During periods of high temperatures, make sure ewes have access to shade. Only use a heat lamp if lambs are weak and chilled. No single system of production is right for everyone. Restrict the grazing flock to two-thirds of the available pasture. Worming . Activity at that time may stimulate ewes to lamb two to three hours before they normally would. Avoid fence line contact. These vaccines provide passive immunity to baby lambs through the ewes' colostrum until they can be vaccinated at 4 to 6 weeks of age. Attempts to cause large weight gains in ewe lambs during late gestation may lead to lambing problems. Frequent interaction with livestock may be another reason to consider vaccianting. One pound of grain plus 5 lbs of good quality hay will take care of their needs until moving to a mixing pen. Virginia is a selenium deficient state. Check and remove heavy ewes once a week during the lambing season. Worm advantage A Inside the sheep, resistant worms keep their advantage until the sheep can pick up more Colostrum is critical for baby lamb survival. Section 2 lists management practices that should be performed according to breeding and lambing dates. Addition of these records provides the opportunity for more accurate selection for growth traits. Weak or small lambs may require a longer stay. With records, the tools for decision making are in place for problem solving, identifying management priorities, and setting production and marketing goals. Avoid damp, dark, or drafty barns, and wet muddy areas in or around buildings. Critical times for treating sheep for internal parasites are: 1) treatment of ewes 3 weeks prior to lambing, or, at the very least, right after lambing; 2) treatment of ewes every 3 to 4 weeks during the grazing season; and 3) treatment of lambs every 3 to 4 weeks during the grazing season. After lambs are born, move the ewe and her lambs to a lambing pen with a minimum dimension of 5' X 5'. In many cases, the timing of the management practice is as important as the practice itself. Check ewes on a frequent basis (every 3 to 4 hours), as feasible. problems in sheep and goats. Lambs that are lying down should be made to get up. Determine if a sufficient number of rams is available for breeding. Trim and check feet on all sheep that are limping as soon as detected. Sheep and Goat Vaccine and Health Management Schedule Marcy Ward, Shad Cox, and John Wenzel1 Most livestock vaccine and health management protocols revolve around the animalâs stage of pro-duction. β-toxin produced by proliferation of type C in the gut may also occur later in life, but in older animals it is inactiv⦠Provide a complete mineral mix free-choice. Studies have shown that two-breed cross ewes mated to a ram of a third breed wean approximately 35% more pounds of lamb per ewe mated than the average of the purebred ewes producing purebred lambs. sheepfarm. © 2020 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Exercise a controlled breeding season, and remove rams after 60 days. Keep records on all ewes, noting those that had problems. When constructing a creep area, keep the following points in mind: 1) place the creep in a convenient location close to an area where the ewe flock congregates; 2) have openings on at least two sides of the creep and several openings per side; 3) keep the creep area clean and well bedded; 4) place a light over the creep to help attract lambs. Try to follow a vetâs recommendations while vaccinating your sheep ⦠On average, ewes exhibit heat every 17 days during the breeding season, stay in heat for 18 to 40 hours, and ovulate at the end of heat. Sell cull ewes in late February, March, or early April. Using anthelmintics as the only method of control often results in increased incidence of internal parasite resistance. 5. Calcium to phosphorous ratios of less than 2:1 may lead to urinary calculi. Most of them are approved for use in sheep but not goats. novyi, Blackâs Disease or Necrotic Hepatitis, if animals are infected with flukes. This will diminish the risk of introducing abortion and other diseases into the main flock. Allow time for regrowth and graze for the rest of the year. Ewes - Use only crossbred ewes for commercial sheep production. If a sheep is infected you should treat it immediately. This helps to determine the percentage of ewes that are cycling and helps to evaluate the breeding performance of the rams. Clostridium perfringens Type C & D (overeating disease) and tetanus - Vaccinate with an initial series of two injections administered 30 days apart. In fact, aside from being asked about my deworming protocol, the question about my vaccination schedule ⦠Following them will help to ensure that the welfare of stock is safeguarded. Sunlight shining into the creep area works well; 5) keep feed fresh and provide clean water in the creep; and 6) construct the creep feeder so that lambs cannot stand and play in it. Larger, older rams tend to dominate smaller rams and breed more than their share. the word âsheepâ refers to all ovine stock, and an animal under six months of age is considered to be a lamb. Change colors on the harness every 17 days. Store wool in a clean, dry place. Place ewes on high-quality pasture. If ewes were not treated for internal parasites within 3 weeks of lambing, they should be treated prior to removal from the lambing pen. Booster the lambs for overeating disease one week before weaning. The ability to match ewes and lambs is important to monitor performance, and individual identification is critical for making selection and culling decisions. By using a different product each time sheep are treated, internal parasites are given the opportunity