Using genotypes to reduce susceptibility to Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP)

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Sheep GEMS News Brief 5 – late-August 2024 In the U.S., the disease Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP) causes extensive welfare and financial losses due to decreased ewe productivity of about 20% and eventual culling or death of breeding stock. Surveys of U.S. sheep have shown that 36% of sheep operations have infected animals and 24% of all animals tested were seropositive. Once infected, sheep remain infected for life, and there is no effective treatment or vaccine. Sheep producers can eradicate OPP from a flock in two ways. First, is by serological testing and removing all infected sheep with the obvious…

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Biosecurity Testing

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Sheep can be affected by infectious diseases that affect the productivity of your flock. Some diseases can only be transmitted by close contact between sheep, as the organisms responsible only survive in the environment for a short time. Other diseases can be spread via people, vehicles, birds, insects and wildlife, as the organisms responsible can survive in the environment for extended periods of time. It is easier to keep diseases that are spread directly from one sheep to another out of your flock: Make sure that your animals stay confined to your property Keep other sheep fenced out of your…

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Three Common Genetic Defects to Look for when Buying or Selling Sheep

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As the 4th Annual EAPK sale approaches, we’re expecting some very high quality Katahdins available for purchase in our unique sale format.  This hybrid sale gives eligible consignors the option to either physically bring their animals to the EAPK Symposium & Sale or consign them to the online sale only.  Buyers attending the EAPK Symposium will have an advantage in that they will have the opportunity to talk to the breeder and inspect the animals they’re interested in purchasing.  Because some breeders may be unable to attend, they will still have the option of consigning animals to the online auction…

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Prepubic Tendon Rupture

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Pregnant ewes experience a tremendous strain on their abdominal muscles and tendons as their lambs grow, especially during the last few weeks of pregnancy. The abdominal muscles and tendons are attached to the ribcage, vertebrae and pelvis (grey lines in picture) with the muscles and tendons forming a hammock (pink) that supports the abdominal organs. As the lambs grow, this hammock stretches and gets thinner and is under more pressure. The prepubic tendon (red X in the picture) is made up of the tendons of multiple abdominal muscles and attaches along the lower rim of the pelvis, just above the…

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Orphan Lamb Considerations

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Sooner or later, nearly every shepherd has a lamb that needs to be supplemented. Whether it's a rejected lamb, one whose dam has died, or simply a lamb whose dam has insufficient milk, identifying these lambs early and getting them off to a good start is essential. Other lambs at special risk include twins out of yearling dams, triplets or quads, and lambs whose dams have or have had mastitis. Start by ensuring they receive adequate colostrum at birth and then supplement with a good quality milk replacer through weaning. It's best, when possible, for a lamb to be raised…

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Ruminations on Lambing Season

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Lambing season encompasses the last few weeks of gestation through lambing and early lactation. There are a lot of preventable problems that can arise during this season and derail the health and productivity of your ewes and lamb crop. Below is a compilation of management tips to help keep your pregnant ewes healthy, get your lambs off to a good start and decrease the stress and workload for tired shepherds. These tips are compiled from EAPK blogs and newsletters published during 2021-2023. Preparation for lambing Nutrition and exercise Make sure that you are providing adequate nutrition and exercise for your…

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Colostrum

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The best diet that you can offer your lambs is good quality colostrum, followed by milk that they consume straight from their healthy, well-fed dam. Unfortunately, things do not always go as planned and all shepherds should be ready to, at least temporarily, supplement or replace a lamb's colostrum needs in case their dam is unable to do so. What is colostrum? The "milk" that ewes produce in the days leading up to lambing and is available to her lambs on the first day after lambing is called colostrum. It is "liquid gold" that contains antibodies to all the diseases…

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Lambing Interventions

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We all love finding new lambs all dried off and nursing, but sometimes ewes need a little help to get there. In general, less intervention is better and if ewes are not having trouble, they will do better lambing and bonding with their lambs if you do not disturb them while in labor. Know what to look for as signs of distress and be sure to intervene sooner rather than later if it is needed. Before lambing starts, make sure that you have some way lined up to be able to catch and restrain a ewe in distress. My favorite…

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Winter Grazing for Livestock: Enhancing Animal Performance, Health, and Farm Profitability

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Winter grazing for livestock offers numerous benefits that extend beyond traditional feeding practices. This article explores the advantages of winter grazing, including improved animal performance, enhanced animal health, reduced labor for farmers, and ultimately, improved profitability. Improved Animal Performance: Winter grazing allows animals to continue their natural behaviors which limits exposure to mud and pathogens that often occur at hay feeding stations. Research by Johnson et al. (2018, "Effects of Winter Grazing System on Cow Performance and Pasture Productivity") demonstrates that properly managed winter grazing can maintain or even enhance body condition in livestock leading to improved reproductive performance and…

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Meningeal Worm

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Meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), also known as deer worm or brain worm, is a parasite of white tail deer that typically causes disease in sheep in the late summer and fall. In deer, the adult P. tenuis worms live on the membranes covering their brains, the meninges. In most deer there is no adverse effect from the parasites. Female worms lay eggs on the meningeal membranes, they hatch, the larvae migrate into the bloodstream and travel to the lungs. Here larvae are coughed up and swallowed, passing through the intestinal tract and larvae are excreted with the deer manure. These…

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