The Livestock Lowdown - Spring sheep health in a good season

I see.

Coming from that relatively mild and wet winter, we're facing a potentially warm and dry extended summer period.

What should we keep at the front of our minds as the feed base starts to change?

Yes, well, that's right.

I mean, they're still talking about El Nino, so talking about a long dry period.

It keeps getting put back up by months by months, but assuming it will happen.

I guess the feed quality depends on how much rainfall you have through the spring period.

So significant rainfall through the spring will force feed quality to deteriorate more rapidly, whereas if you have standing dry feed, which doesn't have any rain on it, It's actually essentially like having hay in the shed because it will keep its protein and energy values reasonably well if it doesn't get rained on.

So

it's really additional moisture that causes

weathering of dry feed.

But yes, it's another one where you've really got to be thinking about how much deterioration of the feed in the paddock.

And so that's where condition scoring sheep periodically to see how their fat stores are going.

And that can give you a good idea of whether they're getting enough out of the paddock or not.

And as we transition into summer, for people who might be holding lambs over summer or might be weaning coming into summer, what should we be thinking about as far as clostridial disease goes and our vaccination programs?

Yes, well, certainly any change in feed.

So as we go from transition from spring into summer, obviously there's a distinct change in feed.

As we've talked about, the quality deteriorates.

You know, probably roughly you have about a 5% drop in energy every month over that spring to summer period.

It depends on what you're trying to do with your lambs.

If you're finishing them, obviously you might be putting them into feedlots or you might have an especially reserved paddock with better quality feed in it to keep them growing.

Otherwise, if you're dealing with merino wieners that you might be retaining as you enter into the ewe flock, well, they only need to be gaining about a kilogram a month.

to keep them going, just going to keep them making a small weight gain and they should be right.

It's just a matter of monitoring their needs to know what sort of condition they're in and you really need to have a ration in mind, I suppose, to make sure that they are moving ahead.

You can't afford to have them... not gaining any weight because that's when you are more likely to have increased mortality.