baaa Flashcards
SH01-22 (486 cards)
this is the number of lambs born and surviving until a defined event (e.g. marking or weaning);
optimising this is critical to profitability in any production system
lambing percentage
name 3 factors that can determine lambing percentage
- mating period
- late pregnancy
- lambing
80-90% of lamb deaths occur during this period;
deaths within the first week of birth
perinatal lamb mortality
name 3 muti-factorial reasons for perinatal lamb mortality
- poor ewe nutrition
- dystocia
- poor lamb nutrition
undernutrition of the ewe during mid-pregnancy will cause this
leading to poor oxygen, nutrient and electrolyte transfer & low birth weights
poor placental development
poor nutrition for the ewe in the last 6 weeks of gestation can cause these 2 results
- hypoglycaemic lambs
- poor colostrum production
birth weights of lamb outwith this range are at the highest risk of mortality
3-5.5 kg
how much colostrum do lambs need within the first 4h of life?
50 mL/kg bodyweight
name 7 maternal factors contributing to lamb starvation
- genotype
- inexperience
- poor nutrition
- dystocia
- concurrent disease
- mastitis
- multiple lambs
name 6 lamb factors contributing to starvation
- genotype
- multiple litter mates
- birth stress/trauma
- prenatal malnutrition
- hypothermia
- infectious disease
name 4 management practices to ensure adequate nutrition to minimise perinatal lamb losses
- ultrasound data
- body condition scoring
- ration analysis
- metabolic profiles
name 4 management practices to avoid dystocia to minimise perinatal lamb losses
- ewe and ram selection
- use of keel marks and scanning data
- feed management
- good stockmanship
what percent of lamb growth occurs in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy?
75%
name the type of forage
higher energy, good management during storage, problems with listeriosis
grass silage
name the type of forage
quality variable, allow for high wastage rate when feeding straw, get an analysis done
hay and straw
how much trough space per ewe is required if restricted access?
18 in (45cm)
how much water do ewes in late pregnancy require daily?
5-10L
name 2 ways to help increase intakes of poor quality silage in sheep
- put molasses on top of forage
- add SBP or draff to ration
what is often the main limiting factor of colostrum production in sheep
protein
when should body condition scoring be done on pregnant ewes
4-6 weeks before lambing
when should blood sampling of pregnant ewes be done to see what they think of their diet?
3-4 weeks befpre the start of lambing
(at least 5 ewes in each group)
name the 4 things pregnant ewes should be grouped according to
- lambing date
- condition score
- scan results
- age
name the 5 metabolites that should be analysed in blood samples from pregnant ewes to assess nutrition
- BHB
- urea-N
- albumin
- magnesium
- phosphate