PDS maps out non-mulesed move

An MLA-funded Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) which supported sheep producers to transition to non-mulesed flock has delivered improvements to their on-farm productivity.

As part of the ‘Transitioning towards non-mulesed sheep’ PDS, 53 participants in NSW and Victoria used genetic tools and other resources – which were readily available – to develop and initiate their own property-specific transition plans. 

Steps to success

PDS facilitator Lisa Warn said regular meetings between the producers involved were important to guide them through changes to their management and breeding programs that they identified, to enable the transition to non-mulesed flocks.

“We were aware that while there was a large number of producers who wanted to cease mulesing, they often reported lacking the confidence to so,” she said.

“Many were fearful of not being able to manage without mulesing as they were worried non-mulesed sheep would be more difficult to crutch – particularly if they were wrinkly or daggy.

“Others were concerned that they may need to use more chemicals to prevent breech strike - leading to possible chemical resistance from flies.”

“We felt a group environment where participants could gain support and different insights from their peers who were in the exact same position would really help them along their path to running non-mulesed sheep.”

The producers involved formed four groups based on their geographical location – three in Victoria and one in NSW. These groups were linked to producer advocates operating in a similar environment who had already completed the transition to non-mulesed flocks and could share their experiences.

“This gave participating producers the opportunity to chat with producers who had already completed the transition about what their journey was like, what their key challenges were and how they overcame them.

Readily available tools

Following an initial meeting with each of the groups to kickstart the development of their own property specific plan, producers began familiarising themselves with already-available tools and resources.

“Using FlyBoss tools, involved producers reviewing their current flystrike management calendar and analysing how ceasing mulesing might impact the timing of their crutching, shearing and any chemical applications.”

“They then went on to assess their flock's flystrike susceptibility, using the Visual Sheep Scores booklet, focusing on key indicator traits such as breech cover, wrinkle and dag – allowing them to identify any changes their ram and ewe selection criteria needed.”

“Some producers began using the DNA flock profile tool to understand where their flock’s genetic baseline was currently sitting, and what traits would need to be focused on improving in order to reach that goal of a non-mulesed flock.”

"Others, who used Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBVs) for ram purchasing, set up a Ram Team Manager account via RamSelect to benchmark their current rams and aid future purchasing decisions to achieve their breeding objectives and assist their transition.”

“Having this information is especially important in the lead-up to buying rams as we wanted our participating producers to be confident with all their ram selection decision making.”

Taking charge

Each producer had the opportunity to run a demonstration in a way that addressed key issues they identified and allowed them to evaluate which options would work best for them as they transitioned to  a non-mulesed flock.

For example, one producer ran a sire evaluation demonstration. They separated rams into two groups: high early breech wrinkle ASBV (EBWR) and low EBWR, which other ASBV trait values being kept as similar as possible between to two sire groups. Lambs born from sires in the high EBWR group had a breech wrinkle score of 1–5, while the lambs born from the low EBWR sire group had breech scores of 1–3 (see Figure 1).

Breech wrinkle scoring chart.

Other producers from different regions in NSW and Victoria all trialled running a smaller non-mulesed lamb mob, while still keeping a larger mulesed mob to observe different management requirements.

These producers found there was little difference between these two mobs in terms of management requirements, with the only noted change being that they felt non-mulesed lambs may need more monitoring up until 18 months of age.

Additional strategies evaluated by producers included the effects of different tail docking methods to reduce dag.

Changes to business enterprise

At the conclusion of the PDS, half the producers involved had made changes to their husbandry procedures calendar and 70% had made changes to their breeding and selection strategies.

“Transitioning to non-mulesed does not have to be scary,” Lisa said.

“It is essential to understand your starting position in relation to key breech flystrike indicator traits, and set short-, medium- and long-term goals and strategies to work towards.”

“That factor of talking to producer advocates is what builds that confidence to start the journey and engaging with other involved producers along the way is what has then maintained that confidence for many as they have progressed.”