Letter Height Lipograms

lip-marylambs mars wee ewe mar owns a wee ewe; ewe owns a snow over. mars moves cause ewe same sure moves. as mar comes on courses, so ewe comes on. -- a no-no! ewe amuses coursers, roar ewe on course! eux-eux-eux

The effect of maternal nutrition during mid- to late- pregnancy on ewe and lamb behaviour and the association with lamb survival : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Lambing percentage in New Zealand has increased by almost 30% in the last 20 years. This increase is associated with a greater percentage of twin- and triplet-born lambs which have lower survival rates than singletons. The behaviour of the ewe and her lambs has been associated with lamb survival, however, relevant data on the effect of ewe mid-pregnancy body condition score (BCS) and nutrition on ewe and lamb behaviour under New Zealand pastoral farming conditions is scarce. This research included seven experiments investigating the effects of feeding ewes, with a BCS of 2.0 to 3.0 at mid-pregnancy, either ad libitum or only sufficient to meet pregnancy maintenance requirements from mid- to very late-pregnancy, on ewe and lamb behaviour at 3 to 24 hours after birth. The association between behaviour and lamb survival was also investigated. Observations on ewe and lamb behavioural were conducted at tagging (3 to 18 hours after birth) and in a triangle pen test at approximately 12 or 24 hours after birth. The effects of ewe mid-pregnancy BCS and feeding on behaviour were somewhat inconsistent across experiments, possibly due to variations in the timing and length of feeding treatments. Feeding ewes ad libitum in comparison to pregnancy maintenance requirements did not consistently improve the maternal behaviour score (MBS) of the ewe. This is not surprising as neither of the feeding treatment groups were nutritionally restricting. There was some evidence to suggest that lambs born to ewes offered the pregnancy maintenance diet exhibited a greater need, possibly due to a weaker ewe-lamb bond than lambs born to ewes on the ad lib treatment. This need was characterised in twins, in chapter four, by greater low-pitched bleating rates and decreased time to contact, suck and follow the dam. Similar, but inconsistent results were reported in other chapters. Further, when investigating the relationship between behaviour and survival, it was found that twin-born lambs with the greater need (followed their dam more quickly) were more likely to die. The opposite relationship was found in triplet-born lambs, which may be a reflection of greater competition for milk within triplet-litters compared to twin-litters. Thus, in both twin- and triplet-born lambs following behaviour is an indicator of mortality. The practical use of this behaviour as a tool to predict lamb survival is limited

Focus in Ewe

International audience—In this paper, a strides detection algorithm is proposed using inertial sensors worn on the ankle. This innovative approach based on geometric patterns can detect both normal walking strides and atypical strides such as small steps, side steps and backward walking that existing methods struggle to detect. It is also robust in critical situations, when for example the wearer is sitting and moving the ankle, while most algorithms in the literature would wrongly detect strides

The use of feed blocks as supplementation for the upland hill flock: (2) Cost effective lamb production

This report was presented at the UK Organic Research 2002 Conference of the Colloquium of Organic Researchers (COR).Under EU organic livestock regulations introduced in 2000, new restrictions were placed on the use of bought-in feedstuffs in hill systems. These reduced the non-organic annual percentage previously allowed in LFAs from 20% to 10% of annual dry matter intake. A further stepping down of these allowances may be introduced ahead of a complete ban in 2005. Bought-in feed supplements must therefore, be used strategically and offer “best value for money” in terms of ewe performance and lamb growth. The economic cost of supplementing the diet of twin-rearing ewes post lambing with either an approved non-organic feed block + half ration of commercial concentrate mix (B+CCM) or full ration commercial concentrate mix (CCM) was investigated. Lambs reared by ewes receiving the B+CCM diet had a greater liveweight gain than those reared by ewes receiving the CCM diet per kg of ewe supplementary feed. The costs in terms of kg lamb liveweight were lower for the B+CCM ewes than the CCM ewe

A cohort study of the associations between udder conformation, milk somatic cell count, and lamb weight in suckler ewes

A cohort study of 67 suckler ewes from 1 farm was carried out from January to May 2010 to investigate associations between udder conformation, udder half milk somatic cell count (SCC), and lamb weight. Ewes and lambs were observed at lambing. Ewe health and teat condition and lamb health and weight were recorded on 4 to 5 further occasions at 14-d intervals. At each observation, a milk sample was collected from each udder half for somatic cell counting. Two weeks after lambing, ewe udder conformation and teat placement were scored. Low lamb weight was associated with ewe SCC >400,000 cells/mL (−0.73kg), a new teat lesion 14 d previously (−0.91kg), suboptimal teat position (−1.38kg), rearing in a multiple litter (−1.45kg), presence of diarrhea at the examination (−1.19kg), and rearing by a 9-yr-old ewe compared with a 6-yr-old ewe (−2.36kg). High lamb weight was associated with increasing lamb age (0.21kg/d), increasing birth weight (1.65kg/kg at birth), and increasing number of days the ewe was given supplementary feed before lambing (0.06kg/d). High udder half SCC was associated with pendulous udders (9.6% increase in SCC/cm of drop) and greater total cross-sectional area of the teats (7.2% increase of SCC/cm2). Low SCC were associated with a heavier mean litter weight (6.7% decrease in SCC/kg). Linear, quadratic, and cubic terms for days in lactation were also significant. We conclude that poor udder and teat conformation are associated with high levels of intramammary infection, as indicated by increased SCC and that both physical attributes of the udder and SCC are linked to lamb growth, suggesting that selection of suckler ewes with better udder and teat conformation would reduce intramammary infection and increase lamb growth rate

