Identifying the problem ewes during lambing

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