Sheep
Lameness – What impact is it having on your flock?
Lameness – What impact is it having on your flock? Patricia Lynch discusses the costs associated with lame sheep, due to treatment expenses and production losses, effective management requires accurate identification, early intervention, and adherence to a five-point plan. Lame sheep are costly residents to have on any farm not only due […]
31 July 2024
Options for finishing lambs on Irish Sheep Farms
Options for finishing lambs on Irish Sheep Farms Michael Gottstein discusses the challenges sheep farmers face due to difficult weather, impacting lamb performance, grass growth, and the need for strategic lamb drafting and sales to ensure sufficient resources for ewes. It has been an unusual and difficult year for sheep farmers. The […]
30 July 2024
Are your sheep wormers working the way they should?
Are your sheep wormers working the way they should? Monitoring worm burdens through faecal egg counts is a tool available to sheep farmers to save on costs and reduce labour input. Additionally, when used as part of the drench test protocol, it allows farmers to test the effectiveness of the dosing products […]
23 July 2024
Ewe management after weaning
Ewe management after weaning Weaning time gives farmers a chance to press the reset button on thin ewes, writes Michael Gottstein, Teagasc Head of Sheep Knowledge Transfer, who looks at strategies to ensure ewes recuperate after weaning. We are seeing a lot of thin ewes on farms at mating time. It is […]
19 July 2024
Best practice for managing newly purchased sheep
Best practice for managing newly purchased sheep A lot of stock – whether it is rams, breeding females or store lambs – will move directly between farms or indirectly through marts over the coming weeks. With this movement of stock, Teagasc Sheep Specialist, Ciaran Lynch reminds us of the importance of having […]
17 July 2024
Monitoring parasite burden and interpreting the results
Monitoring parasite burden and interpreting the results As part of this week’s OviCast podcast, Ciaran Lynch is joined by Dr Orla Keane where they talk about monitoring the parasite challenge in lambs. The challenge stomach worms pose from this point of the season onward is discussed, with Orla talking about using faecal […]
16 July 2024
Maternal-focused flock to host Growing Organics Farm Walk
0 Maternal-focused flock to host Growing Organics Farm Walk Carrying approximately 550 ewes which lamb outdoors in March and April, Joe Nolan, who farms alongside his wife Clair and their son Ciaran, will host a Growing Organics Farm Walk on their farm in Kilconnor, Fenagh, Co. Carlow. Previewing the event, Marianne Mulhall, Specialised […]
9 July 2024
Watch: Key dates and details for the National Sheep Welfare Scheme
0 Watch: Key dates and details for the National Sheep Welfare Scheme JohnEnda Flannelly, Drystock Advisor in Teagasc Claremorris, reminds farmers of the key dates and details of the National Sheep Welfare Scheme – a one year scheme launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine earlier this year. The National […]
6 July 2024
National Sheep and Goat Census 2023
0 National Sheep and Goat Census 2023 The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) conducts an annual census of sheep and goats. The most recent report captures the number of sheep and goats in Ireland as of December 31, 2023. The 2023 census reported a total of 3.72 million sheep across […]
5 July 2024
A guide on the Genotyped Ram Task
0 A guide on the Genotyped Ram Task Sheep Ireland’s Sean Godfrey provides key information on the Genotyped Ram Task of the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), focusing on the criteria, the benefits and where to find a SIS Eligible Ram. In 2023, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine launched the new […]
2 July 2024