Flock Health Checklist - Late Pregnancy and Lambing
Flock Health Checklist
Late Pregnancy and Lambing
Getting this stage right is critical for ensuring a healthy ewe and lambs during the busiest period of your flock calendar.
Having pre-agreed protocols, and keeping a record of issues that arise, will go a long way to making subsequent lambing periods go as smoothly as possible and help reduce the stress of this period.
Find an introduction to some of the areas covered in the late pregnancy and lambing section of the Flock Health Checklist below.
Don't forget to contact your vet to complete your own checklist today!
Nutrition of the Ewe
Getting ewe nutrition right affects a lamb’s whole life.
From 100 days of pregnancy onwards it affects foetal growth, lamb size, health and the lamb’s energy (fat) levels at birth1.
Learn more about how to manage ewe nutrition effectively and make improvements in your flock by completing the checklist with your vet.
Management groups of pregnant ewes should be based on scanning data (litter size) and body condition scores.
Lambing Environment
Sufficient space is required for all animals to lie down, move around and find shelter without touching each other if they choose.
Fresh feed and water are essential, and pens must be clean and
dry!
More information, including important things to have access to during lambing, is available in the checklist.
New Born Lamb Health and Lamb Disease
A healthy ewe is much more likely to produce a healthy lamb. It’s key to focus on management, hygiene and colostrum to prevent disease.
Lambs are susceptible to many conditions and diseases.
Methods of preventing or reducing the risks of common conditions and diseases in lambs are also covered in the lamb health and disease section.
Protocols
Protocols are important, especially around lambing time so all procedures are undertaken in a timely and consistent manner.
Some of the protocols we suggest yearly reviews for include:
- Abortion control and management
- Routine treatments for lambs
- Lambing pens / mothering up
And more!
Contact your vet to complete your Flock Health Checklist!
References
1. AHDB Sheep BRP Manual: Improving ewe nutrition for better returns: https://ahdb.org.uk/
knowledge-library/improving-ewe-nutrition-for-better-returns
2. APHA VIDA surveillance scanning dashboard https://public.tableau.com/profile/siu.apha#!/
vizhome/SheepDashboard_/Overview