to develop resistance against a number of products at the same time. After November 1, place ewes on stockpiled fescue pasture. Lactating ewes with singles should receive 5 lbs of a good quality grass/legume hay plus 1 lb of a 15% crude protein grain mix daily. Add 8 lbs of zinc sulfate (powdered form) to 10 gallons of water for a 10% solution. Have a veterinarian perform a breeding soundness examination on all rams. The vaccine commonly known as âCDTâ or âCD&Tâ is a vaccination for Clostridium perfringens type C + D and tetanus. Weaning age will vary depending on the marketing plan for the lambs. Reviewed by Scott Greiner, Extension Specialist, Animal and Poultry Sciences. Vaccination protects the welfare of farm animals by preventing or reducing disease, which in turn reduces the pain and suffering often associated with illness. Thawing by direct heat destroys the antibodies that are present. Provide a mineral supplement specifically formulated for sheep on a free-choice basis throughout the breeding period. Traits important for ewe breeds in crossbreeding programs include early puberty, moderate mature size, high fertility, optimum milking ability (appropriate for feed resources), longevity, management ease, and acceptable growth characteristics. Anthelmintics should be rotated on a yearly basis but not rotated within a year. 4. When it comes to deworming, a regular deworming schedule should be avoided. Avoid marketing lightweight lambs in September and October when market prices are typically at their lowest levels of the year. Purchase rams from sources that offer performance records and information that will be useful in making selection decisions. This may result in lower conception rates and lower lambing percentages. If covered facilities are available, shear the ewes completely. Ewes with singles should be receiving 1 lb of a 15% crude protein grain mix and 5 lbs of good quality hay daily. Acquire replacement ewe lambs if open females are to be brought into the flock prior to the breeding season. Condition score rams both visually and by handling them down their top. Use temporary electric fence to limit the sheep's access to a portion of the stockpiled pasture until fully utilized. Shear the rams. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg. Provide a complete mineral mix, specifically formulated for sheep and fortified with selenium, to the flock during the grazing season. Examples of clean pastures include: 1) fields that have been without sheep for more than a year; 2) fields that were cut for hay since sheep last grazed there; and 3) fields grazed by cattle before sheep are allowed to graze. Breed so that they will lamb first as yearlings. There are many different types of worms that can cause problems to sheep, but stomach worms are the most common. A general rule of thumb is for the ewe and her lambs to stay in the lambing pen one day for each lamb. The ideal lambing season for a flock will depend on the available facilities, labor and management resources, genetics, pasture and feed resources, and the operation's marketing program. Make sure there is plenty of feed trough space so that ewes do not crowd each other at feeding time. If blackleg is prevalent in your area, Covexin 8 can be used instead, to protect against blackleg as well as overeating disease and tetanus. For ewes weaned at 2 to 3 months of lactation, supplemental grain should be discontinued and forage quality decreased one weak prior to weaning. A ram to ewe ratio of 1:25 for ram lambs and 1:35 for mature rams is generally recommended. To be used properly in selection, all records need to be adjusted to a common basis. Move ewes nursing lambs to fresh pasture every 2 to 3 weeks. The wool pool is coordinated by local sheep and wool organizations with cooperation from Virginia Cooperative Extension. Vibriosis and EAE - Vaccinate with an initial series of two injections followed by an annual booster. Thereafter, treat lambs and ewes once every 3 to 4 weeks throughout the grazing season. Lambing cubicles placed around the walls in the lambing area of the barn measuring 4' X 6' have been used successfully as a place for ewes to lamb away from the other ewes in the barn. Wean all lambs that remain with the flock. Vaccinate ewes for overeating disease and tetanus. Keep unfamiliar rams together in a small pen for 3 to 5 days so they will become accustomed to one another. Traits important in selecting a ram breed for use in crossbreeding programs include high growth rate with acceptable mature size, lamb survivability, and carcass merit. If selenium deficiency has been a problem, lambs should be given an injection of 0.25 mg selenium per 10 lb of body weight immediately after birth. Those that fail to stretch after getting up may have a problem that requires further examination. Treat ewes and lambs for internal parasites at least once every 3 to 4 weeks. C On the pasture, the proportion of resistant worms slowly increases over time. Veterinarians should ideally be consulted for advice when vaccinating animals since correct doses may differ for different breeds. Isolate sheep from outside sources a minimum of 4 weeks before placing with the existing flock. Foot-Rot Control - The only way to introduce foot rot into a flock of sheep is to purchase sheep that are already infected. Virginia Cooperative Extension does not endorse these products and does not intend discrimination against other products which also may be suitable. Spring-born lambs should be weaned at an older age, derive a large percentage of their growth from forage and therefore grow at a slower rate, and be marketed in the late fall and winter at an