When should ewes be scanned?
When should you scan? If you are only scanning for pregnancy status (wet or dry ewes), sheep can be scanned 35 to 40 days after the removal of rams. When scanning for single or twin status (multiples), the recommended time is from 80 to 100 days after the commencement of joining.
What is a good scanning percentage for sheep?
Scanning percentage (Target varies from 120% in hill systems to 195% on lowland farms). Abortion percentage (Target less than 2%). Lambing percentage (Number of lambs born alive divided by number of ewes put to the ram).
How do you scan ewes?
Sheep pregnancy scanning occurs at around 90 days after joining and is performed by a skilled operator using an ultrasound scanner. Pregnancy scanning is an important tool to understand the potential of the lambing season and to efficiently manage the ewe flock.
When should you put a ram with ewes?
In October the rams are put out with the ewes for breeding. Rams are sometimes called ‘tups’, and mating is often referred to as ‘tupping’. An experienced ram will be put out with anything from 50 to 100 ewes, while a less experienced ram will serve 25.
Why are ewes scanned 80 days after mating?
To get the best value from scanning, aim to have the ewes scanned as close as possible to 80 days post ram turn out. Scanning at that stage will ensure that the scanner can pick up all of the ewes that are in lamb. It also allows enough time to segregate and preferentially treat ewes that are carrying triplets.
How does scanning aid the management of pregnant ewes?
Pregnancy scanning is a useful tool to help better manage ewe flocks….Scanning for multiple-bearing ewes
- Better condition in late pregnancy leads to better survival of lambs.
- Identifying and separating multiple-bearing ewes minimises over-feeding of single-bearing ewes and potential birthing problems with dystocia.
Whats a good lambing percentage?
Tips for achieving good lambing rates She recommends a BCS at lambing of 3.5 in lowland breeds, such as the Texel, and 2.5-3 in upland breeds. When scanned litter size is more than 200%, a high percentage of ewes will be carrying three lambs, says Damian Costello, of Teagasc, Ireland’s farm research and advisory body.
What is a good lambing rate?
The American Sheep Industry suggests 100% as the benchmark for small flocks with less than 200 ewes. Medium size flocks of 201 to 750 ewes should have a benchmark of 98% and larger flocks, particularly range flocks, should have a benchmark of 96%.
What is pregnancy scanning in sheep?
Sheep Scanning is used to ascertain whether or not a sheep is pregnant (“wet” vs “dry”, known as WD) and/or how many lambs she is carrying (single vs twin vs triplet, known as TSD or Triplets).
Can a ram breed his daughter?
The ram may breed his daughters and dam. Undersized ewe lambs may be bred. Because the times of breeding and lambing will not be not known, it will be difficult to properly time vaccinations, supplemental feeding, and other management practices.
Can you keep a ram with ewes all year round?
It is winter right now and your breeding season has probably ended. My advice is to leave the ram with the ewes after the official breeding season has ended, at least up to lambing. He will graze with them and in the winter, he will eat hay with them. No need to add extra work to house a ram separately at that time.
How much do you feed a triplet bearing ewe?
It is important to start feeding ewes carrying triplets before you intend to start feeding the rest of the flock. With moderate quality forage you should aim to start feeding triplet-bearing ewes a small amount of concentrates (approximately 0.2kg per head per day) from about 10 weeks prior to lambing.
Why do ewes need to be checked before tupping?
Ewes which are not improving in condition should be checked for underlying health problems as this could have a substantial impact on their ability to conceive. According to research, flushing, or the practice of feeding a diet high in protein and energy in the last few weeks before tupping, can result in higher scanning rates.
Which is better lean ewes or hill ewes?
Lean ewes ovulate less eggs, which can mean they are likely to have less lambs. In contrast, although overweight ewes will ovulate more eggs, they have a greater risk of embryonic death. At the start of tupping lowland breeds should be around BCS 3.5, upland breeds at BCS 3.0, and hill breeds at BCS 2.5.
How long does it take for lean ewes to lift fat cover?
The lean ewes should have access to the highest quality grazing and should be supplemented with concentrates or additional forage if necessary. It can take between six to eight weeks for ewes to lift fat cover by one condition score, so planning ahead is vital.