Grazing to housing transition: Sharp changes to a ewe’s diet in late pregnancy should be avoided, with a greater risk of issues such as twin-lamb disease the closer ewes get to the point of lambing. Risks associated with bringing ewes indoors from grazing close to lambing can be minimised by supplementing outdoors with concentrates and silage, so that ewes are someway accustomed to the diet when housed.

Likewise, where the concentrate fed initially is being changed to satisfy a higher protein demand in the final weeks of pregnancy, this should be carried out approximately three weeks pre-lambing.

While the protein requirement does not rise sharply until the final two weeks of pregnancy, a change in diet has the potential to put ewes temporarily off their feed and will have the greatest consequences if it occurs in the vital final two-week period pre-lambing.

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Labour-saving lambing tip: Spray marking or branding ewes with numbers in advance of lambing when carrying out tasks such as fluke dosing or administering the clostridial disease vaccine will cut down on the need to number ewes after lambing. Lambs can then be marked with a corresponding number. It is especially useful where lambing outdoors later in the season.

There were also a few queries from last week’s supplement about supplementing lambs with cow colostrum. Veterinary advice includes targeting colostrum from cows on the farm that have received appropriate vaccines with preference for suckler cow colostrum over dairy. Volumes fed should be increased 30% to take account of lower antibodies.

Tail docking: Each year at breeding ewe lamb and ewe hogget sales, I get comments along the lines of telling me to cover tail docking advice more frequently in spring. The comments generally come from farmers frustrated at purchasing or deterred from purchasing replacements possessing tails that are too short or, in the worst cases, nearly nonexistent.

As well as some farmers desiring a longer tail length, there are tail docking regulations that have to be adhered to. The minimum tail length that is allowed under legislation is a tail long enough to cover the vulva in female sheep and anus in male sheep. As a sheep’s tail generally grows in unison with the animal as they get older, a tail long enough to cover the anus and vulva is generally OK at docking. If in doubt, leaving the tail slightly longer is preferred.

Rubber rings are the most common method of docking. Farmer tips on applying rings vary, with some leaving a length of two to two and a half inches. Others will lift the tail and apply the ring on the area where the skin meets wool growth on the underside of the tail. Whatever the system, it is important to ensure that the tail is left long enough.

Hygiene is also important, and it is important the applicator is free from rust or dirt. Ideally, ewes should have received a clostridial disease vaccine to allow an opportunity for passive protection to tetanus to be achieved.

Rings should be applied in advance of lambs being turned outdoors to allow time for lambs to settle and become accustomed to the rings and, in turn, avoid mis-mothering issues from turning freshly-ringed lambs outdoors.

If keeping your options open and targeting lambs for live export, take note that Ramadan falls on the earlier date of 6-7 June and runs for 30 days.