Health issues at lambing

Watery mouth disease Watery mouth disease is associated with lambs receiving insufficient or delayed intake of colostrum. This allows E. coli to multiply rapidly in the intestines of the young lamb. The E. coli can be acquired from the contaminated fleece and udder while the lamb is searching for the teat. Poor hygiene at lambing and in maintaining individual pens increases the risks. Fresh clean bedding is a must. Disinfect by sprinkling hydrated lime in the pens before re-bedding with plenty of straw. Cleanings should be removed as quickly as possible. Coccidiosis All sheep carry small numbers of coccidia. Infection comes from oocysts, which are passed out in the dung. This infected dung gets on to bedding, grass, troughs and even the teats of ewes. For this reason, it is a greater risk in housed lambs or where ewes and lambs congregate outdoors such as around meal or water troughs. Where possible these troughs should be moved to a clean location regularly. Lambs can generally cope with low levels of challenge but are unable to cope with high levels. Infection can occur in lambs from three weeks of age (younger than worm infection) and lambs usually are immune from eight to 10 weeks of age. While the first lambs to pick up the infection may not show any signs of disease, they facilitate multiplication of the coccidia. This subsequently increases the challenge on pasture for later lambs and these can be badly infected. The most common symptom is bad scouring which stains the tail, wool and back legs. In severe cases, blood will also be present in the scour. The lambs readily become dehydrated and they arch their backs because they suffer stomach pain. If they are not treated quickly, they will die. To reduce the challenge, late-born lambs should not be grazed on pastures that earlier born lambs previously grazed. This is particularly important if there is a long lambing spread. The main treatment used now is Vecoxan, which is an oral dose. If you suspect you have a problem you should consult your vet before undertaking treatment. Lambs already scouring may need electrolytes as well as the Vecoxan dose. Grass issues Quality grass for growth: early lamb growth is dependant on the ewes" milk during the first five-to-six weeks of life. If sward height is greater than 5cm there is generally no need to supplement ewes rearing singles or twins. A sward height of 6cm is capable of giving lamb growth rate of 300g per day. In a rotational grazing system, the target for March and April should be to graze this down to 4cm and then move on to the next paddock. This will help set the farm up for quality grass as the season progresses. However, if grass was not fully grazed off last autumn, there may be lots of grass now but quality could be poor with a lot of dead material at the base. Ewes will milk poorly and lamb thrive will be inadequate on this type of pasture. Paddocks need a rest period of about 120 days over winter and fertiliser nitrogen about six weeks before turnout to ensure adequate grass. Insufficient grass Insufficient grass during early lactation is a more common problem on many sheep farms. This occurs when fields were not rested on time or at all over winter. Milk yield will be low because food intake is inadequate and there is little option but to feed meals. Having to supplement ewes on pasture is costly both in terms of labour and money. It indicates grassland planning is not as good as it should be. You should ask some questions. • Why is there a grass scarcity? • What can I do to correct the situation for next year? If grass is scarce, as a guide, feed 0.75-1.0 kg/head/day during the first three weeks to ewes in good condition and rearing twins. For ewes rearing singles, 0.25-0.5kg should be adequate. Other points on lambing Male lambs that are not going to be slaughtered before the end of August should be castrated. If in doubt, castrate them. Rubber rings are probably the simplest for castration and de-tailing but must be done before lambs are seven days old. You may wish to cull ewes with lambing difficulties, prolapse, poor mothers or daughters of these ewes. You will not remember these without proper records. Consider setting up creep gates to allow lambs creep-graze ahead of ewes pre-weaning. Research has shown that lambs will be 2kg heavier at weaning and therefore ready for slaughter two weeks earlier. Stock proof fencing is essential if this is to work. Fodder shortage Some farmers are running out of silage. Purchasing expensive silage may not be the best solution, particularly if silage quality is poor. Contact your adviser to discuss your options.