OSU Sheep Team

Bob Hendershot State Grassland Conservationist

(Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter April 2003)

What is lambing like, for your sheep flock, hours per lamb or lambs per hour?  The shepherd’s labor and the size of the lambing barn are the two things that limit the size of most Ohio sheep flocks.  Pasture-lambing avoids both of these concerns.

Pasture-lambing is the lambing of ewes on pasture where the ewes and newborn lambs bond without being penned or housed.  Pasture-lambing works the best in concert with the peak pasture growth.  Spring and fall pasture growth can provide the quantity and quality of feed that the ewe will need during the last part of gestation and early lactation.  This greatly reduces the feed cost compared to winter barn-lambing.   The pasture provides excellent ventilation and sanitation for the lambs.  There is no manure to handle or bedding needed.  The late spring lambing season concentrates the lambing into one heat cycle so 90 to 95 percent of the lambs are born within a 17 day window.  Expansion is limited only to the forage supply, not to housing or labor.

Weather can be a concern with pasture-lambing.  Cold, windy and wet conditions without shelter can be hard on new born lamb survival.  Lambing should be planned to start when the chances of favorable weather are greater.  Planning to lamb in pastures that have natural windbreaks and sheltered areas especially from the wind would be beneficial if a storm would occur.  In bad weather ewes will often go to sheltered areas to lamb.  Tagging and recording individual lambs and ewes is more difficult on pasture than in the barn.  Pasture-lambing lends itself to commercial operation more so than to pure bred registered flocks.

A Michigan State study showed lamb losses to be similar to barn-lambing.  Lamb loss for pasture systems is greater from predators.  Black vultures, coyotes and maggots are the main predators.  Late season docking and castration can coincide with fly season.  Guard animals and other predator control management measures will be needed in most areas.

The grazing system needs to encourage the ewe to stay in her lambing area for one to three days.  The are several things that can influence the ewe’s behavior that the shepherd can control.  She needs to have enough forage available to her within her 10 to 12-foot diameter lambing area.  She needs to lamb when the pasture forage can also provide her all the water she will need for the 1 to 3 days she will be bonding with the lambs.  Minimize the disturbance from young inexperienced ewes and older “granny” ewes.  Separating the ewe flock into lambing groups is helpful.  Lambing first timers as one-group and older granny ewes that try to adopt lambs before they give birth in another group.  Granny ewes and poor mothering skills are reasons enough for culling on most pasture-lambing farms. Separating multi-birthing ewes from singles will allow you to put those ewes carrying twins and triplets on the pastures with the most forage growth.  The bonding of a single lamb and its mother will take less time thus less forage will be needed for that ewe.  Try not to rotationally graze the ewes during the lambing process.  Moving the ewes and the newborn lambs will cause confusion and can break the bonding process.

Set stocking a group of ewes in a paddock just before the lambing process and allowing them to lamb on their own.  The amount of available forage needs to match the number of ewes and the length of their stay.  They should stay a minimum of three weeks.  That should allow enough time for the last ewe that lambed time to bond.

Drift-lambing is another pasture-lambing management system.  The flock continues the prelambing pasture rotation, but as lambing begins, the ewes that have just lambed are left behind in the pasture where they lambed, and the pregnant ewes are moved on to a fresh pasture paddock every one to three days. Drift-lambing allows for more interactions with the lambing process including tagging and marking individuals.  Drift-lambed ewes must tolerate handling of their lambs without running off.  This system also allows you to intervene when bad weather or predators may cause a problem.  Drift lambing requires a higher degree of skill in both pasture management and sheep handling.

Ewes that have lambed in the barn and born in the barn and bonded in a lambing jug will take some adjusting to lambing outside.  They will have the tendency to go back the barn to lamb.  Offering the ewe other structures will aid her in feeling more comfortable.  Snow fence in the lambing pasture offset every 10 to 12 feet will give her some comfort and her lambs protection from the wind.  Good mothering ewes will adapt to pasture-lambing very easily.  A ewe that is getting ready to lamb in the barn or on pasture will try to isolate herself and bond .

Roger A. High, State Sheep Extension Associate

(Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter June 2003)

This is a difficult question to answer. There are many factors that play a function in reproduction when a sheep producer is trying to get ewes bred at the “normal” breeding season, let alone trying to get ewes bred “out-of-season”.  It almost seems as though the stars need to line up just right for breeding to occur in the ewe flock to get “fall born lambs”.

Why do we want fall born lambs?

This is a question that needs to be answered before attempting to push your ewe flock into a fall breeding scenario.  There are some very legitimate reasons why a producer would want fall born lambs in every type of operation, commercial, purebred, and any in between.  Fall lambing is simply easier than winter lambing, hypothermia is not an issue, lambs can be born outside because the weather is generally very nice and cooperative, and equally important, lambs that are born in the early fall can be targeted for the increasingly popular and many times very profitable “Christmas” or “ethnic” market.  Fall lambing also allows for more sheep to be lambed out in a facility as the fall lambs will be weaned and possibly marketed before the spring lambs are ready to arrive.  From the standpoint of the purebred producers, most fairs and exhibitions have “fall-born classes” in their shows.  Each breed has a different time line as to what is considered a fall lamb, but in general “fall born lambs” are born September 1 through December 31. In commercial operations, it is simply to market lambs to the “Christmas” ethnic market.  I am not going to go into detail in regards to the marketing of the lambs in this article because that is a completely different topic.

