Sheep Resilience
Being resilient in today’s climate, topography and availability of resources is essential for sheep producers. By forward planning, producers can address issues and rapidly respond to conditions to maintain high levels of welfare within the flock, throughout the production cycle (pre tupping, tupping, pregnancy, lambing and weaning). By optimising flock health, financial returns can be maximised.
Key Messages
- Use condition scoring as a tool to ensure the nutrition of the ewe is meeting her needs at any time in the production cycle.
- Good nutrition is essential for ewe performance, with requirements changing vastly throughout the cycle.
- Planning through feed budgeting allows contingency plans, to be put in place when forage may be short.
- Investigate the health of any thin ewes, who do not gain condition with advisor or local vet
- Be aware of resistance to medications such as wormers, flukicides and antibiotics and reduce the chances
- Ewe nutrition is the most important factor for lamb survivability, good nutrition in healthy ewe’s leads to good birth size, plentiful supply of colostrum and milk, good mothering and minimal ewe and lamb losses.
- Monitor and benchmark performance
Sign up to the FAS newsletter
Receive updates on news, events and publications from Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service