over whether animals are getting the correctamount of supplementation


Generallyspeaking, ifyou test blood,deficienciescan be pickedup beforeclinical signsare apparentHELEN LATIMER

Mr Lord says the switch to bolus treatments has saved money.

Mr Lord’s Swaledales were found to be copper deficient, so they now take a slow release bolus.

to counteract potential deficien-cies has also been reduced, saysMr Lord.

“Margins are so tight thesedays and a drop in fertility, lowerlambing percentages, or the lossof a calf can make a huge differ-ence to the bottom line. Theseare precisely the problems defi-ciencies cause – often withoutyou realising it.

“From now on we are going tobe blood testing all our stock atleast once every two years and,in conjunction with our vet, actprecisely and accordingly onwhat we find.”



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The need to market relatively small numbers of lambs on a weekly basis from May through to November governs the lambing atSpital Farm, Kendal, which extends from January through to April. Neil Ryder talked to farmer Mark Dodgson about his system.

Lambing and sheep man-agement at Spital Farm,Kendal, is planned to enable a continuoussupply of relatively small

quantities of finished lamb fromMay to November, and for this todovetail with winter and springsales of finished beef cattle.The pattern of sales for both

lamb and beef has been devel-oped to meet the needs of a localbutcher and help avoid much ofthe volatility of the open market,says farmer Mark Dodgson. These direct sales account for

the bulk of livestock finished on-farm with any surplus sold on theopen market, both live and dead.The system at Spital Farm has

also been developed to suit theexisting workforce, made up ofMr Dodgson and two employeeswho both work two days a week.Mr Dodgson’s father, Eddie,

took over the 100-hectare (247-acre) unit in 1968, and it is stillruns as a family farm as Markmanages it with his wife, Rachel.Eddie and Margaret, Mark’smother, are still part of the partnership, too. The land is split into three

different blocks with about 69ha(170 acres) at Spital and the rest

in two blocks about four milesfrom the home unit.The land is all down to grass,

with about four hectares (10acres) reseeded annually usinglong-term leys including perenni-al rye-grass, clover and Timothy.The Dodgsons have about

300 lambing ewes and 100 hoggs, all Texel crosses, andthey are put to Texel tups. About80 spring-calving sucklers and10 pedigree Limousins make upthe herd, with Limousin bullsused throughout.

BreedsEwes are all about three quar-ters Texel, the last quarter beingpredominantly North CountryMule, though they may include genetics from maternal breedspreviously used.Mr Dodgson says: “I suppose

they are really hybrids, but havebeen bred over the years to suitthis farm and our system.”Preparation for lambing gets

underway as soon as remaininglambs are weaned. While densely stocked, when

the farm has plenty of grass inJune and July, many ewes are intoo good a condition for tup-ping. Grazing is then limited in

September and October to ensure they are ‘lean and fit’ –the right condition for tupping.Any below optimum conditionare put on better grazing or feda little extra to bring them up tothe required condition.

During this period, they arevaccinated against abortion,pasteurella and clostridia. Theflock is also routinely vaccinat-ed against footrot and, while nota major problem on-farm, allstock, cattle and sheep are treat-ed against fluke. Mr Dodgsonworks closely with their veteri-nary surgeon on all treatments.A mineral deficiency has also

been identified and the ewes aregiven a selenium/cobalt bolus.No copper is used because of

potential problems with Texels.A slow-release bolus is used as itgives protection over a muchlonger period than a drench.

Performance“We buy our tups at official TexelSheep Society sales and mostlyfrom breeders we have boughtfrom before. I like a long tup withplenty of muscle in the hind-quar-ters but I do consider perform-ance figures,” says Mr Dodgson. “When they arrive they are

kept away from other sheep fortwo or three weeks and checkedbefore joining the main flock.“With the ewes, 130 sheep

make up an early lambing batchso we are guaranteed to havelambs to sell from May 10 andevery week from then on. Wesponge 50 of these so they aretupped at the end of August tolamb in January and the other80 are bred naturally.“Then we have about 185

sheep which go to the tup on October 20 to lamb at a moretraditional time, around March16. We need to feed them less inwinter and they make the bestuse of grass, giving us lambs tosell during summer.“Hoggs start lambing on April

1 and, because their lambs are abit slower to grow, they give usanimals to sell in September, Oc-tober and November.“We can only house about 150

ewes at a time, so our early lam-bers go in about Christmas.Those scanned with threescome in first, followed by thosewith singles and twins. They go

We aim to havea continuoussupply oflambs readyfor sale fromMay 10 throughto NovemberMARK DODGSON

Mark Dodgson runs Spital Farm to ensure he constantly has lambs to sell from May to November.