What are the factors that affect reproductive activity of an adult ewe?

1) Season (day length) - The principle factor affecting reproductive activity in adult ewes is season, with most ewes showing the greatest reproductive activity in the fall of the year.  As ewes undergo the transition from summer to fall, they experience a decrease in both day length and temperature.  Day length is the principal seasonal stimulus dictating reproductive activity.  Sheep are considered “short day breeders” and consequently reproductive activity increases as length of day decreases.  A ewe’s ability to perceive photoperiodic changes appears to be mediated through changes in blood levels of the hormone melatonin.  A point of importance is that when deciding to breed “out of season” (i.e. during the summer), it must be realized that the advantage of “out of season” lambs may be negated by potentially fewer lambs being born.  This may be due to fewer ewes ovulating and/or fewer ovulations per ewe.

2) Temperature - When seasons change, so does temperature.  Temperature does not appear to play a major role in dictating cyclic activity of the ewes, but it does have a major effect on embryo survival.  When ewes are housed in a hot climate vs. a cool climate, the hot environment resulted in a lower percentage of eggs fertilized, greater embryonic death, and consequently fewer dams giving birth.  It is important not to exercise sheep during conditions of elevated temperatures and high humidity.  There are problems such as ram fertility, high body condition scores (fat ewes), small lambs at birth, and a number of other problems related to high temperatures and high humidity.  Shearing will reduce heat stress under most conditions, but body temperature while in direct sunlight will be lower in sheep with one to two inches of wool than a freshly shorn sheep, because the fleece acts as an insulator.  Shearing is recommended except for sheep with no access to shade.

3) Inheritance - Another major factor that affects reproductive performance is the genetics of the ewe.  Some breeds of sheep such as the Dorset, Merino, and Rambouillet have longer breeding seasons than others.  If you want to concentrate on a natural fall lambing flock, it may be important to have the ewe base of your flock concentrated on these breeds of sheep.  There are breeds of sheep that will give you a few fall lambs each year, but if you want to concentrate your management scheme on fall lambing, it is best to have a high percentage of genetics that will allow most or all of your ewes to lamb in the fall.

4) Age - Within a breed, as a ewe matures from a yearling, length of breeding season also increases.  Ewe lambs cycling for the first time generally will start cycling for the first time about three weeks after the adults have started and stop cycling about three weeks before the adults stop cycling.  As age increases, reproductive efficiency also increases, as evaluated by greater offspring survival.  I believe the most frustrating group that you will deal with in a fall lambing scenario will be the ewe lambs, they have so many variables that come with them such as puberty, growth, nutrition and maturity.

5) Nutrition - In order for a ewe to produce, that ewe must be adequately fed and maintained in good body condition.  Undernourished ewes cannot meet their physiological needs from a nutrient standpoint and therefore can not be expected to produce.  Nutritional status of the ewe can affect reproductive rate, length of breeding season, and milking ability, as well as any other system related to production.  As in a spring breeding scenario, it is important to “flush” the ewe, and to have her on an increasing plane of nutrition in order to increase the number of ovulations and hopefully resulting offspring.  Body condition scoring can help play a major part in managing the reproductive performance of the ewe flock.

6) The “teaser” ram or the “ram” effect - One of the most interesting aspects of reproductive management of the ram is the use of a ram to stimulate breeding of ewes in anestrus (terminate anestrus). While this phenomenon has been known for many years, many producers still do not realize or capitalize on the affect that the “teaser” ram has on improving the chances of successful application of “out-of-season” breeding.   It is generally recommended that the “teaser” ram be introduced in the ewe’s flock 14 to 17 days prior to breeding the ewes.  The teaser ram will generally cause the ewes to have a silent heat 40 to 60 hours after introduction.  Estrus will not really occur with this ovulation.  After the ewes have been through one heat cycle with the “teaser” ram, they may or may not have a fully functional estrus cycle.  The chances of having a full estrus cycle for fall lambing ewes is greatly increased by the use of a “teaser” ram.  This is an area that you need to experiment with on your flock to get the greatest impact from the use of this management technique.

In summary, many of the management strategies that a sheep producer would use for winter or spring lambing are the same as those a producer would use for fall lambing.  As in winter and spring lambing scenarios, there are many variables and many stars that need to fall into line.  The use of proper genetics, a good nutrition program, and the use of  “teaser” ram seem to play major roles in helping your flock be successfully managed for a fall lambing scenario.  Adapted from the SiD Manual, Copyright 1996

Henry Zerby, OSU Extension Specialist, Meat Science

(Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter April 2004)

It is ironic that I am writing about this topic because at the current time, my flock is not producing a profit, although, I have currently charged a lot of fence and renovation expenses against the income of flock.  However, I think my flock will be operating in the black in the near future because I have taken the time to give a considerable amount of thought to selecting for “success traits”.  As I continue with this subject, please understand that it is not my intention to point a finger at or offend anyone, nor do I pretend to have all the answers for the sheep industry; the following are merely some of my observations and opinions.  I am sure some of my biases as a meat scientist will be evident.

