Influence of BCS and Weight on Sheep Performance

Influence of BCS and Weight on Sheep Performance

This article was written by Kristy Blankers and Delma Kennedy Introduction Animal efficiency is important to a livestock farm’s bottom line. Therefore, it is beneficial to select for animals that are able to wean more kilograms of lamb per kilogram of mature body weight. Animal performance is influenced by a ewe’s body condition score (BCS) and body weight. To effectively select animals that are more efficient, body weight and BCS must be taken into consideration. Over the past four years, BCS, body weight, and performance data has been collected on farm with the objective of being able to create a genetic evaluation model to select animals that can maximize production per kilogram of mature body weight. With three breeding seasons…

Pregnancy Scanning: Management Tips

Pregnancy Scanning: Management Tips

This blog post was adapted from the OMAFRA Factsheet “Pregnancy Scanning: Management Tips” (AGDEX 433/22) by A. O’Brien. Introduction Pregnancy scanning, using real-time ultrasound equipment, is a useful management tool for Ontario sheep and goat producers. When scanning is performed within the recommended time frame by trained professionals, accuracy of identifying animals that are not pregnant and counting the number of fetuses is high. Pregnancy scanning can be used to assign open ewes to new breeding groups, make culling decisions, and optimize feeding management based on expected litter size. Benefits of Ultrasound Scanning Identify and manage open (not pregnant) ewes or does. Count fetuses to improve feeding management. Improve newborn survival through appropriate feeding management. Determine appropriate dry-off time in…

Improving Lamb Survival

Improving Lamb Survival

Improving lamb survival is an ongoing discussion.  At the June 2019 small ruminant veterinary conference in Guelph, a predominant theme was “Improving Lamb and Kid Survival”.  Lamb survival is often complex and farm specific but researchers from different parts of the world are working on issues and details that affect the survival of small ruminants that may provide ideas to improve lamb survival on your farm. Dr. Cathy Bauman, University of Guelph, talked about neonatal dairy small ruminant survival in intensive rearing conditions.  Two important areas she discussed were record keeping and early life infections. Record Keeping To solve a complex problem, it is critical to keep ongoing records.  Although it is difficult when many animals are being born at…

Managing Rams for a Successful Breeding Season

The ram is the most important member of the flock, yet he does not always get the attention he deserves. Good ram management can determine the success of your breeding program and ensure a profitable lamb crop. Sperm production in rams takes 49 days, therefore it is important to remember that you will not see the effects of any management changes for almost 7-8 weeks. You’ll want to ensure rams are well looked after in the two month period leading up to the breeding season as it will have a direct effect on the quality of sperm and fertility of the ram. Testicle size is a good indicator of a ram’s sperm producing ability, which can be assessed using scrotal circumference.…

Sheep Reproduction Basics and Conception Rates

To run a profitable sheep operation, producers must understand the details of many different disciplines and how they interrelate. One of the basic aspects of a sheep farming operation is to make sure that ewes become pregnant and have lambs. It is important to understand the basic physiology of the reproductive cycle to ensure that management decisions do not prevent ewes from becoming pregnant. Conception rate varies between season, age, breed and lambing system. Understanding the effect of these factors will enable you to determine what a good conception rate is for your farm. Read more in the OMAFRA factsheet Sheep Reproduction Basics and Conception Rates.

Alberta Lamb Producers Management Modules

The Alberta Lamb Producers have worked with Alberta Agriculture and other organizations to create comprehensive management modules.  The modules that have been created to date are:  The Busine$$ of Sheep and Flock Snapshot, Sheep and Goat Management in Alberta – Reproduction, Sheep and Goat Management in Alberta – Health and Sheep and Goat Management in Alberta – Nutrition.  These modules can be downloaded from the Alberta Lamb Producers website.  To view the web page, click the link below: Alberta Lamb Producers Management Modules Web Page  

What is a Good Conception Rate? Reproduction Basics Relating to Conception

A new factsheet is available from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. In order to run a profitable sheep operation producers are required to understand the details of many different disciplines and how they interrelate. One of the basic aspects of a sheep farming operation is to make sure that ewes become pregnant and have lambs. It is important to understand the basic physiology of the reproductive cycle to ensure that management decisions do not prevent ewes from becoming pregnant. Conception rate varies between season, age, breed and lambing system. Understanding the effect of these factors will enable you to determine what a good conception rate is for your farm. To read more click here to the download the Sheep Reproduction…

Activity Management Calendar

A simple activity management calendar has been set up in excel that can be used to plan breeding and lambing dates for your operation. There are three templates for the activity calendar: annual, accelerated 3×2 and accelerated 5×3. These templates have been set up using common timeframes and activities for each production system. The templates are a starting point which you can use to customize a calendar for your specific operation. Activities can be added and the existing timeframes can be changed. The templates have been set up from two points of view. One centers the dates of all activities around the date the ram is put in with the ewes and the other centers the dates of activities around…

2011 Reproduction Survey

A reproduction survey was circulated to Ontario sheep producers in 2011.  The survey was done to gather general information about the breeding methods and protocols that Ontario producers are using as well as to obtain some indication of how well those methods are working. The response to the survey was very good with 107 surveys completed and a further 35 surveys providing most of the survey information.  The average flock size of those participating was 191 ewes.  The 154 producers who began the survey have 37 different breeds of sheep represented on their farms not counting different crossbreds. The most common breeds were Dorset, Rideau and Suffolk.  Sixty – eight percent of producers are using an annual breeding program with…

Choosing Breeds for Producing Profitable Market Lambs

A new factsheet is available from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. The Ontario sheep industry has yet to determine an optimum production system for profitability or what specific breeds and breed crosses will result in the most profitable enterprise to produce today’s premium lamb under Ontario conditions. New entrants to the industry are faced with many breeds to choose from and little objective data. As a result, it is important for producers to have a strong business plan formulated before choosing breeds. When starting in the sheep industry, it is important to determine the production system and the market product for the business before choosing the breed or breeds of sheep that will be used in…