Independent sheep consultant Kate Phillips recommends ewes are conditioned scored this month in preparation for tupping. Wendy Short reports.

IT is not too early to start preparing ewes for tupping, according to independent sheep consultant, Kate Phillips. She recommends that females are condition-scored and health-checked this month or within three weeks of weaning, to maximise fertility performance.

The month of July is an ideal time to bring in ewes for assessment, in order to allow plenty of opportunity to achieve target body condition scores (BCS) for tupping, says Mrs Phillips. Lowland ewes should average 3.5 at mating, with hill types at 2.5.

“Grazed grass is the most cost-effective way to put weight on to a ewe,” she says. “It will take six to eight weeks on good grazing to gain one BCS. Therefore, ewes must be sorted into groups of thin, fit and fat well ahead of time – particularly as concentrate feed prices have risen to £350-plus/tonne.

"For the majority, offering hard feed to ewes at this time of year will have a negative effect on profitability.”

Prioritising thin ewes for the best grazing will be key to getting ewes to target condition score by tupping. Likewise, putting fat ewes on sparse grazing will help them to achieve the desired condition.

Decisions on ewe retention should be based on past performance.

“If a ewe has lost condition because she has produced and fed two good lambs, she is likely to be an asset to the flock for the following season, as long as she is capable of gaining weight in time for mating. If a ewe has a score of five post-weaning, questions should be asked about how hard she has worked for the business.

“Ideally, data should be available on whether lambing intervention has been required, how many lambs reared and whether she has needed treatment for lameness or any other ailment. I would not keep a ewe that has been treated for lameness more than twice, and some breeders operate a ‘two strikes and out’ policy.”

As always, the condition of a ewe’s teeth, feet and udder should be given close examination and details added to her health record.

“Any questionable ewes should be removed from the flock, because cull prices are usually fairly favourable in July. A poor performer will be eating grass that would be better allocated to the lambs and the high price of fertiliser has given additional weight to this argument.

“Decisions for pedigree flocks may be fairly relaxed, when setting limits on lamb crop numbers because breeders want to maximise production from a ewe with high genetic value. For commercial flocks, I would suggest removing ewes after four or five crops.

"In many instances, an older ewe will rear two good lambs, but her milk yield will often be low by eight weeks and her lambs will be slow to finish.”

Gathering ewes for examination will also provide an opportunity for health screening, she adds. The 2021 Sheep Health and Welfare Report indicated a rise in Maedi Visna cases, with an estimated 2.8 per cent of the national flock infected. Research had highlighted significant regional variation, with the figure at roughly 15 per cent in Leicestershire and Gloucestershire.

Meanwhile, Ovine Johne’s Disease was perceived as the most significant of the so-called ‘iceberg’ diseases and more work was needed on its prevalence, risk factors and impact, as well as the possibility of cross-transference; from cattle to sheep, for example.

“Ovine Johne’s does not cause the same watery diarrhoea that it does in cattle,” she explains. “Sheep tend to display chronic weight loss and a decline in fleece quality, but these clinical signs may not become apparent until they reach three or four years old.

“The vaccination, Gudair, has recently become available in the UK. It is a one-shot treatment that is widely used in other countries and may become an effective solution in tackling Ovine Johne’s in our own flock.”

Unfortunately, no vaccine was available for Ovine Pulmonary Adenocarcinoma (OPA) and it was extremely difficult to diagnose, she commented.

“A few vets are offering ultrasound scanning to detect OPA lung lesions, although a negative scan does not guarantee a disease-free sheep. There is no blood test and the only other diagnostic tool is post-mortem lung examination."

For several of the iceberg diseases, regular condition scoring to find thin ewes was crucial for the early identification and removal of affected animals.

Mrs Phillips had a message for sheep producers, as the year progresses.

“My main advice is to avoid ‘soldiering on’ with a ewe that has made extra work by requiring any form of intervention. Decisions should be taken as soon as possible to identify how many replacements and new tups will be needed, to allow time to quarantine new purchases for at least a month pre-tupping.

“Another recommendation is to avoid foot trimming. It has been scientifically proven that it is not the answer to tackling lameness and it can make the problem worse,” says Mrs Phillips.