Genetic selection for performance and carcass quality in the UK beef cattle and sheep industries has resulted in a rate of return on investment of 32%.
Excess iodine in the diet of pregnant ewes reduces the ability of lambs to absorb antibodies from colostrum, potentially increasing the risk of disease.
Nutrient restriction in late pregnancy improves the ability of lambs to convert feed into growth, but due to the reduced milk production of the ewe lamb liveweight is lower throughout the finishing period.
Using crossbred ewes will increase lamb output by 20% and have no negative effects on ewe longevity.
Modest restrictions in early pregnancy ewes will not adversely affect the placentas ability to transfer nutrients to the growing lamb.
Supplementing ewes with selenium throughout pregnancy will improve lamb meat appearance at slaughter
Take Home Message: Scottish Blackface ewes are more resistant to internal parasites and will shed less worms in their faeces around lambing compared with Greyface ewes.
Scottish Blackface ewes could be genetically more resistant to nematode parasite infection than Greyface ewes. That was just one of the conclusions of research carried out, by scientists based in [...]
Take Home Message: Dosing grazing lambs with tannins tends to reduce faecal worm egg counts and increases daily liveweight gain, but not as effectively as conventional wormers.
The use of quebracho tannins could become an effective approach for the treatment of intestinal parasites, particularly with the increasing prevalence of resistance to conventional anthelmintics. “But more work [...]
Grazing forage crops can add value and weight to lambs at low cost and improve efficiency of production by releasing grazing for ewes when lambs are marketed earlier.
Stubble turnips provide a consistent diet that delivers a high level of, and consistency in, lamb eating quality through the winter months.
