With lambing time already upon many of you and fast approaching the rest, this quarter we look at the care of the new born lamb. Statistically, the majority of lambs are lost within the first 3 days of life. This percentage could be as high as 15% in some flocks. In the current market, with tight profit margins; improving lamb survival can make a real difference to profitability of the flock. A realistic target to aim for is 5% lamb mortality preweaning.
Ewe nutrition
Maximising ewe nutrition in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy is vital. If ewe energy or protein intakes are too low, lambs will be born at a smaller birth weight, colostrum will be of a poor quality and a smaller quantity will be produced. Blood sampling ewes 4 weeks pre-lambing is an easy way to check metabolic levels and allows time to rectify changes before lambing commences.
Colostrum
Colostrum is vital in the first 24 hours, 50ml/kg of live weight is recommended every 6 hours. A minimum of 210ml/kg over the first 24hrs. Speed is key, as absorption of the mother’s antibodies is only possible in the first 12hrs of life. Without this vital supply, the immune system of the lamb is very weak and they are very likely to contract diseases.
Analyse your colostrum quality - Using a colostrometer we can quickly and easy look at ewe colostrum quality. Bring in a fresh sample taken before the lambs have sucked for us to look at in practice.
Navel Dipping
The navel acts as an open door to bugs entering the lambs body. It is vital that the navel is dipped in strong iodine solution ideally within 15 minutes of birth and again 2-3 hours later.
Hygiene
Dirty lambing pens lead to bacteria on ewe teats, which introduces infections to lambs’ mouths whilst feeding. Dirty fleeces should be clipped pre-lambing and disinfecting pens properly between use is essential. Low stocking densities are also important to reduce stress.
Flock Health Plans
Having an up to date flock health plan drawn up with your vet provides a great source of information to relate to and prevents problems such as lamb mortality in future years. After lambing, or at tupping time, is a good opportunity to reflect on performance and focus on improvements. Please contact the surgery and speak to Ruth to arrange your health plan - 01363 772860.
Flock Health Club
Our recent Flock Health Club meeting focused on antibiotic usage in our member’s flocks. The average yearly drug spend per ewe was 74p, with the majority of members using none of the critically important antibiotics in the last year. The meeting was a fantastic opportunity to highlight where improvements can be made on farm. If you are interested in signing up, please contact the practice and speak to Elaine - 01363 772860, or click the link to learn more - Flock Health Club.
FarmSkills Training
Ruth will be running courses on lameness and lambing for all clients in the near future. Please contact the surgery if you are interested in attending, to ensure you are included in the email.
NSA Longevity Survey
NSA are still running the ram longevity survey mentioned in our last newsletter. Click the link to take part. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ramlongevity
