Genetic Approaches to Parasite Control

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Sheep GEMS News Brief 12 – March 2025 In the last Sheep GEMS news brief, we talked about the impact of parasites on production, and it was eluded that genetic selection can be a very promising means to manage worm parasites. Continuing with the Sheep GEMS theme of breeding for climatic resilience and robustness across environments, parasite resistant sheep express improved fitness. Determining fecal egg counts (FEC) at the time of weaning and post-weaning is a measure of parasite resistance already included in the National Sheep Improvement Program (NSIP). Collaboration with the GEMS innovation flocks and 3 USDA ARS facilities…

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How do Parasites Affect Production?

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Sheep GEMS News Brief 11 – Late February 2025 Gastrointestinal parasites are one of the main health concerns for grazing sheep because available dewormers are largely ineffective due to dewormer resistance. Parasitic worms are a year-round problem in tropical and sub-tropical environments affecting millions of small ruminants world-wide. However, resistance to multiple deworming drugs is common in small ruminants. Infection with gastrointestinal nematode parasites can cause reduced weight gains, fertility, fiber and milk production, as well as cause anemia, diarrhea, and death. The most pathogenic worm species is barber pole worm or Haemonchus contortus is a blood sucker and can…

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Identifying Your Fastest Growing Lambs

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It’s easy to look at your lambs and pick out those that are bigger than the rest. But is that the best way to identify the lambs with the greatest genetic potential for growth? Unfortunately, selection for growth traits is not that simple because your biggest lambs are likely to be those that are single born or twin ram lambs out of a ewe in her prime. Lambs like that have had the easiest path to fast growth, but may not carry the genetics for this important trait.  Here are some things to consider when selecting for growth: Adjust your…

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Preparing for the Storm

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As many are aware, and many experienced, extreme weather devastated the southeast region last fall. These storms caused significant loss of life and billions of dollars in damages. As we reflect on these losses and look ahead to future extreme weather events, we need to consider the resiliency of our operations. Some questions that I have pondered over the last few months include; how reliant is a flock on outside resources? How adapted are livestock to their environment? If you were shut off from the world for a week, would you and your flock survive? What about for two weeks?…

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Management Intensive Grazing

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I realized the benefits of grazing early on in my livestock career. Most everybody that I knew had animals on grass; it was the confinement operations that seemed so farfetched to me. It wasn’t until I heard someone talking about a form of rotational grazing called “Management Intensive Grazing” or “MIG” that I started to think about grazing in a whole new way. Instead of just turning animals into a pasture and letting them eat all that was there, even though most of the time that wasn’t much, you would just give the animals a small portion of the pasture…

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Genetic Aspects of Udder Health

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Sheep GEMS News Brief 10 – February 2025 In the last Sheep GEMS news brief, we presented the economics of subclinical mastitis in meat and wool ewes. Despite the major production impact that subclinical mastitis poses, the only way to diagnose it involves collecting and testing milk from every ewe. Take it from the guy who has milked the rankest Rambouillet and most cantankerous Katahdin ewes, you don’t want to go down that road! So, we’re at a bit of an impasse; we have a disease that costs us money, but we don’t know which ewes have it. How can…

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Fall Lambing Considerations

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Experienced Polypay producer, John Anderson of Lambshire Polypays in Ohio, shares some sage advice and techniques on how he successfully lambs in the fall without the use of CIDRs or other artificial methods. John lambs exclusively in the fall now after nearly 40 years of accelerated lambing using both the STAR system and three times per year. Why lamb in the fall? There are many benefits to lambing in the fall. Fall born lambs often bring better prices at market than those born in the spring. Pasture lambing in the fall can match fall forage growth. In many parts of…

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 Using CIDRs for Precision Management

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The use of estrus synchronization has many benefits. The timing and length of the breeding season is directly related to the timing and length of the lambing season. A more concise breeding season will result in a more concise subsequent lambing season. This can improve labor efficiency (minimize the number of nights you have to check the barn), improve uniformity of the lamb crop, increase average age and weight of the lamb crop, and allow for more grafting opportunities if needed. Additionally, if we know within a few days when the majority of lambs will be born, we can better…

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Economic Impacts of Udder Diseases

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Sheep GEMS News Brief 9 – January 2025 A nationwide survey conducted in 2011 by the USDA APHIS estimated that 14% of U.S. ewes (402,000 head) are culled each year. Of ewes culled, 56% are removed for old age. Culling for age is a good thing as these ewes have been productive for years, but we have limited resources and need to make room for younger, genetically superior females. The flip side is that 44% of cull ewes leave the flock early, which is not a good thing. The most common reasons for culling ewes prematurely are failure to lamb…

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Size Matters

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From the perspective of a long-time, full-time farmer, this article will address the topic of mature ewe size. As we seek to improve the growth and performance of our lambs, we are also producing larger adult animals. The harder we push for improved growth and performance, the faster we accelerate the trend toward bigger ewes. Big sheep catch our attention. We may have an inborn human preference for bigger animals. The bigger sheep seem superior to the small ones. They win lots of ribbons at the sheep shows. A majority of my seed stock customers purchase the biggest animals in…

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