SHEEP – for a March/April lambing flock:
Keep watching the calendar, refer to the Sample Flock Health Plan and adjust key management dates to fit your lambing calendar- Continue to monitor ewes’ condition, aiming for CS3 to 3.5 – if you’re unsure about how to do this, see “Managing Your Flock for Peak Health” DVD or watch Adam Henson on our YouTube Channel giving a demonstration
- Scanning: hopefully you will have had good lambing %ages scanned – and if you have a mix of singles, twins and triplets (or more!), now is the time to separate the single-bearing ewes from the multiples so that you can feed each group appropriately. If you’re not able to do this, keep condition-scoring the ewes and make sure none get too fat or too thin.
- Give all ewes a booster vaccination against clostridial diseases and pasturella at between 4-6 weeks before they are due to lamb
- It’s never too early to check you have all the supplies ready for lambing, you can download our Lambing Equipment List for a comprehensive list of everything you’ll need, as well as a few luxury items!
- Continue feeding concentrates at a ‘stepped-up’ rate, adjusted according to the scanning results – we’ve prepared a sample chart and guidance notes to help you calculate the amount of feed you’ll need: Nutritional Management of the Ewe in Late Pregnancy – remember, never feed more than 0.5kg per head at any one feed!
- Check hay and straw supplies are adequate for the outdoor or housed lambing flock, depending on your system.
- If you’ve had your forage analysed and it shows any mineral or trace element deficiencies, consider supplementing the ewes with a mineral drench 4 weeks before lambing
- Ask your vet to Blood test (BOHB) ewes if you are concerned about their nutritional status (protein, energy, trace elements)
- Newborn lambs are very vulnerable to infection, so a few weeks before you are due to bring the flock in, thoroughly disinfect the lambing shed (floor and walls), hurdles, buckets, feeders and hayracks – dilute the disinfectant as indicated, and use a pressure sprayer to get thorough coverage of all surfaces.
- As lambing draws near, observe ewes’ behaviour – separation from the flock may indicate metabolic diseases that can affect ewes in the late stages of pregnancy: Twin Lamb Disease (also called ‘Pregnancy Toxaemia’), Hypocalcaemia (also called ‘Milk Fever’), and Hypomagnesaemia (usually seen after lambing, also called ‘Grass Staggers’). These are life-threatening – see “The Breeding Flock” DVD for descriptions of each of the metabolic diseases, both pre- and post-lambing, and how to treat them, or read our article HERE.
- At lambing: treat navels as soon as possible after birth
- Record birth weights and ‘ease of lambing’ scores – this information is invaluable for selecting replacement breeding ewes for future years
- Clean and disinfect lambing pens between lambings, and use a powder disinfectant (eg. Stalosan) sprinkled on group housing areas at least every other day
- If you find yourself inundated with post-its and reminders of stock tasks needing to be done, treat yourself (or your shepherd!) to one of our handy combined Flock Management & Breeding Flock Planners