25 January 2022
Reducing Lamb Mortality with Hygiene
With lambing season approaching Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep Programme, Teagasc, outlines various methods that can be implemented on your farm to create a more hygienic environment for lambing in the video here.
Pre -lambing the environment of the womb is for the most part a safe, clean and hygenic environment for the unborn lambs.
Once lambing begins the lambs and the ewe are exposed to various harmful or potentially dangerous bugs from the outside environment.
So the farmer needs to aim for as clean an environment as possible, therefore the following is advisable:
- to use good quantities of straw bedding to form a barrier between the dung and urine of the surroundings and the newborn lambs
- use of a disinfectant such as hydrated lime in the lambing pens
- clean lambing pens
It is also important as far as possible to prevent the introduction of dirt into the environment when assisting with lambing. A clean glove should be used when handling ewes.
Michael Gottstein explains the detail in the video below:
Reducing Lamb Mortality with Hygiene
Teagasc Virtual Sheep Conference
If this topic interests you then you might also be intersted in the Teagasc Virtual Sheep Conference 2022 – Session Two on Thursday, 27 January at 8pm. The topic is Reducing lamb mortality and new veterinary medicine regulations for 2022. Register below
The Teagasc Virtual Sheep Conference 2022 – Session One is on Tuesday, 25 January at 8pm. Topic: Reducing input costs while maximising productivity and Outlook for 2022
The Teagasc Sheep Specialists and Teagasc Advisors issue an article on a topic of interest to sheep farmers on Tuesdays here on Teagasc Daily. Find more on Teagasc Sheep here Teagasc provides a Local Advisory and Education service to farmers. Find your local Teagasc office here