SHEPHERED CALENDER

Vaccination
Vaccinations prevent ewes suffering from disease by boosting their immunity. Ewes are
given a booster vaccination before lambing so that immunity to disease is passed to the
lamb when it drinks colostrums. The main germs of importance to the flock are the
clostridial bacteria which cause diseases such as tetanus and Pasturella bacteria which
cause pneumonia. New ewes introduced into the flock need to have a programme of
vaccination which involves two injections of vaccine given 6 weeks apart.

Flushing
Flushing is a term for getting the ewes prepared for breeding by feeding the ewe well for
2-3 weeks prior to service. The ewes are kept on low grade pastures after their lambs are
weaned but are given extra feed or good grazing just before and during the service period.
This improved nutrition stimulates egg production in the ewe and the ewes will come on
heat more readily. The result of flushing is nearly all ewes will lamb over a short period
in the spring with a high percentage of twins bor

Raddling & tupping

The rams(or tups) are introduced into the ewe flock in October so that in five
months(approx.) lambing will start. One ram can serve 50 ewes during the breeding
season which is usually 5-6 weeks long.The ram has a harness fitted with a coloured
crayon. As the ram serves the ewe he leaves a coloured mark on the rump of the ewe. By
changing the colours of the raddle the shepherd can estimate how successful the service is
and when the lambs will be born.

Housing
We house the spring lambing ewes from January to March when they lamb. This gives the pastures
a rest from sheep grazing so that there is better grass growth in spring to benefit the growing
lambs. The ewes get a measured ration of food so that the lambs are strong and healthy when they
are born. The ewes lamb indoors so that few lambs are lost due to cold and wet weather which kills
many lambs born outside. Sheep housing needs to be well ventilated with plenty of fresh air. We try
to reduce the impact of strong winds by placing bales to shelter the pens.

Vaccination
Lambs: Lambs are currently vaccinated against clostridial diseases and Pasteurellosis
with Ovivac-P™ at 4 and 8 weeks of age.Various other vaccines are available against
other diseases but are not applicable to Lackham at present. The intention is to have a
high health status sheep flock dependant upon eradication of disease rather than control.
Vaccines will therefore only be used as a last resort.
Ewes & rams:All ewes receive a dose of Heptavac-P™ at least 4 weeks before lambing.
No other vaccines are currently employed.

Fly/scab control
Routine dipping is not carried out at Lackham. Fly control with Vetrazine™ spray or Crovect™ is
applied as an effective alternative. Prevention is better than cure.
Ewes are treated 4 weeks after shearing, lambs treated at shearing or mid May and repeated every
8 to 10 weeks until the fly problem is gone. Soiled fleeces should be dagged when noticed
(wormers/rotation should play
an effective part of keeping fleeces clean).
Any fly strike should be thoroughly cleaned as soon as possible and 5 mls Spot-On™
applied.

Feeding concentrates
Sheep may be fed straw, silage or hay depending on availability that year.

It is usual to feed a compound ration in the last 4-8 weeks before lambing. The objective is to
increase the energy concentration of the ration when the ewe's requirements are rising rapidly and
the rumen volume may be reducing because of the rapid foetal growth.

It is important to condition score ewes 8 weeks before lambing. Aim for a score of 2.5 -3. Any ewes
below 2.5 should be drawn out and given preferential feeding.

To meet the accelerating requirements of the ewe good quality forage must be fed and the level of
concentrates gradually increased to support the growth of the unborn lamb(s) and the development
of udder tissue.

Ewes should come to lambing in a good but not over fat condition resulting in strong, healthy lambs
at birth. This should also help to prevent pregnancy toxaemia (twin lamb disease) which can occur
when the energy demands of the ewe are not fully satisfied.

An example ration would be 1.3kg of good quality hay and .6 kg of compound feed.
Lameness action plan
It is the aim not only to control foot-rot, but also eliminate it from the farm. This will require
frequent observation, detailed examinations, the use of antibiotics, a dry standing area and culling.

1. At the first inspection all feet should be pared to aid diagnosis.

2. Any affected sheep are sprayed with Alamycin™ or given an oxytetracycline™ injection if
necessary and kept on a dry area for 24 hours.
3. Three to 4 weeks later, any treated sheep still affected are culled.
4. Repeat inspections of all sheep are carried out every 4 weeks.
All purchased stock should be thoroughly examined for the presence of foot rot
and treated accordingly.

Scanning
The ewes are scanned using Ultrasound to determine if they are in lamb. At this stage the lamb
foetuses should be between 7 and 12 weeks old. The operator determines the number of lambs the
ewe is carrying and his assistant marks the ewe with coloured paint: no mark = twins; green =
single; orange = triplets; red = nothing; blue = nothing. The ewes are then housed in groups
according to how many lambs they are going to have so that they can be fed the right amount of
concentrate feed. Triplet bearing ewes get the most concentrates. Barren ewes are marked red and
will stay outside without concentrates and will be sold as culls.

Worming
Lamb worming
The risk of benzimidazole resistance must be borne in mind in any worming strategy. A policy of 2
year rotation of benzimidazole and ivermectin products is currently practiced.Risk of worm larvae on
pasture should be taken into account where possible. Young lambs should not, if possible, be grazed
on the same pasture as the previous year's lamb, crop. However, pressure on grazing at Lackham
makes this impractical.MAFF forecasts for risk of Nematodirus outbreaks may alter any pre-
determined worming schedule, but normally 3 doses at 3 -week intervals should be given during
May and June.Towards the end of June lambs should, if possible, be moved to clean grazing to
avoid the late summer build up of the other helminth larvae.
If clean grazing is not available, prophylactic doses of wormer should continue to be administered
through until autumn or marketing.

Ewe & ram worming

See lamb section re 2-year drug rotation.

Ewes must receive a dose of wormer in the last month of pregnancy and again within the first
month after lambing (if using benzimidazoles)

Fluke treatments should be considered where sheep have grazed wet pasture especially
during the ivermectin year. The dose can be increased to cover fluke during the
benzimidazole year.