Ram Selection and Ewe Culling

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FEASIBILITY OF A SHEEP COOPERATIVE FOR GRAZING LEAFY SPURGE

This report presents an economic feasibility study of a 5,000 head, cooperatively owned, sheep operation for leafy spurge control. The objectives were 1) determine the return on investment of the cooperative, 2) determine the proposed structure of the cooperative, and 3) ascertain the amount of capital investment required by members in the cooperative. Three sheep flock management alternatives were initially considered for the cooperative. These were 1) winter lambing, 2) spring lambing, and 3) fall lambing. The fall lambing scenario was determined to be infeasible because of logistics associated with gathering and transportation of pregnant ewes and lack of grazing pressure on leafy spurge throughout the grazing season. The total capital investment per ewe for the winter lambing scenario was more than the spring lambing scenario - - $301 and$216, respectively. The expected net income generated by the winter lambing scenario was negative. The minimum break-even lamb selling price or lambs sold per ewe for the winter lambing scenario was $84.10/cwt and 1.33, respectively. The spring lambing scenario returned$124,000 annually. The minimum breakeven lamb selling price or lambs sold per ewe for the spring lambing scenario was $59.51/cwt and 0.94, respectively. The expected return on investment (50% equity) for cooperative members with the spring lambing scenario, assuming a 50-acre leafy spurge infestation in a 100-acre pasture and new fence, was 16 percent (stocking rate of 1 ewe and lambs per acre of leafy spurge). While these returns are not a guarantee of success for the spring lambing alternative, they do provide an indication of the potential that such a cooperative may have.Leafy Spurge, Cooperative, Weed Control, Sheep Grazing, Economics, Farm Management, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, Agribusiness,

A cohort study of the associations between udder conformation, milk somatic cell count, and lamb weight in suckler ewes

A cohort study of 67 suckler ewes from 1 farm was carried out from January to May 2010 to investigate associations between udder conformation, udder half milk somatic cell count (SCC), and lamb weight. Ewes and lambs were observed at lambing. Ewe health and teat condition and lamb health and weight were recorded on 4 to 5 further occasions at 14-d intervals. At each observation, a milk sample was collected from each udder half for somatic cell counting. Two weeks after lambing, ewe udder conformation and teat placement were scored. Low lamb weight was associated with ewe SCC >400,000 cells/mL (−0.73kg), a new teat lesion 14 d previously (−0.91kg), suboptimal teat position (−1.38kg), rearing in a multiple litter (−1.45kg), presence of diarrhea at the examination (−1.19kg), and rearing by a 9-yr-old ewe compared with a 6-yr-old ewe (−2.36kg). High lamb weight was associated with increasing lamb age (0.21kg/d), increasing birth weight (1.65kg/kg at birth), and increasing number of days the ewe was given supplementary feed before lambing (0.06kg/d). High udder half SCC was associated with pendulous udders (9.6% increase in SCC/cm of drop) and greater total cross-sectional area of the teats (7.2% increase of SCC/cm2). Low SCC were associated with a heavier mean litter weight (6.7% decrease in SCC/kg). Linear, quadratic, and cubic terms for days in lactation were also significant. We conclude that poor udder and teat conformation are associated with high levels of intramammary infection, as indicated by increased SCC and that both physical attributes of the udder and SCC are linked to lamb growth, suggesting that selection of suckler ewes with better udder and teat conformation would reduce intramammary infection and increase lamb growth rate

Predicting the Onset of Parturition by Determining Calcium in Prepartum Milk of Sheep

Multiple methods of pregnancy detection can be used in sheep production. The gestation period for sheep is usually between 144 and 150 days; however, depending on the breed and age of the ewes, this number can vary. A breeding marker, such as a breeding crayon, is used to detect when the ewe is bred by the ram, and the date the ewe will lamb is typically calculated based on an average 145-day gestation. Unfortunately, this method provides only a rough estimate of when the ewe could lamb. In addition, because sheep routinely give birth to multiples (twins, triplets, and, sometimes, quadruplets), ewes are renowned for dystocia; thus, the ability to pinpoint the time of parturition to a 24-hour, rather than a five-day, window would enable sheep producers to be prepared for any difficulties, thereby reducing newborn lamb mortality. In horses, the time of parturition can be detected within 24 to 48 hours by measuring calcium concentrations in prepartum milk using the Chemetrics K-1700 testing system. Therefore, the objective of this research was to test the effectiveness of measuring calcium concentrations in prepartum ewe’s milk to predict time of parturition in pregnant ewes. The study was designed to collect 10 to 20 mL of ewe’s milk twice daily, beginning four days before the calculated date of parturition until lambing. Because the Chemetrics K-1700 testing system is a rapid-test, milk calcium concentrations will be determined within minutes of hand-milking each ewe. It is standard practice to collect “extra” colostrum for orphaned or sickly lambs roughly 12 hours postpartum and after the newborn lamb(s) have ingested sufficient quantities of their mother’s colostrum and establish their maternal bonds. Therefore, at approximately 12 hours postpartum, an approximate 25-mL sample of colostrum was collected to measure the immunoglobulin quality of the colostrum using three methods (Colostrum Refractometer, Antifreeze tester, and Equine Colostrometer. Unfortunately, a large enough sample size was not collected to accurately analyze the milk samples using the Chemetrics K-1700. When we analyzed the calcium levels in the colostrum, we found that the colostrum quality was similar using the Anti-freeze tester to that of the Colostrum Refractometer, and was significantly different than the Equine Colostrometer. The Anti-freeze tester was also more highly correlated to the Colostrum Refractometer than that of the Equine Colostrometer. Keywords: sheep, colostrum, immunoglobulin quality, mammary secretion