Fetal and lamb losses from pregnancy scanning to lamb marking in commercial sheep flocks in southern New South Wales

Allworth, Maxwell; Wrigley, Hugh A; Cowling, Ann

doi:10.1071/an16166

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The mob size per pen or paddock reported in this study is within the range reported for earlier surveys of commercial flocks at joining or lambing in South Australia, New South Wales or Victoria, Australia, 3,9,10 and New Zealand, 10 indicating that the respondents represent a mix of commercial-scale Australian breeding flocks. The lower than targeted number of responses prevented analysis for any association between husbandry practices and reproductive performance, and also means that the results may not represent the practices of Australian sheep breeders in general.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

A survey of producer practices and reproductive performance of containment and supplementary fed ewes

et al. 2021

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Containment feeding, where ewes are fed complete rations, is used to maintain flock numbers in periods of inadequate pasture supply. Producer practices influence both the reproductive performance of ewes and the risk of health challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproductive, feeding and health management practices of producers using containment or supplementary feeding, and quantify any associations between practice and reproductive performance. An online survey of Australian producers was conducted in 2020. The number of responses (n = 43) allowed benchmarking but was insufficient to determine correlations between practice and performance. The reported pregnancy rate of adult Merino ewes was variable between respondents (78%-95%; n = 11), and lambs marked per ewe joined ranged from 60% to 110% (n = 9). In non-Merino flocks, lambs marked ranged from 82% to 161% (n = 4). Most respondents (9/11) fed cereal grain with hay or straw, either daily or two or three times a week. However, some respondents fed grain only or roughage only, such that the percentage of roughage in diets ranged from 0% to 100%. Ewes were most frequently separated into age groups for feeding, and shy feeders were only removed by 25% of respondents. Although generally the reported reproductive rate was high, wide variation indicates potential for improvement. Best practice management for containment remains unclear and requires further research given the diverse practices used. Veterinary practitioners should be aware that some of the practices used may contribute to reduced productivity or health issues in ewes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

A survey of producer practices and reproductive performance of containment and supplementary fed ewes

et al. 2021

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“…Kleemann et al (2006) suggested that the survival of single and twin lambs born to adult ewes was optimised at mob sizes of approximately 400 ewes. In contrast, Allworth et al (2017) reported that the survival of twin lambs born on commercial farms tended to be lower at mob sizes greater than 200 ewes compared to less than 200 ewes. Higher mob sizes at lambing could therefore decrease lamb survival.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Reducing mob size increases the survival of twin-born Merino lambs when feed-on-offer from pasture is limited and ewes are supplementary fed during lambing

Lockwood

Hancock

Kearney³

et al. 2019

Small Ruminant Research

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“…Lambs are solely dependent on their dams for milk for survival in early life, with milk remaining an important source of digestible energy and protein to weaning late in lactation (Hayman et al 1955;Clark 1980). It is well established that perinatal and neonatal lamb loss is a significant issue for sheep farmers (Stafford 2013;Dwyer et al 2016;Allworth et al 2017), and that ewes with defective udders contribute to this loss (Hayman et al 1955;Watson and Buswell 1984). However, there appears to have been little recent scientific investigation of udder morphology in New Zealand.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating associations between lamb survival to weaning and dam udder and teat scores

Griffiths

Ridler

Compton

et al. 2019

New Zealand Veterinary Journal

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Aims: To examine a range of udder and teat traits in Romney ewes and to describe the frequency with which different scores occur, and to investigate associations between lamb survival to weaning and ewe udder and teat scores. Methods: Mixed-age, mature Romney ewes (n = 1,009) were enrolled from a commercial sheep flock located in the Wellington region of New Zealand in January 2017. A range of udder and teat traits were scored in all ewes, using visual assessment and palpation, at pre-mating (February), pre-lambing (October), docking (November) and weaning (January 2018). During the lambing period each newborn lamb was matched to its dam, with lamb mortalities recorded until weaning. Associations between udder and teat scores and lamb survival to weaning were examined using multivariable models for each udder-scoring time. Results: Records from 981 ewes and 1,822 live-born lambs were included in analyses, with 252 (13.8%) lambs recorded dead between birth and weaning. Lambs born to ewes with pre-mating udder scores of lump or hard had 4.9 (95% CI = 2.6-9.6, p = 0.003) and 3.0 (95% CI = 1.5-6.1, p < 0.001) increased odds of failure to survive to weaning, respectively, compared with lambs whose dams had normal udder scores. Lambs born to ewes with mastitis at docking or weaning had 3.0 (95% CI = 1.5-5.9, p = 0.001) and 3.9 (95% CI = 1.3-11.6, p = 0.013) increased odds of failure to survive to weaning, respectively, compared with lambs whose dams did not have mastitis. Offspring of dams with asymmetrical udders at docking or weaning had 3.3 (95% CI = 2.2-4.9, p < 0.001) and 2.5 (95% CI = 1.5-4.0, p < 0.001) increased odds of failure to survive, respectively, compared with lambs whose dams had symmetrical udders. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance: Pre-mating udder palpation scores of hard or lump were associated with increased odds of lambs not surviving to weaning compared with normal scores, and could be used to identify ewes that are likely to be unsuitable for retaining in the breeding flock. Farmers could also use clinical mastitis scores and udder symmetry scores at docking or weaning to identify ewes whose lambs had greater odds of failure to survive to weaning. However these scores do not provide an indication of future performance, therefore further investigation into the impact of the present season's score on future seasons' lamb survival is required.

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Fetal and lamb losses from pregnancy scanning to lamb marking in commercial sheep flocks in southern New South Wales

Cited by 26 publications

References 8 publications

A survey of producer practices and reproductive performance of containment and supplementary fed ewes

A survey of producer practices and reproductive performance of containment and supplementary fed ewes

Reducing mob size increases the survival of twin-born Merino lambs when feed-on-offer from pasture is limited and ewes are supplementary fed during lambing

Investigating associations between lamb survival to weaning and dam udder and teat scores

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