� Home to the Dodgson familysince 1968. The present familyis made up of Mark Dodgson, his wife Rachel and their fourchildren: Hannah aged 14;James, 12; Katie, seven; andBen, five� The farm covers 100hectares (247 acres) of mainlypermanent and long-termpasture split into three blocks,the largest being at Spital Farm

itself. Annual rainfall is heavy,about 1,300mm, and the landrises from 52-116 metres (170-380ft) above sea level� Spital Farm has just finishedits 12-month term as an Eblexsheep focus farm� Clamp silage is made forcattle and sheep receive bigbale haylage, giving a higherquality forage� Finished most bull calves

entire last year, although fivebiggest calves were kept asbullocks to see how theyperformed against the bulls asMr Dodgson says bulls were abad trade last summer� Energy cost savings areexpected from a newly installed10kW solar panel system� The farm is subject to anEntry Level Stewardshipenvironmental agreement

Spital Farm

Timing lambing tomake the most ofmarket potential


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Tel: 0151 203 2191 Email: [email protected]

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EID is here to stay!There is a NEED to READ!A must for Compliance......good for Flock Management!

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Protection for your lambs against pasteurella and clostridial diseases...

...starts here

Vaccinate your ewes at least 4–6 weeks before lambing to protect against the two biggest sheep killers. Not only does this maintain their

immunity throughout the year, the ewe also passes on

high levels of antibodies via the colostrum to her lambs,

protecting them in the vital fi rst weeks of life. Comprehensive protection for your fl ockComprehensive protection for your fl ock

Use medicines responsibly. For more information visit www.noah.uk/responsibleHeptavac-P Plus contains antigens for the active immunisation of sheep against seven clostridial species and the most important serotypes of Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica and Bibersteinia (Pasteurella) trehalosi. Legal category POM-VPS Heptavac-P Plus is the property of Intervet International B.V. or affi liated companies or licensors and is protected by copyrights, trademark and other intellectual property laws. Copyright © 2015 Intervet International B.V. All rights reserved. Always consult your veterinary surgeon. ®Registered trademark.

Further information is available from: MSD Animal Health, Walton Manor, Walton, Milton Keynes MK7 7AJ Tel: 01908 685685 • [email protected] • www.msd-animal-health.co.uk

Pre-lambing

Spital Farm has about 300 Texel cross ewes and 100 hoggs, finishing 20-25 lambs every fortnight.

out again 24-48 hours afterlambing. As they go out we bringin ewes carrying twins andtriplets from the next group and then those with singles asnecessary. Hoggs lamb inside after the ewes.”

Mr Dodgson says the flock isscanned on housing as thebatches come in.

“Scanning percentages varyas we do not expect high figuresfrom the early lambers and thehoggs only produce singles. Early lambers scan at about 165per cent; the main group atabout 200 per cent and the hoggs at about 100 per cent.”

Big bale haylage is fed in conjunction with a high energy19 per cent protein concentratefed at about 0.5kg per head, plusmolasses for the ewes carryingtwins or triplets. About 1.5tonnes of molasses is bought-infor the sheep.

The navels of newborn lambsare dipped in strong iodine atbirth and Mr Dodgson says helikes to make sure lambs getcolostrum within three to sixhours of birth.

Pasture“We also treat against waterymouth. We have them pennedindividually with their motherfor 24-48 hours before turningout to pasture.”

The farm has sheltered, flatfields near the buildings whichearly lambers use. Lambs fromsponged ewes are given addi-tional feed, while those natural-ly bred receive little or no extra.

The strategy is to have natu-rally-bred lambs ready for saleoff grass to follow on from thoseout of sponged ewes. It alsomeans these are finished morecheaply than earlier lambs.

“We aim to have a continuoussupply of lambs ready for salefrom May 10 through to Novem-ber, selling about 20-25 every

two weeks. Carcase weights are20-23kg and grade about U3L.Any surplus are sold on the openmarket and these are normallythe smaller ones.

“Direct sales started 14 yearsago when foot-and-mouth wasabout and there were no auctionmarkets running.

“I approached a butcher tosee if they would take the firstearly lambs as stock had to go direct to slaughter. They likedwhat we had and have takennearly all our lambs and heifersever since,” he says.

FinishingSales for finished cattle start inthe first week in November – justas lamb sales come to an end –continuing at about two perweek until the first week in Maywhen the lamb sales get under-way again.

Heifers finish at 18-20 months,with a carcase weight of about320-360kg, while bullocks willmake nearer 420kg at about 16months of age. All grade about Uclassification. Surplus finishedcattle sell through markets or asdeadweight.

