Manage Pastures for Continued Growth

One of the easiest ways to manage pastures for continued growth is to clip seed heads after the sheep have been moved on to the next field. One a seed head emerges, the plant focuses nutrients/energy toward producing seeds. This means that the nutritional quality of the plant will decrease as that plant matures. Plants such as orchardgrass lose quality very rapidly once the seed head emerges, while others such as bromegrass lose quality more slowly. Clipping the seed heads will keep the plants growing in a vegetative state and will mean higher quality forages for the sheep to graze. For more information on grazing management, refer to the Penn State Agronomy Guide at http://extension.psu.edu/agronomy-guide/cm/sec8/sec810l.

Pasture Fertility

Pasture fertilty should be maintained through the use of soil tests. The first fertilizer should be added after the first grazing as this can help to prevent problems from grass tetany. Lime is very important to maintain correct soil pH. Soils that are too acidic (pH is under 6.0) will tie up nutrients and thus nutrients will not be available for plant growth. One way to save on the cost of nitrogen for fertilizing pastures is to include a legume in the mix. If about 30% of the pasture mix is a legume, this should produce enough nitrogen to feed the grasses. For more information on soil fertility, refer to the Penn State Agronomy Guide soil management section at http://extension.psu.edu/agronomy-guide/cm/sec2.

Rotate Pastures to Maintain Optimum Plant Height

During the spring, pastures are growing rapidly and sheep have plenty to eat. However, you still want to manage those pastures so that the sheep have plenty to eat during the hot and dry months of summer. Pastures should be rotated out of when the forage has been grazed down to 3 inches in height. This keeps the plants from becoming stressed by overgrazing and also helps prevent internal parasites in the sheep. A good goal is to provide enough area to feed the sheep for four days or less. Use temporary fencing to better manage pasture size.

Be Prepared to Prevent Grass Tetany This Spring

What a beautiful site to see all the sheep turned out on the lush spring pastures! At this time of the year, the grass is growing rapidly, but we need to be aware that the forages may be low in magnesium. This can cause a disease called grass tetany or grass staggers. The disease is most prevalent in the spring, but can occur in the fall also. It is also more prevalent on pastures with high potassium levels in the soil. To avoid this problem, there are several options. One is to add magnesium oxide and lime to the pastures to increase the magnesium in the plants. Another option is to add magnesium oxide to the mineral mix or to a concentrat (grain) mix if you are feeding grain.Treatment for the disease can be difficult and requires consultation with your local veterinarian. For more information about grass tetany, visit http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_b/B-809.pdf.

Wait for Adequate Pasture Growth

Spring is finally arriving here in PA, and all of us are anxious to turn our sheep out to pasture. However, it is important to wait until the grass is at least 5 inches tall before turning the sheep out. Pasturing too early will cause decreases in pasture production throughout the entire grazing season. Forages stored energy reserves in their roots last fall so that they have the energy to produce leaves in the spring to start the photosynthesis process. If plants are grazed off too soon, these root reserves will be used up and this will cause plants to slow their growth. Give plants enough time to not only produce the new leaves for this growing season, but to allow for enough growth that after grazing the plant has enough energy to rapidly re-grow. A bit of patience now will pay off over the course of the grazing season!

Cold Weather Care of Newborn Lambs

The temperatures for the next couple days are going to be very cold, so special attention should be given to any ewes who are lambing at this time. Check sheep closely several times a day for any signs that lambing is impending. Once lambs are born, be sure to dry off with a towel, along with the ewe's licking. Pay special attention to the ears as they can get frosted. Make sure the lamb receives around three to four ounces of colostrum shortly after birth. This will give the lamb some extra energy to keep warm while it works at nursing from the ewe. Smaller or weak lambs may also need a heat source to keep them warm while they dry off. Consider using a barrel with a heat lamp mounted inside. Tie the barrel so that it can't be knocked over. Always use caution with heat lamps to prevent fires!

Winter Weather Moving In

Last night was quite a wicked one for the weather! The wind was blowing sleet and rain into many barns across the area. For sheep who are housed inside, it is important to keep pens well bedded. This not only keeps sheep comfortable, but can help to prevent mastitis through a cleaner environment. For sheep housed outside, they should have access to a windbreak or an area with trees to help block the wind. Sheep that have been shorn recently should have access to shelter.

Watch for Pneumonia During Rainy Winter Weather

We have seen a lot of rain coming down recently with temperatures in the high 30's to low 50's. This type of weather is often a cause of pneumonia when animals are housed in barns. The heavy air tends to keep any ammonia coming off the manure pack trapped inside the barn. Good ventilation is key to prevention. Observe sheep for ten minutes at least once a day for signs of illness. Sheep may not be as vigourous at the feeder or they may stand by themselves in a corner. Take action right away to insure that animals return to health quickly.

New Crop Lambs Valuable in December

In the next couple weeks, new crop lambs will be a valuable commodity for sheep producers who lamb in the fall. Because most sheep will only breed in the fall for lambing in the spring, new crop lambs are mostly in short supply for winter holidays. Most years we can expect increased prices for lambs that are sold at auctions during the couple weeks prior to Christmas. Is fall lambing something you should consider for increasing revenues for your sheep operation? Consider feed resources, labor for lambing as well as flock genetics as you ponder the answer to this question.

Fall Grazing

The beautiful fall weather has also brought some welcome rains to parts of PA. The rain, combined with the moderate weather, will get the pasture forages growing again. Be sure to allow pastures to grow to 6 inches in height or more before turning animals into those fields. Once the field is grazed down to 3 inches, move the animals to a new field. This not only protects the forage plants, but also helps to prevent the animals from picking up internal parasites.

Cold weather coming

Don't forget to check your watering systems as the cold weather arrives. Make sure heaters are plugged in, but check for any frayed wires before plugging them in! If you are using unheated water sources, be sure to break the ice at least once a day and preferably more often. ideally, remove all ice from the watering container and refill with fresh water.

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.

What Do I Do With a Chilled Lamb?

With winter lambing it is almost inevitable that you will have a chilled lamb. These are lambs who are born during very cold weather and whose body temperature drops below normal. They will be lethargic and if you insert your finger into its mouth it may feel cold. A chilled lamb should be warmed up slowly. Some of the methods used are to take them into a warm room, blow hair air across them with a hair dryer or dip them in a bucket of warm water. I like to move them to a warm room where they can warm up over a period of an hour or so. Once the lamb has warmed and is trying to stand, you can then let them nurse, drink from a bottle or tube them.

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.