Managing condition in ewes during mid-pregnancy

With mating finished up on the majority of lowland farms our attention turns to an often overlooked area of ewe management during mid pregnancy and to discuss its importance, Professor Tommy Boland from UCD joins Ciarán Lynch on this week’s episode of OviCast. Tommy starts by discussing the importance of assessing ewe condition and why assessing ewe condition is a key management tool but one that’s not used frequently enough at farm level. He discusses the variation in ewe condition that we see within flocks and the importance of monitoring and managing the ewe’s body reserves during their period. He also discusses the effects of ewe condition on performance particularly during early lactation and the carryover effects for the rest of the season. He then finishes up discussing flock management during the coming weeks with Tommy offerings his views on the need to address any deficit in ewe condition before ewes enter late pregnancy. For more episodes from OviCast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast/