Timely tips and advice
Significant challenges remain for farmers currently lambing or for those who have lambed and are struggling to get ewes and lambs turned outdoors. Feeding advice is covered on page 41 along with an update from Teagasc on how its BETTER farm sheep programme participants are coping. Some useful tips are also summarised below.
The space requirement for a lowland ewe (70kg) on straw bedding is 1.2m² (13ft²). Each lamb will require an additional 0.3m² (3.3ft²). Space allowance is important to prevent the excessive soiling of the bedding, humidity and disease challenge. Post-lambing a ewes intake will double, resulting in significantly more dung and urine being produced. As such, bedding will need to be replenished much more regularly. Applying a sprinkling of lime before replenishing straw will help to prevent a build-up of disease. Feeding hay or haylage will reduce straw requirements. Lambing hurdles can be used as a temporary feeder in group pens to prevent lambs soiling forage. Ensure stale silage is removed to prevent listeria developing. Where ewes and lambs are housed longer than two weeks, lambs should be offered creep, where possible, to underpin performance and reduce pressure on ewes. Water intake is crucial where ewes or lambs are consuming significant quantities of concentrates. Placing a few blocks under the drinker to allow lambs to access water at a height will generally work well. Keep on guard for any signs of disease establishing. Infectious diseases will be best controlled by swift action and isolating sick animals. Ewes close to lambing or after lambing should not be housed in sheds with cattle or close to cattle feed due to the risk of malignant catarrhal, a serious virus which is fatal to cattle.Mastitis risk
With ewes under pressure there are more cases of mastitis reported. Treatment options depend on the type of mastitis. Peracute or gangrenous mastitis is characterised by severe depression, ewes ceasing eating, dehydration and a swollen mammary gland that turns from warm at the start of the infection to a blue discoloration. In severe cases, the mammary gland can become rotten and fall away.
Acute mastitis is typified by a warm, swollen, red gland that can possess normal or abnormal looking milk. Ewes often walk lame as they try to avoid touching a painful udder with their leg. Two other forms are chronic mastitis and subclinical mastitis, both of which can go unnoticed. One sign is lamb performance starting to dip or lambs suckling aggressively and continually. These can progress to the more serious forms described above. A course of antibiotics prescribed by your vet is the general treatment along with isolation of affected cases. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with pain-relieving action are also prescribed by some vets. Where multiple cases occur it is advised to submit samples for laboratory analysis to identify the exact cause.
Planning ahead
The number of cases of coronavirus is increasing. Pages 19 to 23 detail some advice across all sectors for farmers to best prepare for possible implications. Follow HSE guidelines in terms of reducing the risk of exposure.
Timely tips and advice
Significant challenges remain for farmers currently lambing or for those who have lambed and are struggling to get ewes and lambs turned outdoors. Feeding advice is covered on page 41 along with an update from Teagasc on how its BETTER farm sheep programme participants are coping. Some useful tips are also summarised below.
The space requirement for a lowland ewe (70kg) on straw bedding is 1.2m² (13ft²). Each lamb will require an additional 0.3m² (3.3ft²). Space allowance is important to prevent the excessive soiling of the bedding, humidity and disease challenge. Post-lambing a ewes intake will double, resulting in significantly more dung and urine being produced. As such, bedding will need to be replenished much more regularly. Applying a sprinkling of lime before replenishing straw will help to prevent a build-up of disease. Feeding hay or haylage will reduce straw requirements. Lambing hurdles can be used as a temporary feeder in group pens to prevent lambs soiling forage. Ensure stale silage is removed to prevent listeria developing. Where ewes and lambs are housed longer than two weeks, lambs should be offered creep, where possible, to underpin performance and reduce pressure on ewes. Water intake is crucial where ewes or lambs are consuming significant quantities of concentrates. Placing a few blocks under the drinker to allow lambs to access water at a height will generally work well. Keep on guard for any signs of disease establishing. Infectious diseases will be best controlled by swift action and isolating sick animals. Ewes close to lambing or after lambing should not be housed in sheds with cattle or close to cattle feed due to the risk of malignant catarrhal, a serious virus which is fatal to cattle.Mastitis risk
With ewes under pressure there are more cases of mastitis reported. Treatment options depend on the type of mastitis. Peracute or gangrenous mastitis is characterised by severe depression, ewes ceasing eating, dehydration and a swollen mammary gland that turns from warm at the start of the infection to a blue discoloration. In severe cases, the mammary gland can become rotten and fall away.
Acute mastitis is typified by a warm, swollen, red gland that can possess normal or abnormal looking milk. Ewes often walk lame as they try to avoid touching a painful udder with their leg. Two other forms are chronic mastitis and subclinical mastitis, both of which can go unnoticed. One sign is lamb performance starting to dip or lambs suckling aggressively and continually. These can progress to the more serious forms described above. A course of antibiotics prescribed by your vet is the general treatment along with isolation of affected cases. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs with pain-relieving action are also prescribed by some vets. Where multiple cases occur it is advised to submit samples for laboratory analysis to identify the exact cause.
Planning ahead
The number of cases of coronavirus is increasing. Pages 19 to 23 detail some advice across all sectors for farmers to best prepare for possible implications. Follow HSE guidelines in terms of reducing the risk of exposure.
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