Pregnancy Scanning Ewes

Need:

• Deciding on feeding groups/Link between the state of the animals & feeding
• Distribution/Management of concentrate allocation during lambing
• Lambing records/ewe performance
• Scanning and dividing ewe groups for appropriate nutrition

Aim:

Determine pregnancy and litter size in ewes, to facilitate nutrition planning.

Description:

Ewes can be scanned to diagnose pregnancy and expected litter size. This facilitates nutrition planning pre-lambing. Expected lambing date can also be predicted.

How to implement:

A trained operator uses an ultrasound scanner and specially designed crate to quickly identify pregnancy and/or expected litter size. Ewes are marked to record litter size and EID recording may be used.

Expected benefits:

• Quick, stress free and undertaken with sheep in standing position in a designated crate.
• Identifies barren ewes that can be culled or sold.
• To facilitate nutrition planning in late pregnancy ewes can be grouped according to expected litter size to avoid under or over feeding.

Prerequisites and/or limits:

• Ewes should be restricted from feed for about 10 hours in advance of scanning
• Availability of trained operator with equipment
• Facilities to group ewes according to expected litter size pre-lambing

Cost / Benefit Analysis

Social, environmental and welfare assessments: –