Mr Dodgson says: “The bal-ance between beef and sheep onthis farm is governed by thenumbers of sheep we can carry

in winter. In addition, the pres-ent balance is well matched tothe labour available, so there isno reason to change.

“Of course we want to contin-ue to become more efficient inthe three key areas of breeding,nutrition, and health manage-ment. This farm also grows grasswell and we want to improvemanagement and reduce costs.

“Linked with this, we wouldlike to make use of a total mixedration for sheep which, we think,would allow us to make more efficient use of forage and helpreduce costs.”

Direct salesstarted 14years agowhen foot-and-mouthwas about MARK DODGSON



Optimum birthweightsSingle 4.5-6kgTwin 3.5-4.5kgTriplet 3.5kg+

Source: Eblex Better Returns

Lamb losses are costly tofarmers and reducinglosses by just 1 per centcould help boost returnsthis season. They can

occur at any stage of lamb devel-opment and knowing where youare losing lambs is essential to beable to put management decisionsin place to address the issue.

Katie Brian, Eblex Better Returns Programme project man-ager, says: “Effectively managingewes to ensure they are at their optimum body condition scorethroughout the year will help minimise the risk of both ewe and lamb mortality.

“But there is a lot to be learnedfrom what has happened beforeand the first step in reducing lamblosses is keeping a record of them.Only when a problem is identifiedcan changes be made to improve.”

At this busy time, it is often alow priority to document this information, but it is difficult toidentify problems without it.

Miss Brian says: “Farmersshould aim to keep total losses below 15 per cent. The StocktakeReport 2014 highlighted the topthird of farmers had losses of

7 per cent in their flock [lowlandbreeding], so this target is achiev-able.”

Lamb losses will affect manyother key performance indicators,such as lambs reared per 100 ewesto ram, the weight of lamb rearedper ewe to ram and, in the earlystages of pregnancy, the scanningpercentage.

Before lambingA key activity prior to lambing isto scan ewes and segregate themusing scanning results and bodycondition score (BCS).

Nutrition requirements canthen be matched to each group,which is important because dur-ing the latter stages of pregnancy,

70 per cent of foetus growth occurs and the udder develops.

A project in New Zealand hasshown lamb survival decreases by5 per cent for every half BCS lost inthe four weeks prior to lambing.And during lambing, every halfBCS below three equates to a further 5 per cent reduction interms of lamb survival.

Therefore, optimum manage-ment of BCS will decrease the riskof lamb losses and improve thedaily liveweight gain to weaning.

Miss Brian says: “Alongsidepreparing the ewe in terms of nutrition, BCS, health and stock-manship, regular monitoringshould ensure any problems aredealt with quickly before theyspread within the flock.

“There is a lot to be said for getting sheds and equipment prepared to ensure you are totallyready before lambing starts.”

During lambingAt lambing, it is essential to regu-larly observe the behaviour ofewes and assist them if they havenot given birth to a lamb withinone hour for experienced ewesand two hours for ewe lambs.

Hygiene is important and youshould always wear gloves and useplenty of lubrication to assist ewes.

Small or weak lambs often donot take in sufficient colostrum,

which can result in hypothermia,starvation and disease. Colostrumis vital to the newborn lamb, as it contains energy, protein and essential immunoglobulins to pro-tect against disease. Lambs needat least 50ml/kg of colostrum intheir first four to six hours of life and they will need 200ml/kg within the first 24 hours.

Miss Brian says it is essentiallambs are checked to ensure theyhave suckled sufficient colostrumwithin the first few hours of life.

“Triplets or lambs from eweslacking milk may require a sup-plement of colostrum. If they are

weak or unconscious, a glucose injection will be required first.”

Mismothering will lead to increased losses, as penning theewe and lambs can help thembond with their offspring. Helpingthem to start suckling may makethem more accepting.

Post-lambingTwo days after lambing, the incidence of loss decreases considerably, although simplemeasures can reduce problems.

Turn out small groups at a time,allowing mothers and lambs topair up and ensure field bound-

aries are secure so lambs cannotbe mixed up.

The biggest causes of younglambs dying are exposure andstarvation. Both of these can leadto hypothermia and lambs willthen require warming and feedingor a glucose injection. Look out for lambs with dirty necks as it can indicate stealing milk from other ewes.

Practising optimum management of body condition scores will decrease the risk of lamb losses.

