Rearing animals [SP.RA]

A ewe standing in front a barbed wire fence

Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma

Often referred to as “Jaagsiekte” it is caused by a retrovirus. This virus infects the lungs of sheep, causing tumours to develop and fluid to accumulate within the airways.

Maedi Visna

MV is caused by a retrovirus and is capable of having devastating effects on a flock, significantly reducing fertility and productivity. MV is a chronic wasting disorder, which is increasing in prevalence across UK flocks (recently doubling from 1.4-2.8%).

Texel sheep with CLA infection. Image from NADIS

Caseous Lymphadenitis

Caseous Lymphadenitis (CLA) was first detected in UK sheep during 1987 following the importation of infected goats from Germany. Caused by the bacterium “Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis” this is a chronic disease often characterised by the formation of abscesses within the lymph nodes and/or internal organs of infected animals.

Bolusing Versus Drenching For Ewes

Boluses or drenches both have their merits for supplementing ewes with trace elements at key times of the production cycle (pre-tupping and pre-lambing), but is one better than the other? Both are labour intensive but ensure that every animal has received its dose, as opposed to relying on ewes getting their correct allocation from buckets, feed blocks or free access minerals.

Keeping Lambs Growing

As lambs get bigger, they get less efficient at growing – an increasing amount of feed is needed solely for their maintenance. The contribution of energy dense milk to their diet starts to decline and the impact of mineral deficiencies and parasitic worms becomes more evident.

Ewes: Looking After The Next Generation

Whether breeding as ewe lambs or as gimmers, looking after these young ewes will positively affect the flock performance for the next year and improve their lifetime productivity. The ewe that lambs down well in her first year will stand a greater chance of lambing down well in future years. The first step is focusing on their nutrition to get them to target mating weights.

Problems With Newborn Lambs and Calves Suckling

We have had more reports this year of newborn lambs and calves having problems suckling. In some cases it appears that the young themselves will not suckle and when checked and encouraged appear not to even have a suckling reflex.

Maximising The Power Of Culling As A Management Tool

Culling cattle out the system is a powerful tool, not only to improve herd performance but also reduce the risk of any animal welfare breakdowns in your herd. There are many reasons for culling cattle, these may vary from farm to farm. However, the time to make culling decisions for breeding animals is restricted.

A Foolproof Lambing System

Following the social distancing and hygiene measures from the government is highly important for those currently amid, or about to start, lambing – the last thing you want is a…

Planning ahead for calving in the beef herd

‘Social distancing’ and ‘self-isolation’ were never mentioned until a few weeks ago, we are all now acutely aware of the implications of these measures, as we work together as a…

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