First we must define a “Success Trait”; so let’s break it down.  What does success mean?  Your definition of success may be entirely different than somebody else’s.  I have heard success defined as: reaching your goals; making a profit (or often somehow linked to monetary rewards); or receiving the maximum amount of output for a minimum amount of input.  You need to decide what success means to you and what success is for your flock.  That implies you need to set goals for your flock.

Now let’s consider what qualifies as a trait.  A trait is generally defined as something that can be inherited or passed on from one generation to the next with a certain level of heritability.  It is something that you can measure, and then actively select to increase or decrease the expression or production in the subsequent generation.  Volumes have been written on selection.  We are learning more about the genetic code and factors affecting selection and inheritance and genetic diversity every day.

While analyzing my flock, the real question was not how to select, but, what traits to select.  If we refer back to the underlying question: “How do we make money with sheep?”, we need to realize that sheep neither make nor lose money; people do!!  A sheep strives to do one basic fundamental thing - survive.  Sheep have been around for thousands of years.  Given that, I could make a very strong case that sheep have repeatedly attained their goal and they are successful.  So by now you have probably realized that the concept of selecting for success traits is more about you than your ewes.

Why do you lose or make money with sheep?  I remember reading an article in The Shepherd  written by John Walker of the Texas Experiment Association, San Angelo, Texas, and later last summer listening to John give a talk on some things that apply to this discussion.  John was discussing grazing and some alternative ways to make sheep production profitable, but what was important was the general philosophy behind the message.  He stated “part of the challenge is that sheep producers are not rational, they are irrational and they are in a learned state of helplessness. They don’t react well to stimuli.”  It is amazing how often I have heard producers complain about the market and/or difficulties they are encountering with their production programs, rather than talking about how they plan to address the situation with some proactive or positive ideas.  At times I wonder how we as a group of producers have survived for as long as we have. I also really enjoyed the definition of insanity John presented - “doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results”.  That really defines a lot of my sheep production management (habits) as well as those of most sheep producers I know.  Once I realized that, I was left to choose one of two options John laid out: a) change, or b) just admit you’re crazy.  I have chosen change, and that is what has led me to think about my success traits.

I try to continuously remind myself that I need to produce sheep with the consumer in mind.  It is important, to be knowledgeable not only of the consumer, but also the retailer, packer and any middleman in the market channel.  I often hear producers accuse packers and retailers of not supporting the producer, and as I listen to their argument it is painfully clear that the producer making the accusations clearly doesn’t understand the retailers or the packers businesses, nor the way a retailer or packer must operate to survive.  So here is some brief and general advice: check out your market or your consumer; find out what they do, how they think and what they want; evaluate the competition; get smart, get creative, develop a plan and get to work; produce what they want, when they want it and how they want it.

Equally important to understanding your consumer is understanding your animals.  What genotypic and phenotypic traits are you selecting and producing for?  Keep in mind that some traits are antagonistic. As you select for more of one desirable trait, you may sacrifice a little of some other trait that is also desirable.  So as you select for one attribute, also think about what you are selecting against.  For example, are you selecting for what I will loosely term as “show ring traits”?  Apparently, one of the major traits used to select show animals is growth rate.  I am not suggesting that this is all wrong, it is important that animals have the ability to grow efficiently.  Notice I used the word efficiently, not fast.  Fast does not always equal efficient. Let’s look at what else you might be selecting for if you choose your show animals or replacement animals based on growth rate. Frame size is highly correlated with growth rate.  So when you select those large framed, fast growing lambs to be your show animals and replacements, are you selecting for efficiency, or are you selecting for increased appetite and higher feed consumption?  The reason they grew faster may simply be that they ate more, not necessarily that they were more efficient converters of their feed.  If you are characterizing growth based on weight, you need to consider if their high rate of growth was due to increased pounds of high quality, tender red meat or was it a less marketable product - fat.  If you are simply choosing animals based on frame size, you are also selecting for higher maintenance energy requirements in your replacements.  An animal that is larger framed requires more energy, which translates to more feed, which translates to more expense to maintain that animal from one year to the next.  Some people will make the argument that this is the type of sheep their market demands.  If that is the case, then you need to produce that type of sheep. Just be ready to carry more and more feed over time to the same number of animals.  Another option would be to pursue a market that is a better fit with your production strategies (habits).

