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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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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NSIP Data Entry – Dead At Birth (DAB)

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Not all lambs make it all the way from conception to birth. On occasion we see a litter where some are full term healthy lambs, but there is also a mummy or a partially formed lamb. Deciding how to enter data in these cases can be confusing. But here are some guidelines to help you decide how to enter these lambs.  Keep in mind that the birth type of a lamb is used in adjustments for birth weight. A single lamb that weighs 10 pounds will end up with a lower birth weight EBV than a triplet lamb with a…

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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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Producer Profiles: Lambing Flow in Different Operations

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As producers we organize our barns for lambing according to what works best in our own situation. Here, three producers, from Iowa, Kentucky and Maine, share how they manage their sheep during lambing, with a focus on barn lambing. Producers were asked to describe how their lambing barn is organized and how they manage the flow of ewes and lambs. They also describe the barn's physical structure, lambing and mixing areas, jugs, feeding, recordkeeping and any special considerations, like the use of barn cameras, creep feeding, etc.  John Bare, DVM, Thistlegrove Farm Location: central Iowa Approximate number of ewes/acreage: 70…

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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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Signs and Symptoms: What are your sheep trying to tell you?

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We've all experienced a sick sheep, or at least one that doesn't look quite right, but how do we distinguish a serious illness from one that is mild, or simply normal behavior? While your veterinarian should always be your primary source of medical advice, it's still important that shepherds have the ability to accurately identify and describe any signs and symptoms your animal may be experiencing. When calling your vet, this information will help him/her determine whether a farm visit is necessary or if a plan of care can be initiated by phone. It will also assist you in researching…

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