Late pregnancy management:
Ewes lambing in February are entering a critical time frame, with demand rising rapidly. The table details guideline concentrate supplementation for 75kg to 80kg twin-bearing ewes in good body condition. This can be reduced and increased by 30% for single and triplet bearing ewes respectively. Where forage quality is particularly poor, it should really only act as a source of roughage in late pregnancy, with concentrates providing the main source of energy.
The general recommendation is a protein content of 18% to 20% for medium litter sizes (1.6 to 1.9 lambs per ewe). Given the low cost per animal of increasing protein content, it may be more straightforward if ordering concentrate a few weeks before lambing to purchase the feed that will be fed in late pregnancy and early lambing.
Schmallenberg virus:
More isolated reports of Schmallenberg virus have surfaced in the last week. There is very little that can be done at this stage except implementing a higher level of supervision to identify difficult lambings or calvings in good time. There have been some questions as to the use of a vaccine. This is not currently available in Ireland, but even if it was, it would not serve any purpose as it needs to be administered pre-mating. If you want to get a diagnosis on any suspect cases, foetuses can be submitted to your local veterinary lab, but bear in mind your vet needs to arrange intake with the lab.
Sheep welfare scheme:
Farmers who have yet to receive an application form for the sheep welfare scheme or new entrants can request a form from the Sheep Welfare Scheme Section, DAFM, Government Offices, Old Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise, Co Laois, by calling 076-106 4420 or by emailing sheepscheme@agriculture.gov.ie.
A report from the first information meeting held on Tuesday night in Cork is detailed on page 8. Department information meetings next week (8pm start) take place in Breaffy House, Castlebar, Co Mayo, on Monday 16 January; Peacocks Hotel, Maam Cross, Co Galway, on Tuesday 17 January; Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Co Westmeath, on Wednesday 18 January; and the Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, on Thursday 19 January. The dates for the following week’s meetings will be detailed next week.
TAMS tranche five:
The current tranche of TAMS closes tomorrow (Friday 13 January). If applications are near completion, you should aim to get them in ahead of tomorrow’s closing date.
Late pregnancy management:
Ewes lambing in February are entering a critical time frame, with demand rising rapidly. The table details guideline concentrate supplementation for 75kg to 80kg twin-bearing ewes in good body condition. This can be reduced and increased by 30% for single and triplet bearing ewes respectively. Where forage quality is particularly poor, it should really only act as a source of roughage in late pregnancy, with concentrates providing the main source of energy.
The general recommendation is a protein content of 18% to 20% for medium litter sizes (1.6 to 1.9 lambs per ewe). Given the low cost per animal of increasing protein content, it may be more straightforward if ordering concentrate a few weeks before lambing to purchase the feed that will be fed in late pregnancy and early lambing.
Schmallenberg virus:
More isolated reports of Schmallenberg virus have surfaced in the last week. There is very little that can be done at this stage except implementing a higher level of supervision to identify difficult lambings or calvings in good time. There have been some questions as to the use of a vaccine. This is not currently available in Ireland, but even if it was, it would not serve any purpose as it needs to be administered pre-mating. If you want to get a diagnosis on any suspect cases, foetuses can be submitted to your local veterinary lab, but bear in mind your vet needs to arrange intake with the lab.
Sheep welfare scheme:
Farmers who have yet to receive an application form for the sheep welfare scheme or new entrants can request a form from the Sheep Welfare Scheme Section, DAFM, Government Offices, Old Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise, Co Laois, by calling 076-106 4420 or by emailing sheepscheme@agriculture.gov.ie.
A report from the first information meeting held on Tuesday night in Cork is detailed on page 8. Department information meetings next week (8pm start) take place in Breaffy House, Castlebar, Co Mayo, on Monday 16 January; Peacocks Hotel, Maam Cross, Co Galway, on Tuesday 17 January; Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone, Co Westmeath, on Wednesday 18 January; and the Landmark Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, Co Leitrim, on Thursday 19 January. The dates for the following week’s meetings will be detailed next week.
TAMS tranche five:
The current tranche of TAMS closes tomorrow (Friday 13 January). If applications are near completion, you should aim to get them in ahead of tomorrow’s closing date.
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