Another show ring trait is the costs of a particular stud ram or breeding ewe.  I often read advertisements about how “this year’s lambs will be sired by our new $5,000 stud ram purchased from this or that sale.  The logic seems to be that if this ram or ewe cost over $1,000 or even $5,000 they must be good!  Just read the advertisements!  I often wonder what types of traits were used to justify that price.  Did the producer actually back up the genetics of this animal with production records?  Was the purchase price based on specific genotypic traits?  Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that there are stud animals that are worth a lot of money, if they are what I refer to as “curve benders”. I think of curve benders as animals that have the genetic potential or ability to: increase twinning percentage, improve the efficiency of growth (not necessarily growth rate), provide or produce optimal milking ability, be resistant to parasites and foot rot, increase pounds of red meat carcass yield, decreases subcutaneous fat (back fat) and inter muscular fat (seam fat), and simultaneously increase intramuscular fat (marbling) and improve tenderness.  If they can produce offspring that shift most of these traits in a positive direction at the same time, I refer to them as curve benders because a lot of these traits are antagonistic.  Remember, you can’t manage what you don’t measure.  So if you don’t have any data on these animals or you don’t collect any data on the offspring of these expensive stud rams and ewes, you don’t really know if they are “curve benders”, or “budget busters”.

Another management decision I found myself questioning is when to lamb.  What determines when you turn in the ram for breeding?  (We will assume for the sake of education, that date-of-birth is recorded accurately, to suggest otherwise would imply some producers are dishonest.)  Is your lambing season scheduled to correspond with what best meets your production system including: pastures, available forage, labor, etc., or is it some date that corresponds with a particular class for some show?  I have asked myself a lot of questions as I have started planning for next years breeding season.  Should I decide to lamb based on a show book or on market reports?  If I decide to lamb in the fall, will they breed naturally? If not, are there methods available that are legal?  With my own personal schedule, what time of the year will I be able to provide more assistance to my ewes?  Should I provide assistance to my ewes?  When is the greatest risk of death loss from a temperature and environment standpoint?  When will the ewes’ highest maintenance requirements present themselves, and will I have sufficient pasture or other low cost feed resources available to offset this expense?  This year my ewes started to lamb in late January.  I had half of my ewes lamb in a four day span. That was pretty good, except they were the four coldest days and nights of the winter.  My rams were turned in to breed for that time out of habit and tradition; in other words, for all the wrong reasons.  Looking back, I realize that I acted just as John had described.  I was being irrational.  I have been doing the same things over and over expecting a different outcome!

I am starting to like the idea of really looking at profit driven traits that compliment rather than complicate my production system.  These might include: maximizing conception rate, selecting for natural ability to breed out of season, having two lambs born alive and weaned per ewe, improving average daily red meat gain and efficiency.  There are some other traits that have been receiving a lot of attention recently, such as parasite resistance and sheep that don’t require shearing.  Sheep that posses these two traits have been labeled as “easy care sheep”.  I personally believe that this is a bit of a misnomer.  “Easy care” to me doesn’t just mean no shearing and/or de-worming.  To me “easy care” is a ewe that: is easy fleshing; doesn’t need her feet trimmed very often; doesn’t need de-wormed often; doesn’t jump over, run through, or crawl under fences; is easy to catch when necessary; breeds out of season naturally; milks well; raises all her lambs without assistance; sits calmly during shearing; and has high survivability or longevity.  Easy care is a whole lot of things, and should also include producing a finished product or carcass that meets your market’s demands.

I had the opportunity to travel to Australia this past year and visit with a few producers, and tour a lamb packing plant.  It was a short but immensely educational trip, and has changed some of my approaches to sheep production.  What I saw reinforced my belief that in some aspects, we have forgotten what sheep are and what sheep can do.  If you want to make money, capitalize on what sheep can do best.  Each time I teach a class, I gain a better understanding and a deeper respect for how powerful and efficient Mother Nature is.  As sheep producers, some of us seem to implement a lot of production practices that go against the grain in regard to Mother Nature. Remember sheep are successful; they have survived for thousands of years. Capitalize on their strengths because you won’t beat Mother Nature in the long run!!  Don’t try to turn sheep into something they are not.  If you want to raise longer necked and longer legged animals, then raise llamas.  If you want to feed animals in such a manner to inhibit rumen development (so they have trimmer middles for the show ring) then raise pigs or chickens or some other type of non-ruminant animal.

I raise Southdowns and Tunis, and I am often asked why Tunis.  I grew up in a large family (five brothers and two sisters) in central PA.  We all had our own breed of sheep for 4-H and FFA as well as a flock of 200 to 300 commercial ewes.  I managed the sheep flock for four years between finishing high school and starting college.  I gained some experience working with several different breeds, and more importantly, I learned a lot of lessons and gained a lot of knowledge from my father (most of which I am only now beginning to understand).  We marketed a few lambs to other youth in the area and showed at a lot of county fairs, but the bulk of our lambs were sold as hot-house lambs in the spring.  Over the years I have always been impressed with just how efficient and problem free (easy care) the Southdowns were.  As for why I am now also raising some Tunis, besides the fact that they are easy keepers and generally pretty docile, it will take a little explaining.

