The year to date has been, and continues to be, exceptionally busy. Many farmers were faced with an increased workload at lambing and are currently facing a similar situation in supplementing lambs with concentrates and possibly feeding ewes.

Breeding is a time of year when there is also additional strain on the body in getting animals prepared for breeding.

It is this wear and tear over time rather than any isolated injuries that often causes longer term issues for sheep farmers. Tasks like sorting ewes, checking udders and feet, dipping and raddling rams are all strenuous, physical tasks.

Many of these tasks can be lessened by having handling equipment in place and adopting recommended handling techniques.

Catching and restraining

One of the greatest risks of injury is catching sheep in an open pen where they have lots of room to manoeuvre and escape. The recommended technique is approaching animals from their blind spot, which will allow the operator to gain an advantage.

This position is standing directly behind the animal making a 90° angle. A sheep’s blind spot is if a line was drawn from the middle of the animal’s shoulders through the tail end of the animal and to the operator. Moving to the left or right of this will signal your presence to the sheep, which will make catching more difficult.

When catching and restraining the sheep, it is recommended to put one hand under the animal’s head and the other across its back/rump area.

A shepherd’s crook will help restrain from a distance, but the usefulness of this aid is often determined by the fitness of the operator. For example, if the animal is not restrained quickly, it can result in excessive physical exertion or possible injury to the operator or animal.

Once caught, the best way to restrain a sheep is holding it against a solid structure such as a wall or fence, with one hand under its head and the other on its rump. In this way, the operator can use their own weight to help restrain the animal against the structure if required.

Handling unit

The manoeuvres described above can be minimised by having a simple handling unit in place. The setup does not need to be elaborate and can take the form of sheep hurdles that can be conveniently and quickly set up and dismantled to form mobile penning to more permanent or advanced units that include a race.

Where units do not contain a race, it is highly advantageous to be able to alter the size of penning to prevent animals having too much room to manoeuvre, which will greatly ease the effort required in catching and restraining animals.

For anyone planning on investing a considerable sum into handling equipment, it is worth considering making a Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme II (TAMS II) grant application.

Typical entry costs for sheeted, dipped galvanised 20ft race sections range from €500 to €700 excluding VAT, with units containing a drafting gate at the front, back or non-return gates and foot baths costing in the region of €900 to €1,200 excluding VAT, while a rollover crate has a reference cost of €847 excluding VAT.

These costs can be doubled or trebled for lightweight aluminium units or more elaborate races that have automatic drafting and recording capabilities. The extra cost of a two- or three-way drafting gate on a race quickly pays for itself in taking the stress and pressure out of manually separating sheep.

TAMS II grant aid is available at a rate of 40% excluding VAT, with young trained farmers potentially eligible for a higher grant aid rate of 60%. It should be noted that the minimum investment sum is €2,000 excluding VAT.

The scheme operates in tranches of three-month periods, with the latest tranche open since 9 June and set to close on 7 September 2018.

Full details can be found at www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/tams.

Handling large animals

Handling mature rams is not an easy feat, with rams regularly weighing between 100kg and 120kg.

The recommended way to turn an animal is to hold it restrained with one hand under its head and the other on the rump. If standing on the right-hand side of the animal, turn the head of the animal back to its left side and pull it towards yourself, putting pressure with your other hand on its rump.

As the animal starts to enter a position of sitting up, take hold of its front legs and pull it into an upright position.

Large stubborn rams may be hard to turn like this and in these situations, it is advised to get help to turn the ram.

An alternative that can be used is one person restraining the ram and the other person reaching under the belly of the ram and pulling the back leg off the ground and towards them while the operator restraining the sheep eases the ram into an upright position.

If it is only raddle that is being topped up, this can easily be carried out while the ram is in a standing position.

Dipping

Breeding preparations regularly include dipping ewes, with farmers favouring completing such tasks so that handling of ewes can be minimised post-breeding.

The practice poses a risk to operators through harmful chemicals being absorbed by contact with skin or inhaled. Organophosphate-based dips pose the greatest risks, but non-organophosphate-based dips should also be handled with care.

Manufacturers’ guidelines for handling, mixing, storing and disposing of dip should be followed closely.

Protective clothing must always be worn, while a proper ventilation mask with chemical filters is a good investment for any tasks involving chemicals, such as foot-bathing with formalin, for example.

Care should also be taken when handling sheep in the weeks after dipping, as chemical residues will still be present and can be absorbed through contact with the skin.

This is particularly a risk when catching rams for raddling.

Handling and administering vaccines

Vaccination against the main abortion-causing infectious agents, toxoplasmosis and enzootic abortion, must be administered three and four weeks respectively before the start of the breeding season.

The run-up to breeding often coincides with other quarantine treatments being administered and, as such, there is a greater risk of injuries related to handling of needles.

The Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Quality Assurance Scheme requires both used and new needles to be stored safely in a clearly marked container. This is a very worthwhile measure for all farms and greatly cuts down on the risk of unnecessary injuries. When administering injections, having animals securely restrained will limit movement and reduce the risk of operators puncturing their skin with needles if animals jump or move vigorously.