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Latest Episodes:

Joining ewe lambs – what to consider Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Tim Keady joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss the subject of joining ewe lambs to lambs at 1 year old. Tim starts by outlining the potential to improve productivity by lambing ewe lambs at 1 year old, but he also highlights some of the challenges it can place on the system. He discusses the various effects of joining weight on productivity, the use of the ram effect and management of ewe lambs throughout the joining period. Finally, Tim discusses the knock on effect lambing yearling ewes has on their subsequent performance particularly the following season as 18 month olds. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Forage crops: can they carry store lambs to finish? Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

Dr Frank Campion and Mark Dolan join Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss some of the ongoing work examining the role of forage crops in store lamb finishing systems. Mark starts by giving some back ground to his project, discussing the crops sown, when they went in and the type of lambs he is finishing while Frank highlights the role these crops have in store lambs finishing systems. As carrying and finishing capacity of these crops is highly important, Mark and Frank describe the crop yield they achieved last year, their carrying capacity and how many lambs they finish off each crop. They then discuss the grazing management, use of temporary fences and the effect the difficult weather last year had on crop utilisation. Back to current events, with store lambs being purchased at the moment, Mark discusses the management of the lambs on arrival including the reasons they opted to fully shear them while Frank also offers some advice on getting these lambs acclimatised to the crops and the need to provide a forage source. Finally, Frank highlights the need for those using this system to assess the potential of the crops sown on their farms this year. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

A field, a marquee, an auctioneer and 4000 sheep: the Cooley Sheep Breeders Association sale Aug 24, 2021

Show notes

If someone was travelling along the Greenore Road in Carlingford on the first Saturday in September they would be forgiven for stopping to take in the spectacle of the Cooley Sheep Breeders Association annual sale. On a greenfield site the sale has become a focal point for local breeders to sell breeding ewe lambs and hoggets and on this week’s OviCast, Ciarán Lynch is joined by Conor McCann, the current chairman of the association, and local Teagasc advisor, Hugh Rooney, to explain more about the sale and how it came about. Hugh and Conor give the background to how the sale was set up and how it has developed over the years. Conor explains how the exhibitors are all local to the area and what kind of stock is on offer in this multibreed sale. They discuss the unique setting and the effort that goes into setting it up to accommodate the sale. There’s strong community spirit behind the event and Hugh explains how it provides a means of adding value to the product they are producing. Conor discusses how the move online last year influenced the sale and how as an association they are continually trying to improve the service for potential purchasers such as providing free transport which was an initiative started last year. The sale has grown significantly over the years from just over 1000 breeding females on offer the first year to over 4000 in this current sale and Conor acknowledges all those who have helped along the way to help make this a successful addition to the area. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Pre-breeding vaccination: toxoplasmosis and enzootic abortion Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

Pre-breeding vaccination is one way to reduce lambs losses and barren rates next spring and is a key point highlighted by Sarah Campbell veterinary advisor with MSD Animal Health who joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to explain in more detail. Sarah starts by highlighting the need to identify the cause of abortion through the veterinary laboratory’s and highlights the common causes reported on farm. She discusses the two most common causes of abortion namely Enzootic abortion and Toxoplasmosis in more detail explaining how these are spread and how the timing of infection effects the ewe. In both cases there is a vaccine available and the vaccination programme that can be implemented this autumn is discussed. As with any vaccine correct storage, handling and administration is an important consideration and Sarah highlights how this can affect vaccine efficacy and the key areas to focus on. Finally as these vaccines have to be given a number of weeks in advance of the breeding season Sarah encourages farmers to order their vaccines in time and plan their vaccination programme prior to breeding. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Quarantine treating bought in stock Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