With my current flock, I plan to continue to market the bulk of my lambs as hot-house lambs, raise replacement commercial ewe lambs for the home farm in PA, and hopefully sell a few registered sheep to fellow breeders. For the hot-house market I want to produce a 30 to 40 pound butter-ball lamb.  The commercial replacements will need to be able to survive on pasture and forage and also produce lambs for the hot-house market.  I have chosen Tunis to complement the Southdowns to create small framed, easy fleshing, maternally oriented, butter-ball lamb producing, relatively calm F1 replacement ewes.  These F1 ewes will be mated to a terminal sire ram to take advantage of heterosis of growth efficiency and carcass characteristics in our breeding schemes.  This scenario would not work for most people, but I believe it will allow me to make money with my flock because it is designed with my success traits in mind.

It is no secret that in most cases we over manage our sheep, and under manage their environment.  Determine your market and then select sheep and traits of sheep that will produce products that work for your chosen market in your production environment.  My ultimate goal with our flock is simple.  When I sell a sheep to another breeder or a packer, I don’t want them to tell me that she or he was the biggest sheep they ever bought or had on their farm; I want them to tell me it was the best sheep they ever bought or had on their farm.  I don’t know that I will be able to accomplish this, and if I do, I know it will take time, effort and a lot of rational thinking and management of myself, my sheep and their environment.  I will not do the same thing over and over again, and expect different results.  In closing, I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes “Change is inevitable, progress is not.”

Roger A. High, State Sheep Extension Program Specialist The Ohio State University

(Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter September 2007)

Many sheep producers around that state of Ohio are looking for alternatives to forages with our droughty conditions that we have had in the state over the past several months.  It is important to consider all of the alternatives.  Silage is an excellent alternative to hard to find high quality hay.  Below are some specifics to the preparation as well as the feeding of silage.  There are also precautions mentioned for feeding silage to sheep which need to be taken seriously.

Silage

High quality, finely chopped (1/4 to 1/2 inch) corn, grass, or small grain silage is acceptable feed for sheep. Care must be taken to properly harvest, store, and feed silage. Poorly packed silage may contain harmful molds, which causes listeriosis (circling disease) in sheep. Moldy or frozen silage should be discarded and troughs should be cleaned daily.

Corn silage is low in protein and calcium. Studies have shown that the addition of 20 pounds of urea, 10 pounds of ground limestone, 4 pounds of di-calcium phosphate, and 5 pounds of calcium sulfate per ton of silage at the time of ensiling makes a complete feed for the ewe flock by increasing its crude protein and calcium content. Alternatively, extra protein, calcium, phosphorous, and vitamins can be supplied through a grain mix top-dressed on the silage at the time of feeding.

Because of its high moisture content, 3 pounds of silage is required to supply the TDN furnished by 1.5 pounds of hay. The bulkiness of silage prevents adequate dry matter intake and its use as the sole source of feed for ewes in late gestation. A typical diet fed to ewes during the last four weeks of pregnancy on an as fed basis would contain: 6 pounds of corn silage (35 percent dry matter), 2 pounds of hay, 0.5 pound of corn, and 0.25 pound of soybean meal.

Grazing (Gleaning) Corn Fields

With the harvest of corn fields around Ohio comes the availability of extra corn laying in the fields for such animals as sheep to harvest.  Sheep producers should plan to graze (glean) these corn fields with your ewe flock for additional grain and forage during the fall months.  Some items to remember include:

1)    Vaccinate, if needed for Entrotoxemia (overeating disease)

2)     Fill sheep with hay or grass before turning them into a corn field.   This practice will help reduce overeating.  Keep hay in with the ewes for several days until they adjust to the corn field diet.  Introduce slowly to the grain.

3)    Plan portable fencing to make the field last longer.

4)  Have access to water, water can be a problem when grazing corn fields due to limited access of water to many of those areas.

5)     An 8 acre field of corn, of managed properly, can meet the needs of 100 head of 175 pound ewes for 60 days.

Roger A. High, State Sheep Extension Associate,

(Originally published in Sheep Team Newsletter June 2007)

General Management - Keys to Summer Sheep Management

1)      The average sheep will consume 2 to 4 gallons of fresh, clean water per day, depending on temperature, humidity, and protection from the sun.
2)      Shade can be provided in the form of shelters, barns, trees, and the fleece of the sheep can provide adequate protection from the sun to protect the sheep if shelter is unavailable.  It is not recommended to have completely shorn sheep without shade as they will sunburn and have no protection from the sun.
3)      Maintain an adequate diet of forages and concentrates as necessary to maintain the ewes Body Condition Score (BCS), this BCS will need to change based upon the climate and the production state of the ewe.
4)      Provide adequate amounts of Sheep Free Choice Mineral with Selenium to prevent mineral deficiencies.
5)      Be cautious of poisonous plant, as many plants are more poisonous during drought conditions.
a.       Grazing Sudangrass or Sorghum Sudangrass crosses can lead to nitrate or prussic acid poisoning
b.       Do not force sheep to eat weeks as the only sources of nutrition.  Examples include Curly Dock, Lambsquarter, and Burdock

Health

Urinary Calculi
Urinary Calculi, also known as kidney stones or bladder stones is a common problem with older rams and young lambs at this time of the year.  The blockage generally occurs in the urethra and the lamb is unable to pass these calculi through the urethra.  Urinary Calculi is most common in castrated males.  Prevention is usually accomplished by feeding 0.5% ammonium chloride or ammonium sulfate in the complete diet.  Avoid feeding high quality legumes.  It is also helpful to have a Ca:P ratio of 2:1 in the lambs diet.   In many cases, if adequate salt and mineral mix with ammonium chloride is provided to the rams or wethers with adequate sources of fresh, clean water, the problem can be entirely avoided.  Treatment is difficult and costly. Urinary calculi can be a problem with both sheep and goats.

