Jaelyn Quintana, South Dakota State University Extension Sheep Field Specialist
(Previously published online with South Dakota State University Extension: November 23, 2021)
Managing
nutrition during breeding season is critical for improving lambing rates, but it can often be a challenge. When breeding for spring-born lambs, forages are declining in nutritional value while nutrient requirements for sheep are increasing. Fall lambing requires breeding when heat can challenge conception. Regardless of the time of year, it’s important to keep ewes and rams in mind before, during and after breeding season. Prior to and throughout breeding, many producers utilize flushing to increase ovulation rates. During the breeding season, rams are working hard to service ewes in heat while attempting to meet their own nutritional needs. Increasing the flock’s plane of nutrition continues to play an important role in ewes by reducing early embryonic death and helping rams recover after breeding.
Ewe Management
Success of breeding is largely dependent on nutrition. Simple management techniques, such as Continue reading Nutritional Considerations for Flocks During Breeding Season
decreasing numbers of sheep extension agents, sheep research professors and small ruminant DVMs, our options for finding knowledgeable experts are becoming more limited. At the same time, the number of sheep “experts” on Facebook, YouTube, and other social media is growing exponentially. Today, sheep producers are able to obtain “expert” advice from across the country or around the world in a matter of seconds. While advances in technology have shaped the way we communicate information, it has also led to a plethora of misinformation that is often presented as fact, either intentionally or unintentionally. So, how do we navigate through this quagmire of information to determine whether the advice we receive is based on truth and facts or hearsay and half-truths? How can we determine if the “expert” really has the knowledge, skills, and experience to provide us with unbiased, accurate answers to our questions?