Udder Health in Ewes: Mastitis, Udder Scores and Management

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Ewes only have two teats and hopefully raise at least twin lambs, so maintaining healthy udders and culling ewes with udder problems is important to minimize lamb losses and bottle lambs while ensuring optimal growth of lambs on your farm. Mastitis leads to lower weaning weights in lambs of affected dams, takes time and money for treatment, as well as slowing down genetic progress due to forced culling of ewes. Rates of mastitis are variable across different farms. It is important to keep track of the percentage of ewes that get mastitis each year or are culled for lumpy udders…

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Shepherd to Shepherd: Introducing our NEW Producer Forum

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Sharing experiences is the hallmark of education. In this new producer forum, four experienced EAPK members enrolled in NSIP, from very diverse areas of the U.S., answer questions and share their knowledge and insights into shepherding. In a series of interviews, Lynn Fahrmeier (Fahrmeier Katahdins, Western Missouri), Michelle Canfield (Canfield Farms, Western Washington), Roxanne Newton (Hound River Farm, South Georgia), and Etienne and Isabel Richards (Gibraltar Farm, Central NY) describe their operations, unique challenges and what traits and qualities best fit their goals, management system and environment. The interviews will continue throughout the year with additional questions. In 2023, a new…

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Selling Lamb Retail Cuts Off-Farm

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There is a continuing trend among animal product consumers – they want sustainably and humanely raised meat, milk and eggs. Generation Z is the driving force behind consumers wanting to know exactly where their food comes from and the values behind the farming operation. With this trend, many cattle, hog, and sheep producers are selling animals to customers and sending the purchased animals off for custom processing. Other producers may be choosing to sell retail cuts in a roadside shop or farmers markets. If selling lamb directly off the farm is something your operation is currently doing or has discussed…

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Prolapses in Sheep

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There are three structures that can prolapse and be visible under a ewe's tail: vagina, uterus and rectum. Vaginal and uterine prolapses can affect ewes around lambing and will be discussed here. Vaginal Prolapse A vaginal prolapse occurs when a ewe's vagina protrudes out of her vulva. Most prolapses occur in the last few days or weeks of pregnancy. It usually starts with the ewe laying down and you just see a small little ball of red tissue protruding from the vulva that retracts when she stands up. This is the ideal time to start treatment and prevent it from…

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The Shepherd’s Toolbox: Supplies to have on-hand before you need them

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Fall and early Winter, when the seasonal workload lessens, is often a good time to focus on our sheep supply inventory. We usually think of this when getting ready for lambing, but as shepherds we should always be prepared throughout the year for emergencies, mishaps, and unforeseen circumstances. Having some key supplies on-hand can prevent undue delay in necessary treatment and management of your flock. Following is a list of important items shepherds should have on hand, including basic handling equipment. Support Network Veterinarian – Probably the most important "tool" is a good working relationship with a veterinarian. It's best…

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Pregnancy Diagnosis

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There are various options for diagnosing pregnancy in sheep. The cost/benefit analysis for doing this procedure depends on what you are going to do with the information. Your reasons for doing pregnancy diagnosis will also dictate which method you want to employ. In general, the earlier in pregnancy the diagnosis is made, the larger the risk of false positive results due to early embryonic loss. If avoiding false positive pregnancy diagnosis is essential to your production, it might be better to postpone diagnostic testing so ewes are closer to 60 days pregnant before testing. Available diagnostic tests: Blood tests: Pregnancy…

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Making Genetic Progress

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As breeders of purebred livestock, attention to genetic progress should be at the forefront of our selection programs. The equation below summarizes the components that contribute to genetic progress. indicates change in genetics ( stands for change, G stands for genetics). Genetic progress can be improved by increasing those components in the numerator (Accuracy, Selection Intensity, and Genetic Variation) and decreasing those traits in the denominator (Generation Interval). Each component is described in greater detail below. Accuracy: Accuracy values represent the relationship between the "estimated" breeding value and "true" breeding value. Increased accuracy results from greater records in the evaluation…

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Selecting for Maternal Traits Drives Profit

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Katahdins are raised in diverse environments using a wide range of management styles and for a variety of reasons. However, there should be a few common goals in any flock. In addition to being a shedding hair breed, Katahdins have always been viewed as an easy keeping maternal breed. In recent years, many breeders have also begun selecting for parasite resistance to make the breed even more easy keeping. We know that the number one predictor of profitability in a ewe flock is the "Pounds of Lamb Weaned per Ewe Exposed." This metric combines several maternal traits. This article will…

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Transporting Sheep Safely

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Summer is often the busiest time for transporting sheep since the buying and purchasing of new animals is at its peak. It is also the season for hauling animals to sales, shows, fairgrounds and livestock markets. Unfortunately, it can also be the most stressful time for animals with long trips, escalating temperatures, and crowded conditions. This article attempts to address some of those concerns and provide a plan for preparing for the trip, ways to reduce stress and keep animals healthy during transport, and how to handle new arrivals to maintain biosecurity on your farm. First and foremost, do not…

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Selecting Your Next Breeding Ram

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Achieving genetic progress and meeting your production goals depend in large part on selecting the right breeding ram for your flock. No animal has greater influence on genetic progress (or lack thereof) than your breeding ram. Selecting a new sire should be considered an investment in the genetic future of your flock. We all know that the ram provides 50% of his genetics to his offspring and we often hear the phrase that "your ram is half your flock", so careful selection is important. For many breeders it all starts with the phenotype. That is, the physical appearance of the…

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