Participants in the Sheep Welfare Scheme who have selected scanning as a category B measure will need to keep records on how sheep are fed in the run-up to lambing. Farmers do not need to change feeding programmes that are working and delivering the desired results of healthy lambs being born and ewes possessing a plentiful supply of good-quality colostrum.
For example, farmers who do not feed meal to single-bearing ewes in adequate condition do not need to start now. Likewise, where feed buckets are used in outwintered flocks, this can continue. The records book does not have a section for recording such information with a table present for recording meal feeding. The information can, however, be recorded by writing it on the same page.
While on the topic of feeding, it is important not to incorrectly estimate the volume of concentrates being fed. Feeds can vary significantly in their density, which has a knock-on effect on the weight of feed in a particular size of bucket. Weighing the volume of feed will allow more accurate supplementation and ensure nutritional requirements are being met. This is particularly important in high-litter-size flocks, where there is a nutritional strain on ewes in late pregnancy.
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Participants in the Sheep Welfare Scheme who have selected scanning as a category B measure will need to keep records on how sheep are fed in the run-up to lambing. Farmers do not need to change feeding programmes that are working and delivering the desired results of healthy lambs being born and ewes possessing a plentiful supply of good-quality colostrum.
For example, farmers who do not feed meal to single-bearing ewes in adequate condition do not need to start now. Likewise, where feed buckets are used in outwintered flocks, this can continue. The records book does not have a section for recording such information with a table present for recording meal feeding. The information can, however, be recorded by writing it on the same page.
While on the topic of feeding, it is important not to incorrectly estimate the volume of concentrates being fed. Feeds can vary significantly in their density, which has a knock-on effect on the weight of feed in a particular size of bucket. Weighing the volume of feed will allow more accurate supplementation and ensure nutritional requirements are being met. This is particularly important in high-litter-size flocks, where there is a nutritional strain on ewes in late pregnancy.
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