When new animals arrive on farm they can potentially bring some unwanted health issues with them. To minimise the risk, it’s important there is a quarantine procedure in place and on this week’s OviCast, Michael Gottstein, Head of Sheep in Teagasc joins Ciarán Lynch to discuss this issue in more detail. Michael starts by emphasising why this is an important consideration for any flock owner. He discusses the importance of inspecting the sheep at purchase and asking some basic questions of the seller about the health status of their flock. Some preparation is needed to correctly quarantine animals on arrival and Michael highlights the need to house these animals for 48 hours and correctly treat them for foot issues, internal and external parasites and Michael and Ciarán discuss the treatment options that are currently available. They move on to discuss turnout post treatment and why it’s a good idea to keep these animals separate from the main flocks for a number of weeks after purchase. Finally, Michael highlights the need to enrol these sheep in the flock’s health plan for the farm ensuring they receive the appropriate vaccinations. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Time to check the ram team and settle new rams in Aug 02, 2021

Show notes

Assessing if the ram team is fit for purpose is an essential task at this point of the season and on this week’s OviCast, Ciarán Lynch is joined by drystock advisor Edward Egan to discuss this in more detail. Edward starts by explaining why this needs to be conducted now to allow for corrective action to be taken or a replacement ram purchased well in advance of the breeding season. Edward takes us through some of the basic checks that should be conducted, checking ram soundness and the absence of injuries, infections or other impairments. They discuss the implications of each of these on the ram’s ability to function correctly and why that assessment needs to be made now. Edward finishes up explaining how to introduce new rams to the farm highlighting the need to deal with biosecurity issues and how to best acclimatise them to their new surroundings and the rest of the ram team. The process of the ram health can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/Pd8uSqTMERg For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Genotyping – a step forward this season Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

With the rams sales season kicking into high gear, Dr Alan Bohan from Sheep Ireland joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss how genotyping has improved the genetic information available to breeders and farmers alike. Alan discusses the increase in the number of animals genotyped this year and explains the process and costs involved in genotyping. He then discusses the benefits of genotyping animals from parentage verification to scrapie genotyping. Genotyping also provides a genomic evaluation which improves the accuracy of the index and Alan explains why this is a major benefit to farmers. Finally, he discusses this year’s Sheep Ireland multi-breed sale and the use of the ram search tool to find rams and pedigree breeders in your own locality. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Synchronising ewes Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

As the breeding season for early lambing and pedigree flocks is starting, Prof. David Kenny Head of the Animal Biosciences Dept in Teagasc, joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss various aspects of synchronisation in ewes. David starts by explaining the pros and cons of synchronisation in sheep and he discusses the role of sponging and PMSG in the synchronising process as well as the protocol used, including the timing of ram introduction. David then highlights the importance of the correct ewe to ram ratio and discusses some strategies to deal this. He finishes up discussing the rate of PMSG used and how ewe prolificacy and time of season affect the level of response. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

The role of cobalt supplementation Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

Michael Gottstein Head of Sheep in Teagasc joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss the role of cobalt supplementation in lambs. Michael starts by describing how cobalt supplementation helps lamb performance and he moves on to discuss some of the typical signs of cobalt deficiency in lambs. They discuss supplementation strategies and the pros and cons of each and how the type of cobalt contained in the supplement may affect the lamb’s ability to absorb it. Finally, Michael encourages producers to check whether they are getting a performance benefit from supplementation with minerals. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Teagasc BETTER farm flocks – lamb growth & weaning Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

Dr. Frank Campion joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s episode of OviCast with an update on some of the performance and management decisions on the Teagasc BETTER sheep farms as we head into the mid-summer period. Frank starts by discussing current activities on the farms and discusses lamb performance on the lowland flocks to date as well as some of the challenges they faced so far this year and how it influenced performance. Frank highlights how lamb weaning weights can effect management for the season and how checking the proportion of lambs that fall into different weight categories is a useful check for farms at the moment. He moves on to discuss the flocks on the hill side of the programme and how they have performed to date before finishing up discussing their options for selling or finishing lambs later in the season. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

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