Foot rot Prevention and Treatment
Watch of indications of foot rot in both ewes and lambs.  The best preventative measures for treatment is the keep sheep and lambs out of muddy areas where the foot rot bacteria (Bacteroides nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum) are most likely to reside.  Both bacteria must be present for foot rot to occur, foot rot will not occur if only one of these bacteria is present in the environment.   It is also recommended that a 10% zinc sulfate mixture (8 lbs. zinc sulfate/10 gallons water), 1-2 inches deep be set up between pasture and water supply.  Also, keep feet well trimmed.  There are also vaccination treatments available as another aid in the prevention and treatment for foot rot that seem to work very well.  The most popular vaccination on the market is called New Zealand Footvax, and it can be obtained at many sheep supply companies.

Monthly Management Tips for Grazing Flocks
Over the next several quarterly OSU Sheep Team Newsletters, I will be providing a series called Monthly Management Tips for Grazing Flocks, this is information that was put together by a number of sheep grazing managers over the past several years.  Of course, there are going to be some things that you do differently, but these are some basics that might help you manage your grazing flock better.

May and June (lacation) Nutrition: Rotate pastures to allow for 10-21 days rest between grazing, weather dependent.  Graze hard early, to keep forages from getting to mature, especially the grass species.  Back fence and make hay or balage early off of un-grazed pastures.  Enter pastures at heights of six to eight inches and remove to two to four inches.  Use the flock much like a lawn mower to prevent grasses from entering their reproductive (seed) phase.  Pay attention to rest time between grazing.  Allow no more than three days grazing in a paddock followed by the appropriate amount of rest.  Three days in a paddock is ideal and practical for most producers.  Exceeding three days of grazing can damage pasture growth.

July and August (lactation) Nutrition: Depending on rainfall and temperature, grazing rotation will extend from 20 days to as much as 40 days rest between grazing.  Weaning and Deworming: Wean lambs at 90 days, de-worm lambs and put the lambs on a clean pasture (re-growth hay field) or allow to remain on ewes if separation is a management problem.  Health: Watch for diarrhea and smeary buts as evidence of internal parasites or coccidia for those lambs left on pasture.  Marketing: Check the market, you may want to sort a truck or trailer load of heavy lambs off of the pasture and feed out to create some cash flow.  Feed lambs on good quality alfalfa and shelled corn or a commercial corn/35% protein supplement mixture.  Health of lambs in feedlot:  Booster with overeating vaccines and de-worm these lambs (Vabazen or Panacur for tapeworms).  Nutrition of lambs in feedlot: Adjust slowly to grain (two to three weeks).  To prevent urinary calculi, don’t exceed a 50/50 corn/hay mix of feed and feed a 2:1 Ca:P ratio balanced commercial 35% lamb supplement pellet or shelled corn.  Usually lambs will finish nicely on about 2 lbs. shelled corn and 2 lbs. of good alfalfa hay or the commercial pellet or shelled corn mix.  The lambs should gain 0.5 to 0.7 pounds per day.  Thus 80 lbs. lambs should weight about 120 pounds in 60-80 days.

Roger A. High

(Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter February 2003)

1) Weaning time for the ewe flock

As many producers near the end of lactation, it is time to remind ourselves about an appropriate pre-weaning and weaning plan  to prevent loss of udders due to poor weaning management.  The most current SID book has these recommendations at weaning time.
a) Dry ewes off by deprivation of feed for 48 hours and water for 24 hours.  Provide low energy and protein feed for the next 10-14 days.  Monitor ewes closely for evidence of acute mastitis.
b) Sort and cull unsound ewes.  Unsoundness in a ewe would include mastitis, lameness, excessive thinness, non-lactating, poor teeth (molars and incisors), etc.
c) An internal and external parasite control program and the immunization program must be tailored to each operation.  This should be carefully planned with the help of a veterinarian.

Since water is the main portion of the milk produced by the ewe, it is important to reduce water intake prior to weaning.  This will help reduce milk production in the ewe.

2) Clostridium Perfringens Recommendations:

We are now recommending that prevention of the Clostridium Type C (occurring in first 3 weeks of age) should be through vaccination of the ewe at 5 weeks and then again at 2 weeks prior to lambing.  Revaccination should also take place at subsequent pregnancies.  If the ewes are vaccinated at these times, the lambs will be immunized for the Clostridium Perfringens  through the milk of the ewe.  Prevention of the Clostridium Perfringens Type D (occurring after 3 weeks of age) is based upon a good feeding program and a sound vaccination program.  The vaccine is inexpensive and highly effective.  If the lambs are born to vaccinated ewes, then a booster at 4-5 weeks of age and again at 2 weeks later should help the lamb develop the maximum immunity against the disease.