older age compared to winter-born lambs. Foot rot can be effectively eliminated through a combination of foot trimming, foot soaks in a 10% solution of zinc sulfate for 30 to 60 minutes at a time, and the use of the foot rot vaccine. Optional vaccines* Pregnant sheep and goats . Treat ewes and all lambs over 6 weeks old for internal parasites the day before turning onto spring pasture. Clostridium perfringens Type C & D - Vaccinate with an initial series of two injections administered at 4 weeks of age and 1 week prior to weaning. Producers experiencing losses from predation should contact Animal Damage Control immediately for assistance in controlling offending animals. Healthy animals are also the cornerstone of healthy food and so vaccination can help safeguard our food produced from animals. The gestation period for sheep ranges from 140 to 159 days, with an average of 145 days. Zinc sulfate goes into solution easier in hot water. Spring-born lambs should be sold no later than April. Certain basic records must be kept to monitor flock performance. These include Tick Fever, Black Leg and 3 Day. Start feeding 0.5 lb of grain per head daily as a preventative for pregnancy disease. The vaccination schedules or programmes for goat, sheep and cattle are presented in the tables below. Ram lambs should not be used in multiple-sire breeding groups with mature rams. If sheep colostrum is not available, cow or goat colostrum should be used. Section 1 includes jobs that should be performed during particular seasons of the year regardless of lambing date. The cubicles have a 2' wide opening with a 10'' board as a threshold to keep lambs inside. perfringens C ⦠Stock lambing supplies such as iodine, antibiotics, frozen colostrum, stomach tube, injectable selenium and Vitamin E, OB lube, lamb puller, ear tags, etc. DisclaimerCommercial products are named in this publication for informational purposes only. Ewes up through 15 weeks of gestation should receive 4 lbs of a good quality grass/legume hay daily. Timing. There should be one lambing pen for every 10 ewes expected to lamb. Subscribe to Get Post in E-mail. If high-quality hays, such as alfalfa, are fed during gestation it is important to limit intakes as overfeeding is costly. This is an update to a report we published in November 2018, on the use of vaccines in dairy and beef cattle between 2011 and 2017. Test hay and silage samples to determine their nutritive value. The highest quality hays should not be fed during gestation. Shear during March, April, or May if ewes were not shorn pre-lambing. Mature ewes in average to good body condition should be fed to maintain or slightly increase their bodyweight during the first 3.5 months of gestation. The purpose of this publication is to offer a A large number of ewes re-marking may indicate a ram or ewe fertility problem. Wool Marketing - A large percentage of the wool marketed in Virginia is sold through the Virginia Wool Pool System. This is the time to take advantage of poor quality pasture or crop residue. In many instances, individual lambs could be identified as to their dam as well as sire (or perhaps breed of sire in multiple-sire breeding groups). For vaccines to be most effective consider their use carefully in relation to the type of stock, season, previous property history and disease incidence e.g. Legumes have been shown to contain estrogenic compounds that lower conception rates. Administer each vaccine according to what is on the table. If this period occurs during the winter, hay or silage will do the job, with no supplemental grain required. Internal Parasite Control - An effective internal parasite control program should not rely solely on the use of anthelmintics. During the winter or when on poor quality pasture, feed approximately 4 lbs of hay in addition to grain. Analysis of the number of doses of key vaccines authorised for use in cattle and sheep in 2018. Scott P. Greiner, Extension animal scientist, Virginia TechPublication originally written by Steven H. Umberger, Extension Animal Scientist. The biggest cause of baby lamb mortality is starvation. Sheep-budget analyses show that other than market price, the percentage of lambs marketed per ewe per year has the greatest impact on profitability of production. There are a number of effective products on the market to treat external parasites. National Sheep Association is an organisation which represents the views and interests of sheep producers throughout the UK. Rams in thin condition should receive 2.5 lbs of grain per day in addition to their normal diet, while rams in moderate condition should receive 1 lb of grain daily. For ewes without milk or for lambs that fail to nurse, lambs must be given colostrum via a stomach tube. Lactating ewes with twins should receive 5 lbs of a good quality grass/legume hay plus 2 lbs of a 15% crude protein grain mix daily. Market spring-born lambs in late fall through winter. Rams can lose up to 12% of their bodyweight during a 45-day breeding period. Market spring-born lambs that have been grazed through the summer and fall. Soremouth There is a vaccine for sore mouth (contagious ecthyma, orf), a viral skin disease commonly affecting sheep and goats. Underdosing of anthelmintics results in accelerated rates of resistance by internal parasites. Don't feed grain until the second day. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Lambs and kids need protection against Cl. Check the ewe's udder to see that she has milk, strip each teat to remove the waxy plug that may be present at the end of the teat, and make sure lambs nurse within 30 minutes.
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