The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
A farm vet practice in Perth and the run up to Tupping
The sudden and unexpected loss of all farm animal veterinary service based in Perth has left a number of farmers concerned for the future. Forth Valley Vets, a Stirling based practice specialising in large animal work, are pleased to announce that they are now attending farm clients in the Perth area. The practice ethos of high quality work provided by a team of vets specialising in farm work will service the ever expanding client base in the Perth area. In close conjunction with the parent practice in Stirling, the practice will offer high quality veterinary work and advice.
In this article, three of the practice’s farm vets, Diether Prins, Eleanor Legg and Tom Jenkins discuss some preparatory steps worth considering over the next few weeks in the run up to tupping:
With the current uncertainties facing the farming industry, efficient production in the sheep flock is even more important than ever, this means maximising the number of lambs sold per ewe. Action taken now in the run up to tupping can lead to a good lambing next year.
Nutrition
“Nutrition of sheep is a subject that could be discussed endlessly in fine detail”, says Eleanor. However of particular note when looking to increase lambing percentage is the effect of flushing ewes pre tupping. Ensuring that ewes are on a rising plain of body condition when the tups go out, through use of good grass or supplementary feeding, increases the number of eggs the ewe ovulates and ultimately the number of lambs she will have. There is even suggestion that a single, correctly timed high energy drench will have a similar effect.
Flushing ewes on good grass increases the number of eggs they ovulate.
Nutrition of the tup is often overlooked but it is important that he is in good condition to work at his best. Tups should be aiming for a condition score of 3.5-4.0 when turned out.
Lameness Management
Ensuring that ewes and especially tups have good feet going into the breeding period increases the number of services and ultimately the number of lambs. Tom acknowledges that the control of lameness in sheep is a subject which probably justifies more than the space allowed in this article and should be an important part of your farm health plan.
A lame tup will not work to his full potential.
Tup Fertility
There is nothing more frustrating than discovering a tup you thought was working is not. Use of raddle or marker crayons highlights ewes returning and will alert an observant shepherd to a problem and is to be strongly recommended. Alongside this, pre-breeding fertility testing any tups whose ability to work is doubted will allow problems to be picked up before time is lost. A physical examination of all tups will pick up a high proportion of fertility issues without the need for semen testing. Scanning the tups lungs for evidence of Jaagsietke (OPA) can also be worthwhile at this check.
Fertility management in ewes Infectious Abortion
Sponges are widely used in sheep flocks to both synchronise oestrus and to bring ewes into season earlier in the year. Bringing the breeding season forward has the obvious advantage of an earlier lambing. Synchronisation of oestrus can be used either when artificial insemination is being used or to produce a tight lambing period for maximising labour at lambing, grazing management and finishing lambs efficiently.
Using vasectomised or “teaser” tups are another way to tighten the lambing period and bring tupping forward in the year. The straightforward procedure to vasectomise a tup can be carried out on farm or ‘pre-made’ teasers can be bought in.
Infectious abortion not only causes the obvious losses but can also be responsible for ewes seen barren at scanning and the birth of weakly poor lambs. “In short, infection will cut into the lambing percentage from start to finish with visible abortions representing the tip of a much bigger iceberg” says Diether.
Just two infectious diseases, Enzootic Abortion and Toxoplasmosis, account for over threequarters of all abortions diagnosed in veterinary laboratories nationwide. There also evidence that they are even more prevalent. Fortunately these are also the two causes for which vaccines are available.
The more visible evidence of infectious abortion is often the tip of an iceberg.
The vaccines are one off injections giving long lasting immunity. The injections should be given at least 3-4 weeks prior to tupping so it's worth acting now if you intend to vaccinate.
About the authors:
Diether Prins is a European specialist in Farm animal medicine with 14 years experience working in farm animal practice, including a period lecturing at Glasgow University Vet School before joining Forth Valley Vets.
Eleanor Legg graduated from Edinburgh in 2005 and has led a farm animal focused career since then. She spent five years as the head of a farm animal department at a practice in the borders before her move to Forth Valley.
Following his graduation from Glasgow in 2013, Tom Jenkins spent a brief period working at a dairy practice in Cumbria before joining Forth Valley’s farm animal team where he has spent four years taking a major interest in dairy, sheep and beef health planning.