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Managing ewe lamb replacements to lamb at 1 year old
Solution name: Managing ewe lamb replacements to lamb at 1 year old Aim: To manage ewe replacements to produce their first litter at 1 year of ageDescription: Replacements are a major cost in mid-season prime lamb production systems equivalent to 25% of the value of...
Replacement nutrition requirement for first lactation
Solution name: Replacement nutrition requirement for first lactation Aim: Our goal is to raise well-developed young lamb and to keep the number of days between the first and second lambing to a minimum.Description: The feeding of the young lamb is largely determined...
Grazing techniques
Solution name: Grazing techniques Aim: Find solution for sheep farms who based on grazing for those periods when the natural grassland is so poor (mainly summer period)Description: In dry climate: Enough yield and enough of good quality grass are available seasonally...
Forage crop production instead of grazing
Solution name: Forage crop production instead of grazing Aim: Ensure fluently high quality forage for all aged sheep in your flock. If possible produce forage crops on arable land instead of grazing on pour pastureDescription: In dry climate good quality grass and...
Identifying trained hoggs for feeding
Title: Identifying trained hoggs for feeding Need/issue: Weaning transition management/post-weaning management: adaptation to new feeding regime Introduction: Naïve replacements which spent most of their live grazing need to be trained to eat concentrates feeds or...
Sources of high milk urea and how to avoid excess protein content, links between protein intake and urea, modalities for checking milk urea
Solution name: Sources of high milk urea and how to avoid excess protein content, links between protein intake and urea, modalities for checking milk urea Aim: Best practices for protein utilization of the feeds by lactating ewes using milk urea content as...
Methods to calculate vitamin and mineral content of feeds and pastures
Solution name: Methods to calculate vitamin and mineral content of feeds and pastures Aim: Calculate vitamin and mineral content of feeds and pastures to meet ewes requirement.Description: Ewes need a balanced diet containing energy (fat and carbohydrates), protein,...
Online history of grazing routes to remember and improve grazing routes in the next year
Solution name: Online history of grazing routes to remember and improve grazing routes in the next year Aim: Improve grazing routes, remember points of interest in the grazing routes, remember best grazing grounds for next year, cooperate with other farmers grazing in...
Two successful combinations of legume/cereal winter forage crops
Solution name: Two successful combinations of legume/cereal winter forage crops Aim: Giving examples of combinations of legume/cereal intercroping for winter forage crops that have been tested or used with satisfying results in central Greece.Description: Adding a...
Practical advices on Artificial feeding in new-born lambs
Solution name:Practical advices on Artificial feeding in new-born lambs Aim: Proper implementation of artificial feeding, so that the farmers get the best results both in the development of lambs and on milk production of ewes.Description: Artificial feeding is an...
Parasitism management in grazing animals
Solution name:Parasitism management in grazing animals Aim: Management measures to interrupt the cycle of infection of grazing animals through life forms of the parasites excreted by parasitized animals and hosted on the vegetation.Description: Parasitism by internal...
CT Scanning as a Tool for Assessing Body Composition and Carcass Quality
Factsheet name: CT scanning as a tool for assessing body composition and carcass qualityIntroduction: CT scanning is a technology used to assess body composition and carcass traits in sheep. It works using X-rays to produce images of the body based on different...
Quality on temporary pastures for dairy sheep
Need/issue: Forage material is an integral component of a ruminant’s balanced diet and despite concentrates being increasingly replacing that, in recent decades, current economic drives lead to increasing again the importance of quality forage material in dairy sheep...
Store Lambs
Factsheet name: Finished store lamb from pasture, conserved forage or concentrate diets Need / Issue: Ration formulation based on forage availability and qualityIntroduction In grass-based systems of prime lamb production approximately 50% of spring born lambs are...
Managing triplet rearing ewes
Need/issue: Management strategies for multiple rearing ewesIntroduction: As mean flock productivity increases, the incidence of triplets increases. For flocks with mean litter sizes of 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 the incidence of triplets is expected to be 8%, 15% and 25%...
Managing ewe condition score through the year
Need/issue: The management of ewe condition will depend on the physiological stage (gestation, lactation and dry period) of the ewe and can affect disease susceptibility and/or disease diagnosis. Body condition score influences flock productivity.Introduction: Body...
Managing the transition of breeding replacements
Need / Issue: Whether buying in replacements or transferring them from another holding, the transition can affect their growth rates and subsequently their rearing success. Managing them to minimise stress and transition their diets can reduce or eliminate the growth...
In search of an ideal milk-replacer in small ruminants
Need / Issue: knowledge of nutritional requirementsIntroduction: In intensive small ruminant dairy farming, after birth, lambs and kids are removed from the dam at birth or after 24-48 hours, following colostrum intake. From this moment on, the lambs and kids are...
Nutritional Requirements at Key Points in the Ewe’s Production Cycle
Factsheet name: Understanding nutritional requirements at key points in the ewe’s production cycle Need / Issue: Good nutritional management is required throughout the ewes production cycle in order to achieve target key performance indicators. Knowledge of the...
Feeding concentrate to lambs at pasture
Need / Issue: Balance requirements against pasture qualityIntroduction: High levels of lamb performance can be achieved from well managed grazed grass offered as the sole diet. However many producers supplement lambs with concentrate to increase lamb performance. The...
Knowledge of nutrition requirements for fattening lambs
Theoretical approach: what are the energy and protein needs of lambs post-weaning? Lambs nutritional requirements can be differentiated in 2 categories: maintenance (based on their liveweight and environment), and growth (based on their expected performance). Energy...
Aminoacid Nutrition
Factsheet name: Aminoacid nutrition Need / Issue: Protein concentration in the diet (concentrate + forage)Introduction: In sheep and goats, amino acid nutrition is essential for the maintenance of health and productivity. Management of amino acids in sheep nutrition...
How to achieve a successful dietary transition when turning out at springtime
Factsheet name: How to achieve a successful dietary transition when turning out at springtime Need / Issue: Digestive disorders and grassland managementWhy implement it: The animals will go from shed ration, often based on dry fodder, to very palatable spring grass...
Live weights at typical ages for ewe lambs
Solution name: Live weights at typical ages for ewe lambs Aim: to ensure ewe lamb fertility at first mating. To sort replacement ewe lambs from live weight references at standard age.Description: Selection of replacement ewe lambs takes place during these three...