Polioencephalomalacia (PEM or Polio) is a common disease in sheep. Unlike the human form of Polio, it is not a viral infection, but a neurological disease characterized by brain swelling that, if left untreated, progresses to degeneration of brain tissue due to pressure necrosis. Early treatment is critical to lamb
To best express their genetic potential, sheep must be in optimal body condition. Both overly fat sheep and sheep that are too thin are not as productive as they can potentially be. Body condition scoring (BCS) enables you to identify the animals that fall outside of a preferred range. You
Gestation in sheep varies from 142 to 152 days with the average being 147 days. Just like people, individual pregnancies can vary, gestation periods of 138 to 159 days are not unheard of. Ewes carrying multiple lambs tend to have shorter gestations while male lambs (and heavy birth weight lambs) are usually carried for longer than female lambs. The form above calculates the lambing date based on a 147 day gestation period.
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