Avoiding lamb losses and maximising birthweights North Yorkshire Commoners take co-ordinated approach

from Farmers Guide December 2022

Comfortable and capable

Avoiding lamb losses and maximising birthweights

Ewes with poor BCS, low colostrum intake and bacteria in the environment are key causes of lamb losses and low birth weights. And after a particularly dry summer, farms in some areas may need to pay particular attention to ewe nutrition in the lead up to lambing.

Insu cient record keeping is one of the most common pitfalls seen around lambing, explained Sophie O er, of Cross Counties Farm Vets, part of the VetPartners Group. Although challenging during the busy lambing period, keeping good records – e.g., lamb and ewe losses and the causes, abortions and medications given – make it easier to pinpoint where problems occurred and take action to prevent further losses.

Not investigating problems as they happen is another issue – for example, blood testing after lambing due to higher abortion rates can be useful, but it’s more bene cial to send o lamb and placenta samples at the time of the abortion, as more diseases can be tested for. “If you are experiencing problems over lambing time, always ring the vet for advice sooner rather than later,” Ms O er said.

She highlighted the following as key causes of lamb losses and poor birthweights: • Ewes with poor BCS: Monitoring in the lead up to lambing is key. Low birthweight lambs have less brown fat reserves to help them generate heat in early life, and lower glucose, so they take longer to suckle and are more susceptible to hypothermia, starvation and infection • Low colostrum intake: This increases the risk of disease and death in the pre-weaning period and is caused by poor supply from the ewe, low birth weights, hypothermia, mis-mothering and multiple births. All lambs require 50ml high-quality colostrum per kg of bodyweight in the rst two hours after birth and a total of 200mls/kg over the rst 24 hours • Bacteria build up in the environment: Can lead to illnesses such as watery mouth, navel ill, septicaemia, joint ill and mastitis. Hygiene and colostrum management is especially important now Spectam has been taken o the market. Disease challenge can be lowered in numerous ways, but it is vital to isolate sick animals quickly, dispose of afterbirths (especially aborted ones), regularly cleanout/ disinfect sheds/individual pens, and ensure stomach tubes, water and feed buckets are disinfected between lambs.

Summer 2022 was challenging and the limited grass supply in some areas may have a ected ewe condition. “So now they have moved on to conserved forages, it is important to analyse either the grass or hay, and know what they’re getting,” said Cargill ruminant specialist Donald MacLeod. “This information is critical to rationing heavily pregnant ewes, where the fast-growing lambs limit dry matter intakes. There’s less space available for feed in the rumen, so it’s critical that the correct inputs of energy, protein and all the ewe’s other requirements are met.”

Going to tup with a poorer BCS can lead to problems such as coming into oestrus slowly or unpredictably, foetal reabsorption and having a low lambing %, Ms O er explained. Scoring should be done at scanning so ewes can be separated based on their BCS and number of lambs and supplementary feeding can be targeted to the ewes that need it most. Target BCS at scanning is 2.0 for hill breeds, 2.5 for upland breeds and 3.0 for lowland breeds.

With 70% of foetal growth and most of the mammary gland development occurring in the last six weeks of pregnancy, blood testing 3-4 weeks before lambing is recommended so changes can be made in time if the ration is not meeting their needs, Ms O er said. Ideally, sample at least ve sheep from each management group (e.g. singles, twins, triplets). Samples are usually tested for Beta hydroxybutyrate, UreaN and Albumin. BCS and feed analysis should also be taken into consideration alongside blood results, she advised.

For ewe feeds, Mr MacLeod recommended a concentrate feed with high quality protein, such as sustainable soya, and high energy from cereals, and maybe a protected fat. “Those carrying multiple lambs will also need extra supplies of a good quality mineral containing selenium and vitamin E to support their antioxidant status and promote quality colostrum.”

