Cobalt supplementation: This week’s sheep feature on page 33 looks at research carried out by Teagasc on mineral supplementation. The research carried out by Daniel Hession reaffirms the importance of farmers carrying out their own analysis if they suspect a mineral deficiency as blind supplementation may not be getting to the route of the problem.

Cobalt deficiency is one of the biggest culprits. It can have a significant effect on lamb performance, particularly as the season progresses.

Issues typically start to emerge from the end of July onwards but this can differ depending on the mineral status on the farm.

Symptoms include lambs performing below target or losing condition, despite on a good level of nutrition.

With more advanced problems, lambs may start to pine away, go dry in the wool and in cases the skin on their ears can become scaly or scabby, with skin flaking away.

Veterinary advice is that lambs require about 1mg cobalt per head per day.

Lambs do not store cobalt and require supplementation every two weeks where administering an oral drench. Other options include administering boluses or feeding meal with an adequate mineral inclusion level.

Adding to water may also be an option where you are confident lambs will be drinking regularly.

Health concerns: The combination of heat and moisture this week could give rise to a higher worm burden. Keep this in mind and tailor faecal egg counts and treatment accordingly. Humid weather is also giving rise to an increase in fly activity and incidence of blowfly strike.

There have been more reports in lambs which can be expected but farmers are also reporting cases in dry hoggets or ewes sheared earlier in the season.

Sheepdog management: Sheepdogs face a significant risk of worms, with tapeworms the main concern in older dogs and roundworms in younger dogs. Veterinary advice includes worming pups every two weeks until they are 12 weeks of age, and then every month until they reach six months old.

Adult dogs should be wormed every three months. It is also important to be conscious of heat exhaustion in dogs working in higher temperatures. Dogs should have access to water regularly to prevent dehydration and help body temperature.

SWS meal feeding: The sheep welfare scheme measure for hill flocks recommends concentrate supplementation starting at 75g per head daily in week one and increasing to 125g in week two, 175g in week three and 250g in week four.

This gives a minimum input per lamb of 4.4kg over a four-week period. All lambs in a flock must be included in the measure but feeding dates can be split where there is an age gap between lambs and more than one weaning date.

Note feed receipts must be maintained for inspection and inspectors can also inspect feeding points for evidence of feeding.

Dispatch documents and feed purchase receipts may also be cross referenced to ensure feeding commenced on time. Records should be kept in the scheme action book.