L.LSM.0013 - Managing fecund flocks to improve survival of triplet dams and their lambs
Did you know improving the nutrition and condition score of triplet-bearing ewes and separating them into smaller mobs from twin-bearing ewes are essential steps for enhancing the survival of both the ewes and their lambs during lambing?
| Project start date: | 01 January 2018 |
| Project end date: | 30 November 2023 |
| Publication date: | 26 April 2024 |
| Project status: | Completed |
| Livestock species: | Sheep, Lamb |
| Relevant regions: | NSW, Western Australia, Victoria, Cold wet, South Australia, Dry, Queensland, Mediterranean, Tasmania, Temperate |
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Summary
The proportion of maternal ewes is increasing. This combined with increasing fecundity has led to an increased proportion of triplet bearing ewes, which can result in excessive mortality of both ewes and lambs under some circumstances. This project defines the size of the issue and has developed best practice management strategies to reduce the mortality of triplet bearing maternal ewes and their lambs to capitalise on the profit opportunity and mitigate welfare risks.
Objectives
1. Completed a literature review and identification of knowledge gaps on management practices to reduce the mortality of triplet bearing ewes and their lambs.
2. Identified the range in current industry recommendations and suggested best practice for managing triplet-bearing maternal and Merino ewes, from consultants, leading sheep advisors and producers.
3. Compiled baseline data on current mortality rates of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs from sheep producers by working with the pregnancy scanning industry.
4. Identified a suite of management practices currently adopted by producers to reduce ewe and lamb mortality and assessed their apparent effectiveness.
5. Testing of the effectiveness of these practices at commercial scale, as single or multiple factor comparisons, on a network of participating farms across Australia.
6. Developed regionally based ‘best‐practice’ management guidelines for triplet ewes and their lambs.
7. Collated the information into a format suitable for inclusion into the proposed ‘Maternals’ module for Bred Well Fed Well and other MLA extension programs as required.
8. Completed and submitted at least two scientific publications to refereed journal.
Key findings
Results from the experimental work showed that best-practice management of triplet-bearing ewes to improve ewe survival should include managing nutrition of Merino ewes so that they are in a greater CS at lambing and managing the nutrition of both Maternal and Merino ewes so that they gain CS between pregnancy scanning and lambing. Best-practice management of triplet-bearing ewes to improve the survival of their lambs should include managing triplet-bearing ewes separately to twin-bearing ewes between pregnancy scanning and lambing and allocating triplet-bearing ewes to lamb in smaller mobs. For Merinos, this should also include managing triplet-bearing ewes so that they are in greater CS at lambing and/or to gain CS between pregnancy scanning and lambing to increase the survival of their lambs.
The economic modelling conducted to date has shown that the value of an extra triplet-born lamb surviving to weaning ranges from $27–75 for Merinos and $46–171 for maternals across a range in lamb price of $4–11/kg.
Benefits to industry
The experimental work has identified that differential management of twin and triplet-bearing ewes from pregnancy scanning to marking, managing ewe CS in late pregnancy and lambing ewes in smaller mobs can improve the survival triplet-bearing ewes and/or their lambs. Best practice guidelines have been developed for extension to industry and these will assist producers to improve productivity, profitability and animal welfare. Reduced deaths and improved animal welfare will also: (i) improve the wellbeing and satisfaction of producers
(ii) help meet consumer demands for ethical sheep meat and wool
MLA action
Best-practice guidelines for the identification and management of triplet-bearing ewes have been drafted for extension to industry. There are seven sections to the Triplet Best Practice Guide (BPG):
- five workshops across NSW, VIC, QLD, WA
- three online Webinars
The following factsheets have been drafted for extension to industry:
• identification of triplet-bearing ewes at scanning
• the impacts of condition score on the mortality of triplet-bearing maternal ewes
• the impacts of condition score on the mortality of triplet-bearing Merino ewes
• combined versus separate management of twin and triplet-bearing ewes
• mob size at lambing for triplet-bearing ewes.
Future research
Recording and emphasis should be placed on ewe age and collection of additional data of its relationship with ewe death as part of any demonstration and/or future research and development with triplets.
• Recording of the exact timing of death and post-mortem of ewes to better understand the relationship between the management factors identified to impact ewe survival and the cause of death (e.g. CS and pregnancy toxaemia)
• Producer demonstration sites related to the impact of reducing mob size at lambing and optimising privacy for lambing ewes on triplet lamb survival, including the economics of paddock subdivision. This should clearly outline the value proposition and practicalities for mixed-farming enterprises in the low to medium rainfall zones where the primary focus is cropping, and mobs and paddocks are larger.
• Further research is required to understand the impacts of shelter availability at lambing on the survival of triplet-born lambs.
• The primary future research and development interest of producers attending the collaborator workshops related to investigation of ewe fitness (ability to of ewe to remain mobile in late pregnancy and up to the point of lambing) and its links with requirement for shepherding during lambing, and ewe and lamb survival.
More information
| Project manager: | Melanie Smith |
| Contact email: | reports@mla.com.au |
| Primary researcher: | MURDOCH UNIVERSITY |
