OviCast

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Latest Episodes:

Dealing with scald in lambs and lameness issues early in the grazing season Apr 20, 2021

Show notes

Teagasc's B&T advisor Tom Coll joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss some issues with lameness appearing in flocks at present. Tom discusses how scald is the main problem in young lambs at the moment and what some of the predisposing factors are. He highlights the need for early intervention and discusses treatment options. Tom puts particular emphasis on the importance of good handling facilities in tackling some of these issues on farms. With many of his clients having invested in batch footbath facilities in recent years he finishes up discussing how this has helped reduce incidence of lameness in their flocks and some of the other benefits to this change. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Nematodirus – signs, treatment & differential diagnosis Apr 13, 2021

Show notes

Dr Orla Keane joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s episode of OviCast to discuss Nematodirus in lambs. Orla starts by explaining why it poses a risk for lambs in early spring, she explains the DAFM Nematodirus forecast and the implications that has for lambs this spring. She discusses the signs of infection in young lambs and the treatment options for this condition as well as discussing how the choice of treatment can impact the sustainable parasite control. As this occurs at a similar time to possible Coccidia infection, Orla explains how this can also impact lambs, the clinical presentation of the condition and treatment options. Orla finishes up by highlighting the need to use correct procedure when administering anthelminthic and highlighting the resources available on the Teagasc Website. Find out more about anthelminthic resistance at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/flock-health/anthelmintic-resistance/ For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Grazing focus - early season management Apr 06, 2021

Show notes

With the grazing season well underway, on the latest OviCast episode Ciarán Lynch catches up with Dr Philip Creighton who highlights the need to focus on grassland management for the coming weeks to maximise lamb performance. They discuss the current grazing conditions on farms around the country and the impact opening covers has had on grass growth during March. Philip moves on to discuss forming grazing groups and what impact that has on grass and animal performance. He then outlines the current grazing targets and the importance of achieving residuals to setup the sward for subsequent grazing rotations. They move on to discuss fertiliser application for the second round to meet rising demand and finish up discussing target farm covers for the coming weeks. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Lambing one year old ewes – the farmer experience Mar 30, 2021

Show notes

Tomás O’Leary who is farming outside Killarney in Co. Kerry joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast. Tomás who is a participant on the BETTER Farm Sheep Programme has always joined his ewe lambs and managed them alongside his mature ewes. He shares his experience on how to manage these ewes to achieve a high output. He also discusses his selection criteria to ensure his replacement ewe lambs are suitable to join, ram choice and joining period length. Tomás then detailed his scan result this year and feeding regime from housing right through to late pregnancy. He discussed management around lambing time and plans for turnout and highlights why he supplements this group post lambing and how he manages them from turnout to weaning, highlighting the importance of monitoring their condition. See more about his breeding policy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcuvJqj3FeM For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Identifying the problem ewes during lambing Mar 23, 2021

Show notes

Dr Frank Campion joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s OviCast podcast to talk about reducing the number of problem ewes. As many of the problems seen in a flock occur during lambing, Frank highlights the importance of identifying these sheep for culling with a permanent means so that they don’t re-appear in the flocks for the coming year. Frank discusses the reasons for culling in flocks but also the importance of recording the reasons why these ewes were culled. He outlines why it’s important to review these reasons to identify potential issues within the flocks and expands on this point with examples of the culling levels and variation seen in the flocks in the Sheep BETTER farms. As culling is an ongoing process they finish up discussing other issues to target as the season progresses. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Artificially rearing lambs – the key points Mar 16, 2021

Show notes

Having a system in place to deal with surplus or orphan lambs is a must on many farms at this time of the year. On this episode of OviCast, Ciarán Lynch discusses this in more detail with Michael Gottstein Head of Sheep in Teagasc. Michael outlines the various options for artificially rearing lambs indicating the pros and cons of each. They discuss training lambs onto feeders, batching according to age and group size. As these are high cost systems, Michael outlines the weaning process, emphasising its importance in keeping the cost of the system down. He also discusses the introduction of concentrate and provision of a fibre source and fresh water and finishes up highlighting the importance of hygiene and identifying poor performers and managing them separately. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

Farmer focus: Des Powell - Flock Expansion in Co. Tipperary Mar 09, 2021

Show notes

Teagasc BETTER Farm Sheep Programme participant Des Powell who is running a mixed sheep and beef system in Co. Tipperary features on this week’s episode of OviCast. Des is also joined by Teagasc’s Dr. Frank Campion as they discuss plans for increasing flock size and implementing a breeding policy on the farm. With lambing already underway, Des discusses how he is selecting and identifying his replacements, while Frank highlights the challenge of expanding from within the flock and how it limits the selection process initially. They also highlight some of the infrastructure changes on the farm finishing up with a discussion on the current grass situation this spring and what changes Des has implemented to bring this about. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast

The causes, timing and on-farm practices associated with lamb mortality and the steps to reduce the incidence this Spring Mar 02, 2021

Show notes

With lambing season well underway, the focus on this week’s OviCast episode turns to the subject of lamb mortality and ways to reduce it. Joining Ciarán Lynch is Dwayne Shields from Teagasc Sligo-Leitrim-Donegal who, during the course of his PhD studies, has examined the timing and causes of perinatal lamb mortality as well as farm surveys on common practices that can improve lamb survival. Dwayne begins by discussing the timing and main causes of lamb mortality. He delves into how some of these are preventable and which ones aren’t, highlighting the importance of correct diagnosis where problems occur. He moves on to discuss the importance of good hygiene in the lambing shed as well as treating lambs’ navels soon after birth, with Dwayne outlining the on-farm practices highlighted in his study and how they could be improved. Clostrum management and the use of alternatives and the role of nutrition has on lamb mortality is also highlighted. Finally, Dwayne encourages farmers to take an accurate assessment of lamb mortality on their own farms and use the information as an opportunity to address some potential causes. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast/

Spring fertiliser – the key considerations Feb 23, 2021

Show notes

Dr Philip Creighton joins Ciaran Lynch on this week’s OviCast to discuss some of the key factors to consider for fertiliser application this spring. Philip discusses some of the challenges this spring and the delay in fertiliser application. With both environmental and economic considerations, he outlines the importance of waiting until soil temperatures and ground conditions are suitable before applying fertiliser at the moment. He then discusses the options for farmers looking at split applications, how much to spread, where to target and why lower covers may be better suited to FYM or slurry applications. He also highlights the importance of soil fertility in terms of responsiveness of swards to spring nitrogen. Finally, Philip talks about fertiliser choice for the first round and subsequent applications and the need to match grass demand. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast/

BETTER Farm Hill flock update Feb 17, 2021

Show notes

Dr Frank Campion joins Ciaran Lynch on the latest episode of OviCast with an update on the hill sheep flocks in the Teagasc BETTER farm sheep programme. Frank discusses the farms involved and those that have recently finished up in the programme and with many of the flocks just finished pregnancy scanning, he discusses the results they achieved this year including fertility issues encountered in one of the flock along with the possible causes and follow up actions. He moves on to litter size, management of twins and the possibility that some flocks may be pushing litter size too high to suit the system. They also discuss the need to look at the overall system and targeting the levels of output to best suit the farm. Finally, Frank highlights how the farmers are managing ewe body condition at this point of the year. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast/

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