Last weekend, our discussion group had our annual night out. I really enjoy it as it’s one of the last good social occasions before lambing commences. Living and working in the same place can mean that from one end of the week to the next, a farmer might have very little contact with the outside world.

We hear so much about rural isolation, especially among farmers. I find our sheep discussion group to be invaluable. Not only have I learned from those in the group with more experience than me and found an outlet to bounce ideas around, I have made great friends.

Over the night, the conversation turned to recent dog attacks on sheep in the area. These attacks brought back memories of last spring, when I lost 17 in-lamb ewes due to an attack one night. This caused my ewes great distress with a number aborting and more having complications while lambing. There is no reason for these attacks to happen as dog owners should have dogs locked up in a secure run at all times and be in full control when let out for walks, etc.

I am very fond of dogs and have my own here that I am very attached to but I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to strays on my land as it is my livelihood that is affected, not the dog owner’s.

I can remember vividly as a child watching the ad on television about Bonzo the dog who is let out unattended only to join other dogs to attack ewes and lambs.

Maybe it is time for this to be re-released to remind dog owners that, no matter how tame their animals are around them, it is a very different scenario when they are in the company of other dogs and can be unreliable when left unattended. It would also highlight just how vulnerable ewes and lambs can be. With all stock now housed, my daily workload has increased considerably, especially since lambing is due to start in less than seven weeks’ time.

The majority of foetal growth (75%) happens within the last eight-week period of pregnancy so, for a 75kg ewe carrying twins, feed requirement will increase from 12MJ to 19MJ daily.

This cannot be met fully by silage alone because, as lambs grow and increase in size, the amount of silage that can be consumed is reduced. Ewes in excellent condition, however, can afford to lose some body condition to compensate for this but if too much condition is lost it can affect foetal growth and milk production.

I have introduced my best quality silage (80%DMD) and started feeding meal to my triplets and will be doing the same for the couples in the next week or so. Any ewes that are not in ideal condition will be housed separately. These will be fed extra meal as their energy requirements are greater and it is needed to build their condition and maintain lamb foetal growth rates. I also think it is important to feed singles as I aim to cross foster as many triplets as possible onto them. This isn’t feasible if they don’t have adequate milk supplies and can leave me with a lot of surplus lambs to be reared by hand.

Ewes will also require a good by-pass protein to help build up sufficient reserves of colostrum. For this, I will use a 19% protein ration which contains soyabean meal. I use this from the start but I know some farmers hold off on introducing this higher protein ration until three or four weeks prior to lambing.

Building up the meal levels gradually in my ewes will be helpful in avoiding instances of acidosis (twin lamb disease), which is caused when the rumen hasn’t had time to adjust to the change in diet.

Early symptoms of this are vague and can be missed if close attention isn’t taken. Some obvious symptoms can include the animal hanging back at feeding – the head can be held higher and the ears often twitch about.

If cases are identified at this early stage, treatment is more successful and ewes can be isolated for more individual treatment and care than those identified in later stages of acidosis.

As the condition progresses, ewes appear blind and do not move about with the rest of the flock. Their breath has a sweet smell which is due to the presence of acetone. Other common symptoms are tooth grinding, jaw champing, drooling, muscular tremors, with convulsions and finally death.

Treatment can be unrewarding with relapse occurring if it isn’t followed through fully but the earlier it is started the greater the likelihood there is of a successful outcome.