Neonatal mortality in small ruminant livestock has remained stubbornly unchanging over the past 40 years, and represents a significant loss of farm income, contributes to wastage and affects animal welfare. Scientific knowledge about the biology of neonatal adaptation after birth has been accumulating but does not appear to have had an impact in improving survival. In this paper, we ask what might be the reasons for the lack of impact of the scientific studies of lamb and kid mortality, and suggest strategies to move forward. Biologically, it is clear that achieving a good intake of colostrum, as soon as possible after birth, is crucial for neonatal survival. This provides fuel for thermoregulation, passive immunological protection and is involved in the development of attachment between the ewe and lamb. The behaviour of the lamb in finding the udder and sucking rapidly after birth is a key component in ensuring sufficient colostrum is ingested. In experimental studies, the main risk factors for lamb mortality are low birthweight, particularly owing to poor maternal nutrition during gestation, birth difficulty, litter size and genetics, which can all be partly attributed to their effect on the speed with which the lamb reaches the udder and sucks. Similarly, on commercial farms, low birthweight and issues with sucking were identified as important contributors to mortality. In epidemiological studies, management factors such as providing assistance with difficult births, were found to be more important than risk factors associated with housing. Social science studies suggest that farmers generally have a positive attitude to improving neonatal mortality but may differ in beliefs about how this can be achieved, with some farmers believing they had no control over early lamb mortality. Facilitative approaches, where farmers and advisors work together to develop neonatal survival strategies, have been shown to be effective in achieving management goals, such as optimising ewe nutrition, that lead to reductions in lamb mortality. We conclude that scientific research is providing useful information on the biology underpinning neonatal survival, such as optimal birthweights, lamb vigour and understanding the importance of sufficient colostrum intake, but the transfer of that knowledge would benefit from an improved understanding of the psychology of management change on farm. Developing tailored solutions, on the basis of adequate farm records, that make use of the now substantial body of scientific literature on neonatal mortality will help to achieve lower neonatal mortality.Keywords: neonatal mortality, sheep, goat, knowledge transfer ImplicationsResearch into neonatal mortality of small ruminants has addressed relevant biological issues and provided practical solutions to some of the issues (such as improving ewe nutrition and ensuring adequate colostrum intakes). There is, however, more that could be done in transferring this information into practice, and application of social science methods to address barriers...

1989). Effects of sh-meal supplementation on performance of overfat lambs fed on barley straw to reduce carcass fatness. Animal Production, 48, pp 131-138 ABSTRACT The effect of undegradable protein supply was studied in overfat lambs given low-energy diets to reduce carcass fatness. Two trials involving sequential batches of 48 overfat Suffolk x lambs investigated the effects of supplementing an ad libitum straw diet with either 0 or 100 g fish-meal pellets daily for 14-, 28-and 42-day periods. Lambs supplemented with fish meal in trials 1 and 2 lost significantly less weight. Weight losses (g/day) were -2 v. -129 (s.e.d. 26) and -58 v. -188 (s.e.d. 29) respectively. There were highly significant and favourable effects of fish-meal supplementation on carcass weight and composition (recorded in the second trial only). Carcass weight (kg) after 14, 28 and 42 days was 21-8, 20-4 and 18-3 for unsupplemented lambs and 22-4, 21-9 and 21-6 for supplemented lambs; saleable lean (kg) as determined by a commercial boning-out process was 12-1, 11-3 and 10-0 v. 12-7, 12-6 and 12-3 respectively. There were corresponding changes in conformation but fat trimmed off the carcass was not significantly reduced by the dietary treatments. There was, however, a reduction by one-fifth in excess carcass fat (about 0-5 kg) over the period 14 to 42 days on trial, and over the trial as a whole, fat trim fell from an estimated proportion of carcass weight of 0-17 to 012, equivalent to a fall in Meat and Livestock Commission fatness score from 4H to 3L. Results indicated very favourable financial rewards for supplementing diets of overfat lambs with fish meal.

The use of forage brassicas, such as kale, in diets of ruminants is typically constrained by the presence of anti‐metabolites that break down in the rumen to cause detrimental effects after absorption including haemolytic anaemia and tissue damage. Ensilage of kale before feeding may provide conditions that favour the degradation of potentially toxic anti‐metabolites, thereby improving the nutritive value of the feed. An experiment was conducted with eighty Scottish Blackface housed lambs, in which four levels of kale silage were used to replace grass silage and in which the forage component comprised around 60% of the finishing diet. Productivity of lambs was not affected other than to increase the killing‐out percentage of the lambs. Glucosinolate concentrations in kale were markedly reduced by the ensiling process. Haematological parameters, such as packed cell volume, haemoglobin concentration and the presence of Heinz−Ehrlich bodies, were not significantly affected by replacing grass silage with kale silage. Similarly, there were no significant effects arising from the dietary treatments on the blood plasma components, gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase, blood urea nitrogen, tri‐iodothyroxine and thyroxine, which are conventional measures of glucosinolate toxicity. The results indicated that the ensilage of kale reduces its toxicity and hence removes constraints on the maximum inclusion levels in the diet. Also, it was possible to reduce the potential contamination of carcasses with soil by lambs not grazing the crop and thus keeping fleeces clean.

1987). The effect of winter shearing of housed pregnant ewes on food intake and animal performance. ABSTRACTThe effects of winter shearing on the food intake and performance of housed ewes was studied in a series of three experiments. Winter shearing resulted in a proportional increase of dry-matter intake in ewes of 0-16 and 0-43 on two silage-based diets, of 0-09 on swede-based diets, but of only 0-02 on a hay-based diet. Shearing increased intake by a greater amount in smaller ewes and a similar trend occurred on diets containing a greater proportion of barley. Shearing increased average lamb birth weight by about 600 g (4-65 kg v. 4-06 kg), apparently as an effect of shearing per se rather than as a result of the increased energy intake. An increase in gestation length of around 1-8 days accounted for one-fifth of this increased birth weight. The effect on gestation length of shearing was to increase the unnaturally short gestation of housed unshorn ewes, this short gestation being attributed to problems of heat stress in late pregnancy. Results indicated management advantages of winter shearing in favourable climatic environments. * * 3-Z m /* X m > JO z o o •n X o c m D to tn C/5t Adjusted by covariate within breed for litter size.