Mortality of Dairy Sheep during the Peri-Parturient Period: Results of a Field Investigation in Greece

Politis, Antonis P.; Vasileiou, N.G.C.; Cripps, Peter; Liagka, Dimitra V.; Boufis, Petros T.; Valasi, I.; Mavrogianni, V.S.; Fthenakis, George C.

doi:10.3390/ani11082172

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 26 publications

(43 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This was consistent with beliefs that pregnancy toxaemia and ewes being too heavy at lambing were the main causes of mortality of triplet-bearing ewes. It is well recognised that over-fat ewes, especially those with multiple foetuses, are at greater risk of pregnancy toxaemia due to the direct and indirect effects of excessive fat on feed intake [ 22 , 23 ]. Optimising the condition score of triplet-bearing ewes will also be influenced by the impacts of condition score on lamb survival, and low birthweight was perceived to be a more dominant cause of mortality of triplet- compared to twin-born lambs by producers in our study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive Performance of Triplet-Bearing Ewes on Commercial Farms and Research Priorities Identified by Sheep Producers to Improve the Survival of Triplet-Bearing Ewes and Their Lambs

Thompson

Allington

Blumer

et al. 2023

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Consultation with sheep producers was used to quantify the mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs, identify management practices adopted by producers to reduce these losses and prioritise future research needs to improve the survival of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs. Surveys were completed by 64 producers across Australia who identified and separated triplet-bearing ewes from twin-bearing ewes in 2017 and/or 2018. On average, 5.9% of all ewes mated were identified as carrying triplets (6.6% of non-Merino ewes and 2.9% of Merino ewes). The average mortality of triplet-bearing ewes was 6.4%, and ewe mortality did not differ significantly between ewe breeds. The average survival of triplet-born lambs was 59%, and survival was significantly higher for lambs from non-Merino compared to Merino ewes (60.1 vs. 52.9%, p < 0.05). The key strategies adopted to reduce the mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs included management of condition score, feed-on-offer, mob size at lambing and use of shelter. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in the average mortality of triplet-bearing ewes or their lambs between producers that prioritised the adoption of certain management practices. However, significant variation existed between producers in their targets at lambing for ewe condition score (2.8 to 3.5), mob size (10 to 150 ewes) and feed-on-offer (800 to 2500 kg dry matter/ha). Overwhelmingly, the highest priorities for further research identified by producers from surveys, workshops and a webinar were ewe condition score, mob size, feed-on-offer at lambing and mineral supplementation. This study informs benchmarks for mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs under extensive grazing conditions in Australia, and the priorities for future research to reduce these losses.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive Performance of Triplet-Bearing Ewes on Commercial Farms and Research Priorities Identified by Sheep Producers to Improve the Survival of Triplet-Bearing Ewes and Their Lambs

Thompson

Allington

Blumer

et al. 2023

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Forensic investigations of suspected livestock depredation by vultures: scientific tools for compensation programmes

Rebollada-Merino,

Gómez-Buendía,

Domínguez

et al. 2024

Journal of Comparative Pathology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Identification of risk factors for ewe mortality during the pregnancy and lambing period in extensively managed flocks

Flay,

Chen,

Yang

et al. 2023

BMC Vet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Ewe mortality during pregnancy and lambing is an issue for sheep producers globally, resulting in reduced productivity and profitability, compromised ewe welfare, and poor consumer perception. Despite these negative consequences, there was little investigation into factors associated with ewe death during this time. Therefore, this study aimed to assess associations between ewe body condition score (BCS), weight, reproductive parameters, and risk of mortality during pregnancy and lambing. Methods Four cohorts from three commercial New Zealand farms participated, with 13,142 ewe lambs enrolled and followed over time. Data were collected for five consecutive lambings. Visits aligned with key on-farm management times, specifically: prior to breeding, at pregnancy diagnosis (PD), prior to lambing (set-stocking), and, at weaning of their lambs. At each visit, ewes were weighed, BCS assessed and reproductive status was recorded when relevant (litter size at PD and lactation status after lambing). Ewes that died or were culled were recorded, and any ewes that were absent from consecutive visits were presumed dead. Logistic regressions were developed to assess the relationship between weight and BCS at each visit, PD result (single or multiple-bearing) and lactation status (wet or dry) in each year, and, risk of mortality during the pregnancy and lambing period in each year. Results In the PD to weaning period, mortality incidence ranged from 6.3 to 6.9% for two-tooth (18-months-old at breeding) to mixed-age (54-months-old at breeding) ewes. For ewe lambs (7 to 8-months-old at breeding), mortality was 7.3% from set-stocking to weaning. Heavier ewe lambs at PD were less likely to die during lambing (OR: 0.978, p = 0.013), as were those with greater set-stocking BCS. In subsequent years, BCS was a predictor of ewe death, with odds of mortality greatest for ewes < BCS 2.5. Additionally, for poorer BCS ewes, increasing weight reduced risk of mortality, but there was no impact of increasing weight in greater BCS ewes. Conclusions This study identified risk factors associated with ewe mortality during the pregnancy and lambing period. Flock owners can use these to either cull at-risk ewes or proactively intervene to reduce likelihood of mortality, thereby improving flock productivity, profitability and welfare.

show abstract

Mortality of Dairy Sheep during the Peri-Parturient Period: Results of a Field Investigation in Greece

Cited by 3 publications

References 26 publications

Reproductive Performance of Triplet-Bearing Ewes on Commercial Farms and Research Priorities Identified by Sheep Producers to Improve the Survival of Triplet-Bearing Ewes and Their Lambs

Reproductive Performance of Triplet-Bearing Ewes on Commercial Farms and Research Priorities Identified by Sheep Producers to Improve the Survival of Triplet-Bearing Ewes and Their Lambs

Forensic investigations of suspected livestock depredation by vultures: scientific tools for compensation programmes

Identification of risk factors for ewe mortality during the pregnancy and lambing period in extensively managed flocks

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About