Practical advice tohelp you reduceyour lamb losses

� Wear disposable gloves andwash hands between lambings� Ensure readily available hotwater and disinfectant� Disinfect lambing and feedingequipment� Make sure bedding in the shedis dry and sanitary

� Use dry disinfectant or limeand add fresh straw to lambingpens before each ewe� Treat lamb navals twice withiodine (straight after birth andthen after two-four hours)� Ensure you have an isolationarea for sick ewes and lambs

Good hygiene measures

There is a lot tobe learned fromwhat hashappenedbefore and thefirst step inreducing lamblosses iskeeping arecord of themKATIE BRIAN Source: HCC Lambing Project 2010/11

When lamb losses occur (% of total losses)

Source: Eblex Better Returns

Lamb survival flowchart


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0845 367 9990

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Left to right: Kate Phillips from ADAS, with Liz and Steve Ford.

How footbathing decreases lamenessF

ootbathing ewes at regu-lar weekly intervals ishelping a Pembrokeshiresheep enterprise controllameness pre-lambing.

Steve and Liz Ford of Winter-ton Farm, Marloes, near Haver-fordwest, have invested in an automatic footbath which contin-uously replenishes and filters thesolution ensuring each ewe hasthe same concentration as sheeppass through the bath.Farmers saw the system in

action during a Farming Connectdemonstration farm open day.

The Fords say lameness is oneof the main challenges affectingtheir flock with footbathing one of a number of measures theyhave implemented to get on top ofthe problem.They have created hard sur-

faces in collecting areas wheresheep enter and exit the footbathto ensure animals get the maxi-mum benefit from the treatment.Lime will be spread around

feed troughs in the housing to reduce lameness further.According to ADAS sheep con-

sultant Kate Phillips, footbathing

is important for protecting feet,but farmers often get it wrong.She says: “All too often, bathing

facilities are not adequate to be effective. Feet need to be cleanwhen sheep enter the footbath so the chemical can get to thepoint of any infection.”

CullingIn addition to footbathing, cullingpersistent offenders and use of injectable antibiotics are other important strategies for reducinglameness.At Winterton Farm, lambing

is synchronised, with the firstgroup of 150 ewes lambing fromJanuary 14.The Fords do not employ extra

labour during lambing and say thesystem is easier to manage if theyknow when ewes are due to lamb.The only drawback of synchro-

nisation is it requires a high ramto ewe ratio, so they run one ramto 10 ewes and breed their ownCharollais rams.Ewes are housed from the

second week in December to allowthem to settle into their new envi-ronment ahead of lambing and to adjust to an ad-lib silage diet,with some concentrate input fortwins and triplets depending onsilage analysis.Mrs Phillips urges farmers to

focus on making good qualitysilage and getting it analysed.She says: “This is important

because you cannot put a rationtogether if you do not know critical information such as dry matter, metabolisable energy andcrude protein. You need to bemaking quality silage, then youwill have a small concentrates bill.”Getting the feeding of the

ewe right is fundamental to her producing good-sized lambs andplenty of milk. It is possible to

achieve the correct body conditionby feeding specific formulated rations to match requirements.

ScoreThe ideal condition score forlambing down of lowland ewes is2.5-3 and 2-2.5 for hill ewes andit is preferable for ewes to reachthese scores eight weeks prior

to lambing and maintain themthrough to lambing.Mrs Phillips also advises taking

every opportunity to place a handon every ewe’s back to assess theircondition. Over-fatness could leadto prolapse, while conversely, if ewes are too thin, they are unlikely to have good-sized lambsand sufficient milk.

Barren ewe blood test now availableWITH sheep scanning well underway, shepherds with a flockbarren rate greater than 2 percent can now ask their vet for asubsidised blood test to establishwhether the cause of the problemis toxoplasmosis.The scheme Expertis Barren

Ewe Check, which is supported byMSD Animal Health, is availablefrom vets until March 31.Toxoplasmosis is the main

infectious cause of early embryoloss in sheep and is a very common

cause of barrenness, abortion andweak lambs born alive. Data from2014 showed 85 per cent of flockstested had been exposed to thetoxoplasma parasite.

EggsMSD Animal Health technicalmanager John Atkinson says: “Infected cats shed toxoplasmaeggs in their faeces and sheep pickup these eggs as they eat. The eggsare tough and can survive in theenvironment for more than a year,

which means farmers need to takesteps to protect sheep.“The good news is where

toxoplasma infection has been confirmed in a flock, the diseasecan be controlled effectively by avaccination regime. What is more,costs of a prevention programmecan be easily covered by a reduc-tion in future flock barren rates.”Producers concerned about a

proportion of empty or abortingewes should talk to vets about theservice as soon as possible.

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