Producing the "Ideal" Market Lamb

One of the challenges to the sheep industry in the United States is to produce a uniform size of market lamb. Many processors are looking for a 45 to 65 pound carcass in order to supply uniform cuts to their buyers. So, as a sheep producer you can ask yourself the question "Are my ewes producing a uniform group of lambs that finish out at 90 to 130 lbs live weight?" And, a second to go along with the first would be "Am I producing a size of lamb that best optimizes profitability in my management situation?"

Weaning Lambs

A variety of methods can be used to wean lambs from their mothers. Most producers will wean between 60 and 90 days of age. Ewes whose lambs are weaned at 60 days will need special care to prevent mastitis, an inflammation of the udder. These ewes should be taken off grain a few days prior to weaning and should be switched to a lower quality hay. Once the lambs are taken away, you may also want to restrict water access for 24 hours. For ewes who lambs are weaned at close to 90 days of age, they should also be taken off grain and switched to the lower quality hay. Because their milk production has dropped significantly since the lambs were 60 days of age, restricting access to water is likely not necessary.

Castrating Ram Lambs

Castrating ram lambs is not a necessity, but rather a choice. If you are selling wether lambs for show or rams for breeding stock this would be a necessity. However, many ethnic markets prefer an intact male lamb. In other words, they want a lamb complete with tail and testicles and without any blemishes.

Docking Lambs

Docking lambs can be a simple process with a few precautions. The first precaution is to vaccinate lambs for tetanus prior to docking. Lambs who are docked at an early age should receive some protection through their mothers. These ewes would need to be vaccinated 4 to 6 weeks prior to lambing. Lambs who are docked at two weeks of age or older can receive their first tetanus vaccination at this time. This vaccination is often a combination shot for tetanus and over eating disease.

Producing High Quality Wool in the Winter

Producing high quality wool can be a challenge in the winter. Be sure to keep pens well bedded so that wool stays clean. You should also feed carefully to avoid getting any grain or hay across the backs of the sheep. In the spring when the sheep are sheared you can also skirt the fleeces to remove any badly stained areas, remove wool with heavy amounts of vegetable matter and to remove any manure tags.

New PA Scrapie Identification Regulation

Pennsylvania has a new law relating to scrapie identification in sheep and goats. This new law went into effect on January 1, 2009 and now requires that all sheep and goats that leave the farm where they were born must bear an official scrapie identification. If you need to order tags, call USDA at 866.873.2824.

Preparing for Lambing

At least a month prior to lambing, producers should gather all the items they may need. Here are a few items that many producers like to have on hand during lambing season:

• Frozen colostrum
• milk replacer
• bucket
• soap
• lubricant
• bottle with nipple
• clean towels
• lambing pens (1 for every 10 ewes)
• water and feed buckets
• weak lamb feeding tube
• telephone number for your local veterinarian

Fall Ewe Management

With the high price of feeds, now is a great time to pregnancy check ewes. You can then cull those open ewes prior to feeding them all winter. This not only saves you the cost of feeds, but also saves you the time and labor of feeding and other management tasks. If you local veterinarian has an ultra sound machine, they can do the pregnancy check for you. Another option is an instrument call preg-tone. And of course, you should use two marking colors on your ram during the breeding season. Use one color during the first 17 days and then switch to another color. If a large number of ewes are being remarked, you may need to switch to a more fertile ram.

Management in Late Pregnancy

During the last third of pregnancy, a ewe's nutritional demands increase. At this time they will need added protein and in particular added energy in their daily ration. A great way to provide this increased level of nutrition is to switch to a higher quality hay and add some type of grain. Often, shelled or cracked corn is the main supplier for energy in the ration. This will allow the ewe to adequately meeting the nutritional needs of the developing lambs. The added grain is also important for high quality colostrum production.