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: –
Country:
Ireland
Production system (Dairy or/and meat sheep/goat):
Dairy and meat sheep
Category of Animal (ewe, goat, replacement, lamb, kid):
Ewe, replacement
Source of information:
Attachment/links:
ADOPTION PREDICTION:
What is the expected uptake of this technology and when might peak uptake happen?