With research suggesting that 15-20% of lambs die within the rst 24 hours of birth, predominantly due to hypothermia and starvation, Mr MacLeod stresses the importance of good quality colostrum and su cient milk. “Shepherdess colostrum and milk, for example, have a good track record here,” he says. “These products are easy to mix and use on farm, particularly through the purpose-designed Shepherdess feeder. The lamb milk is very closely formulated to match the nutritional value of maternal milk and it includes the advanced gut health package NuStart that helps lambs through the vital early growth period.”

To prepare for a successful lambing season, Ms O er advises the following: • Have a lambing box ready to go containing: a selection of needles and syringes, iodine 10%, castration rings and ring applicator, lubricant gel, lambing ropes/snare, thermometer, marksman spray, stomach tubes, disinfectant, prolapse harnesses • Have the relevant medicines to hand:

Antibiotics, anti-in ammatories, calcium and magnesium supplements, twin lamb supplement and powdered colostrum. Draw up protocols with your vet on what drugs to use when • A booster clostridial vaccination needs to be given to all breeding ewes 4-6 weeks before lambing, to help control clostridial disease in lambs. Any breeding sheep not previously vaccinated with a clostridial vaccine must receive two injections, each of 2ml, separated by an interval of 4-6 weeks, so allow enough time pre-lambing to t this in. Other vaccinations such as Footvax and Scabivax are very farm speci c so best to speak to your vet about the best timings for these • Many vet practices o er lambing workshops which can help freshen up your knowledge and skills – Farm IQ has a ‘Successful Lambing’ course. FG

Beef, Sheep & Lambing Calf catcher “the best money we’ve ever spent”, farmer says

Designed and built by Aberdeenshire farmer Gordon Stephen, the Calf Catcher makes it quicker, easier, and safer to carry out calf tagging and other routine tasks. Sarah Kidby spoke to two farmers who have used the innovative system.

James Barnetson, of Lynegar Farm in Watten, Wick, was the rst farmer to purchase a Calf Catcher back in 2017. He has since recommended it to a number of other farmers who have gone on to purchase one. Previously, catching and tagging calves took two hours every morning and required 2-3 people, but James can now get the job done alone in at least half the time.

The farm, which calves outdoors as much as possible, has 200 suckler cows, mostly Aberdeen Angus and 1,000 breeding ewes spanning 1,300 acres. James describes the Calf Catcher as a “tremendous bit of kit”. As well as saving time and hassle, another unique bene t is being able to move cows easily to a new eld after calving, as they will follow the calf in the catcher.

The Calf Catcher is a cage that runs on two wheels alongside the ATV or UTV. The operator follows the calf until it is in the cage, then uses a level to release a sprung loaded gate. Tasks such as tagging can then be performed safely, causing less stress to cows as they can see their calf in the cage.

Although there have been tweaks to the system since its launch – it is now galvanised, for example –James still has the original system he purchased ve years ago and has never needed any adjustments or upgrades.

Rattray Estate near Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, purchased a Calf Catcher in 2018, when they were dealing with “continental cows with an attitude problem”, explains farm manager Calum Clark, who says it was “the best money we’ve ever spent on the farm”.

The farm calves 100 spring calving cows from April to June, mostly native bred beef shorthorns plus some continentals. Being very much a ‘one-man band’, catching and tagging calves had previously been very cumbersome but the Calf Catcher means he can catch, tag, dehorn and castrate the calves if necessary whilst safely within the cage. Hitching and unhitching takes only a couple of minutes, and the brackets are now uniform so the Calf Catcher can be tted to almost any ATV or UTV.

“It’s a huge time saver. It’s quieter on the bike, better on rough ground and safer, not just for me but for the calves,” Calum says.

After using the machine for two years, Calum sent it back to Gordon for a couple of modi cations, which were completed quickly and the machine has since been “perfect”. He adds: “Being galvanised it can sit outside all year round without any issues with rust. It’s virtually maintenance free”.

The Calf Catcher was originally designed and built by Gordon to handle a calf with a very aggressive mother. There are now about 60 catchers working in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Denmark and Romania.

To watch the machine in action, visit: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=cBHbYINgCBQ FG