Ty Coch Project Update - January 2025
Key Results
- Ewes that lambed in optimal body condition (BCS 3) were slightly more likely to have good quality colostrum than thinner ewes.
- Lambs which were noted to be full had a higher Brix score than those which were empty, suggesting they had better colostrum intake.
- Lambs which were triplets had a lower Brix score than twins, and therefore had poorer colostrum intake.
- 40% of lambs which had inadequate colostrum died compared with 4% of those which had sufficient colostrum.
- Many of the lambs that died showed signs of pneumonia.
- The overall DLWG of the group did not seem to be conclusively affected by colostrum intake although the lambs with the best Brix scores were generally better grown at 8 weeks and weaning.
Background
The success of a sheep farming enterprise is often measured based on the number of lambs sold per ewe. This is affected by a number of factors – starting with the scanning percentage. Lamb losses between birth and sale will then reduce this figure. Ty Coch is no different from many other sheep farms in that a number of lambs are lost from scanning through to sale. In previous years, several improvements have been made to reduce these losses, including the use of abortion vaccines, improved ewe nutrition and control of Maedi Visna in the flock. However, the figure is still greater than the industry target of 10%, with most losses now occurring after turnout. It was suspected that this was in part due to poor colostrum intake in lambs.
Purpose of the work
The colostrum project was devised to not only assess the quality of colostrum available to the lambs, but also to investigate the number of lambs receiving sufficient colostrum. The project was then able to follow a cohort of lambs from birth to 8 weeks of age to see if there was a clear link between colostrum intake and the outcome for individual lambs.
What we did
The project started with drawing up a diet plan for in-lamb ewes to be fed from 6 weeks before the expected start of lambing. To confirm this diet was meeting the needs of pregnant ewes, blood samples were then collected from the flock 2 weeks prior to the expected start of lambing to ensure that they had sufficient protein and energy.
The use of raddles enabled an accurate prediction of a week when lambing would be in full swing. During that week data was gathered from 80 twin and triplet lambs on the day of birth. Data collected included:
Ewe factors: Dam body condition score, approximate age, the colostrum quality using a Brix Refractometer, ease of stripping, and any other udder features.
Lamb factors: birthweight, an assessment of how full each lamb was, and any other relevant health information such as Watery Mouth or entropion.
The same lambs were then revisited 24 hours later to assess colostrum intake by measuring the amount of protein in a blood sample. A Brix Refractometer was used to carry out this testing in the vet practice lab. Small management tags were used to identify the lambs in the study.
Any tagged lambs that died were examined by post-mortem and after 8 weeks the surviving lambs were weighed and an assessment of the individual daily liveweight gain (DLWG) was made. Most of the lambs were also weighed at finishing or weaning.
Outcomes
The project results are not surprising. They indicate that ewes that are in optimal condition at lambing are likely to produce better colostrum, but that this colostrum needs to get into the lambs; those which have not learnt to suck or triplets that are competing for colostrum need to be topped up. Lambs that didn’t get enough colostrum were ten times more likely to die than their well-fed counterparts and this effect lasted throughout their lives.
The overall lambs reared per ewe ended up as 138% compared with a scanning percentage of 163%, this represents a loss of 15.5% which was high for the flock. Naturally, there is a desire to reduce these losses to under 10% in the future.
Calculations using the potential value of the lambs that died during the project showed that targeted extra help checking and topping up lambs in the first 24 hours of life would have a real benefit. Reducing losses by 5.5% would amount to between £2000 and £2500, which would pay for over 150 hours of casual labour in the coming season.
There is a plan to continue the project in 2025 to show the effect of more attention to detail in the lambing pens on lamb outcomes.
5-Step Guide to Implementing on farm
- Regular body condition scoring ewes to address any ewes falling below target.
- Analyse forages to establish an appropriate diet plan for the flock.
- Blood sample ewes two weeks pre lambing for metabolic profiling.
- Ensure that all lambs receive adequate colostrum within the first 24hours by assessing stomach fill and top up as necessary.
- Hygiene is also a key factor for lamb survival in the lambing shed, from clean bedding through to sterile feeding equipment.