Sheep
Management at housing this winter
0 Management at housing this winter For this week’s OviCast, we hear from a recent Let’s Talk Sheep webinar with Sheep Specialist Damian Costello speaking about key management advice at housing this winter. Damian covered various aspects from some of the challenges faced this year to managing ewe condition to practical advice at […]
2 January 2024
Forage crops and store lambs proving a good fit
0 Forage crops and store lambs proving a good fit Increasing the area of forage crops sown has helped integrate the sheep and tillage systems on the Gavin farm in Co Carlow, Ciarán Lynch, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, and Frank Campion, Sheep Researcher, tell us more. Eddie Gavin, his wife Laura, their two young […]
2 January 2024
Liver fluke in sheep
Liver fluke in sheep Glen Corbett, Teagasc, tells us that with the recent wet weather, liver fluke is a parasite that thrives. In fact, alarm bells should be ringing on sheep farms. This is an issue in both cattle and sheep, but sheep are often hit hardest by it. It effects all […]
30 December 2023
Sheep grazing forage crops
Sheep grazing forage crops Eamonn Dempsey, Teagasc Advisor, discusses the utilisation of forage crops for feeding sheep during the winter months. He highlights suitable crops, grazing management practices and considerations for maximising crop utilisation. Forage crops are available for feeding mainly from October to February, replacing grass which is either closed off […]
27 December 2023
Planning for winter housing of sheep
Planning for winter housing of sheep Damian Costello, Sheep Specialist, Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research & Innovation Programme, Mellows Centre, Athenry, highlights the key factors to consider when housing ewes over the coming weeks. The high rainfall, particularly in the second half of the year, has made 2023 a difficult year on […]
26 December 2023
Alternative bedding options
Alternative bedding options On this episode of the OviCast podcast, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciarán Lynch was joined by Dr. Liz Genever, an independent sheep and beef consultant, who spoke on an on-farm project that she was involved in that examined various bedding options. Liz gave a background to the project, what bedding […]
26 December 2023
Silage testing – what the results mean
Silage testing – what the results mean On this episode of the Teagasc OviCast podcast, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciarán Lynch speaks to Dr Tim Keady about the importance of silage testing and what the results mean. Tim emphasises the importance of getting a silage test conducted correctly and early, to know the […]
19 December 2023
How good is your silage this winter?
How good is your silage this winter? Testing your silage is a good investment that will provide you with the true feed value of your winter forage, writes Ciaran Lynch, Teagasc Sheep Specialist. This, along with pregnancy scanning results, should form the basis of winter-feeding plans and allow you to tailor concentrate […]
13 December 2023
Importance of review
Importance of review Frank Campion of the Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Athenry, Co. Galway reports on how it is vital to do a yearly review, even more so in difficult years. After a comparatively difficult year with wet weather making grazing conditions difficult and impacting flock performance, most farmers […]
12 December 2023
Tackling the fluke challenge this winter
Tackling the fluke challenge this winter Veterinarian Shane McGettrick, who is Laboratory Manager at the DAFM Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Co. Sligo is on this week’s OviCast to talk about the fluke challenge this winter. Shane starts by discussing what fluke-related issues they are seeing in the lab at this point in […]
29 November 2023