Sheep
Make your Sheep Census return now
Make your Sheep Census return now The annual Sheep Census took place on December 31. Every flock owner must have counted the number of sheep on their holding on that day and must notify the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) shortly. Annual sheep and goat census forms were issued […]
22 January 2024
Monitor ewe body condition score
Monitor ewe body condition score Despite relatively good grass growth last year, ewe body condition score (BCS) is back in many flocks. Maintaining ewe BCS mid pregnancy is essential for ewes that are in sub-optimal BCS at mating time. We have seen some flocks where 30-40% of the ewes are in sub-optimal […]
21 January 2024
A Decade of Growth and Learning on the O’Leary Family Farm
A Decade of Growth and Learning on the O’Leary Family Farm Michael Gottstein, Head of Teagasc Sheep KT Programme, shares insights into the farm of Tomas O’Leary and his family, participants in Teagasc’s BETTER and Signpost programs for the past decade. Tomas O’ Leary, his wife Eileen and children Míchéal, Yvonne and […]
20 January 2024
Are iceberg diseases hiding below the surface in your flock?
Are iceberg diseases hiding below the surface in your flock? The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Thin Ewe Study, which is being conducted through its network of Regional Veterinary Labs, aims to aid flock owners in the diagnosis of iceberg diseases. These diseases, as Shane McGettrick of the Regional Veterinary […]
18 January 2024
Pregnancy scanning and using the results
Pregnancy scanning and using the results Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer in Teagasc, Michael Gottstein details the benefits of pregnancy scanning ewes and highlights how to make use of the results to achieve significant cost savings at farm level. Pregnancy scanning to identify which ewes are pregnant and to predict the expected […]
16 January 2024
A preview of the National Sheep Conference
A preview of the National Sheep Conference Dr Philip Creighton joins this week’s OviCast Podcast to preview the upcoming Teagasc National Sheep Conference, which will be held in two venues. Philip discusses the times and locations of this year’s conferences and highlights the speakers and the topics they will cover. These include: […]
16 January 2024
Liver fluke at ‘worrying’ levels in the North West
Liver fluke at ‘worrying’ levels in the North West Following a wet and mild year, the levels of liver fluke being witnessed on sheep farms in the North West has been described as being at ‘worrying’ levels. On the Let’s Talk Sheep Webinar, held on January 10th, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciaran Lynch […]
15 January 2024
National Sheep Conference: Nutrition, farm transfer and flock health on the agenda
National Sheep Conference: Nutrition, farm transfer and flock health on the agenda Teagasc will host two National Sheep Conferences, taking place at 7pm on Tuesday, 23 January 2024 in the Athlone Springs Hotel, Co. Roscommon, and Thursday, 25 January in the Clanree Hotel, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. The sheep conference will focus on […]
12 January 2024
Are alternative bedding options for sheep an option this winter?
Are alternative bedding options for sheep an option this winter? With straw being expensive and some farmers facing challenges sourcing an adequate supply of this bedding material, could the use of alternative bedding materials be a real option this winter? To answer this question, Dr. Liz Genever, an Independent Beef and Sheep […]
11 January 2024
Increase profitability of March-lambing flocks by shearing at housing
0 Increase profitability of March-lambing flocks by shearing at housing Dr. Tim Keady advises that shearing March-lambing ewes at housing in December improves subsequent animal performance by increasing lamb birth weight, enhances lamb weaning weight, reduces lamb age at slaughter by approximately two weeks, and offers additional benefits. Many producers house their March […]
9 January 2024