3) Urinary Calculi

Urinary calculi is a common problem with older rams and young lambs this time of the year.  Urinary calculi is most common on  castrated males.  Prevention is usually accomplished by feeding 0.5% ammonium chloride or ammonium sulfate in the complete diet.  Avoid feeding high quality legumes.  In many cases, if adequate salt and mineral mix with the ammonium chloride is provided to the rams with adequate sources of fresh clean water, the problem can be avoided entirely.  Urinary calculi is not only a problem for sheep, it can be a problem for the goats as well.

Daryl Clark, Extension Agent, Nobel County

(Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter April 2004)

Some farm financial considerations for you to ponder:

1. Don’t Follow Lead
I’m reminded of a vocational agriculture teacher who was being quizzed by a freshman student about making a living on a farm.  The teacher’s advice was “Find an enterprise few are willing to choose and do (perform) it better than most others in that enterprise.”  The teacher further explained that “better” meant “more production for less cost.”  I feel that sheep production is now at this point.

2. Invest in Tomorrow
A definition of profit that I appreciate states that “Profit is what remains when all expenses have been covered and an investment in tomorrow has been made.”

3. Create Wealth
Wealth is created by adding value to a resource.  For grass producers, “useless, worthless” grass is converted into an “edible, valuable” commodity - meat and wool.  Our wealth increases because a commodity (ewes and lambs) has increased in size and become a “useable” protein source.

When our profit depends on a price increase, we will experience financial loss about half the time.  Supply and demand economics dictate that a commodity sells near breakeven.

4. Minimize Depreciable Ownership
If an item rusts, depreciates or requires major off-farm inputs (repairs, fuel, etc.), the long-term economics are breakeven at best.

5. Major Investments Should be Appreciable
Major investments must be increasing in value.  On a forage farm, growing and reproducing livestock top this list.  Truly profitable farms tend to have a “threadbare,” functional appearance.  The fancy “trim” is for museums.

6. “Effort-Effect” Management
90% of our efforts only increase production 10% and vice versa.  Choose carefully where you expend your efforts.  Our management and labor efforts should be geared toward increasing the effectiveness of our livestock “harvesters”.

7. Be Flexible
When you feel the warmth of the breath of many following, keep an “eye out” for opportunity.  Those of us who are still profitable and are doing the same management we did 10 years ago are either fortunate that few see your opportunity or may not be counting all costs.  Profitability is not stagnant!  Don’t change for change sake!  Don’t be married to anyone/anything but your spouse!!

Try it, you’ll be pleased with the results.  Remember - find something your neighbors don’t do (raise sheep).  Do it well.  You may be able to “hire out” your pasture renovators to your neighbor so he can continue his prestigious “Land and Cattle Company.”

Jeff Workman & Dr. William P. Shulaw, Extension Veterinary Medicine

(Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter February 2004)

A group of researchers from several different states* worked together to investigate the length of docked tail and the incidence of rectal prolapse in lambs. They used elastrator bands for docking and categorized lengths of tails as short (as close to the body as possible), medium (midpoint between body and attachment of caudal folds to the tail), and long (at the attachment of caudal folds to the tail). They defined a rectal prolapse as observing an inversion of the rectum that protruded at least 4cm outside the body while the animal was standing. The subjects of the study were 1,227 lambs born in early 2000 from the research flocks of Iowa State University, Texas A&M University, The Ohio State University, Oregon State University, and the University of Wisconsin. In addition to dock length and incidence of prolapse, other variables were considered including location, breed, sire, sex, and nutrition. The lambs were kept on either pasture with no grain or a feedlot with a high concentration diet.

Overall, the incidence of rectal prolapse was 4.9%, but by docking group it was 7.8% for short docked lambs, 3.9% for medium docked lambs, and 1.8% for long docked lambs (P<0.05). Ewe lambs had an incidence of rectal prolapse 1.9 times greater (P < 0.05) than male lambs (5.98 vs. 3.10%, respectively). There was an indication from the data that lambs on high-concentrate diets are at greater risk of prolapse than those in a pasture environment. The half-sib estimate of heritability for rectal prolapse was 0.14. This estimate was considered low, suggesting that the great majority of the variation between animals for presence or absence of rectal prolapse is due to environmental effects and less is due to genetic differences. Breed and location were not significant factors in this study.

The authors conclude that “Docking lambs at the site where the caudal folds on the underside of the tail attach to the tail significantly decreases the incidence of rectal prolapse to negligible levels. Ultrashort docking is a cosmetic fad promoted in the show ring that compromises the health and well-being of sheep. The practice should be abandoned.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Lamb Feeders Association, the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners, the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, and United States Animal Health Association all have position statements or resolutions recommending “that lambs’ tails be docked at the level of the distal end of the caudal tail fold.”

*Thomas, D.L., et.al. (2003). Length of docked tail and the incidence of rectal prolapse in lambs. Journal of Animal Science, 81, 2725-2732.

Jeff McCutcheon, Extension Educator, Knox County

(Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter September 2007)

It has been a tough summer for grazers in many areas of Ohio. Dry weather and high temperatures have limited forage growth. Many pastures have been grazed closer than they should.  With the rains in August pastures started to recover but the high temperatures that followed the rains kept growth slower than many have needed.

As we head into cooler temperatures and traditionally more forage growth we need keep protecting our forage resources.   Even though we need the feed we also need to keep from overgrazing. Grasses stressed by months of drought and in some cases overgrazing will need care to fully recover.

The first thing is keep from overgrazing.  Overgrazing can be avoided by paying attention to forage residual, grazing time and rest.  Forage residual, leave at least 1200-1500 lbs. of DM per acre or 2-3″ when you pull animals from a field.   Grazing time, remove the animals before the forage starts to regrow. Rest, let the pasture recover to above 2400 lbs. of DM acre or 6-8 before grazing turning the animals into a field.

Second, we can help the recovery by fertilizing our pastures.  Fall is an excellent time to apply fertilizer to our pastures. Fall is the time when most of our forage plants are growing roots, developing tillers and storing energy for winter. Proper soil pH and adequate soil nutrients will enhance forage competitiveness. Take a soil tests and follow the recommendations.

Nitrogen can be applied in fall. Late fall applications of nitrogen, from October through November, will increase grass tillering, root growth, and energy storage. This will help with spring green-up and improve competition against weeds. Apply after grass growth has slowed, but before the plant has gone dormant. Use a low rate of 30 to 40 lbs. of N per acre.

Jeff McCutcheon, Extension Educator, Knox County (Originally Published in Sheep Team Newsletter June 2007)

Grazers with whom I have the privilege to work are concerned.  Many are reporting 0.4 total rain for the month of May and the average temperature 10 degrees hotter than normal. This translates into grass growth slowing and even stopping, right in the peak production period for our cool season pastures.   What is a grazer to do?  Relax.  Remember, we have been here before, dry periods are expected, but not enjoyed.  Check out drought information published in 2002, http://corn.osu.edu/drought02/ if you don’t believe me.  Of course, if you just started managing grazing in the last two wet years, consider this a crucial part of your education. Many experienced grazers refer to it as the school of hard knocks.

Rotations need to slow down.  Grass is growing slower, it takes longer to start re-growth after being grazed and it takes longer to reach optimum grazing mass (height) for the next grazing.  The number of days grazing a paddock can be increased, as long as you do not over graze.  The rest period needs to increase.  For most grazers this means pulling more acreage into the rotation.  Many use fields where they made first cutting hay.  Another consideration is unused fields in your area.  Every year I get calls from landowners looking for producers to mow their fields and take all the hay.  They just want it mowed.  Check around, many of these could easily be grazed.

Every grazers works to protect their perennial forage resource.  Do not overgraze!  Overgrazing is something we try to avoid in normal years, but critical in dry ones.  Overgrazing during a drought can cause slower recovery when we do get rain, reduced productivity even longer after recovery and can cause stand loss.

During dry periods we need to be extremely protective of our residual.  Residual is the term used for the amount of green forage left after grazing.  Residual is an important aspect of managing grazing.  In a dry year it becomes even more critical.  The amount of residual has an effect on many things.

The amount of residual affects root growth.  Many of you have seen the study from 1955 on leaf area removal and root growth. This data showed that at 50% leaf removal only 2% of the roots stopped growing.  At 60% leaf removal 50% of the roots stopped growing.  All of the roots stopped growing at 80% leaf removal.  A healthy root system helps the plants survive the dry times. If more than 50% of the leaf area is removed then root growth stops. Root growth is used to capture more water and nutrients. At the very least this slows re-growth.

The amount of residual affects re-growth.  Green leaves are needed to capture sunlight for photosynthesis. This creates the non-structural carbohydrates needed to fuel re-growth.  Without enough leaf area the forages must fuel re-growth from their stored reserves.  Growth fueled by the root reserves is slower than growth fueled from active photosynthesis.

The amount of residual affects water absorption by the soil.  Grazing below 1200-1500 lbs./DM per acre or 2-3 will allow most of the rain that does come to run off and not be absorbed by the soil.  A classic forage study from the 1930’s shows the runoff results from a 10% slope where three inches of rain was applied through a sprinkler system over 90 minutes. Pasture grazed to 95% cover experienced a little over 10% runoff. Overgrazed pasture, 50% ground cover, lost 75% of the rain that was applied.

More leaf area means less water runoff.  The more vegetative material you have will shade the soil and slow the movement of rain allowing the water to be absorbed by the soil.

When we consider grazing management during dry times remember that without rain pastures grow slower, and close grazing will compound the problem. Slow growth means the rest between grazing needs to be longer.  Do not take more residual to allow for this rest.  It may get to the point where you need to consider other options, like annual forages, supplemental feeding, and even penning the animals up and feeding them.  If growth stops, the worst option would be to open up all of the gates letting animals overgraze the whole farm.  Dry-lotting them may be the best option.