Weaning Lambs and Mastitis

[Big Ambitions]

I’m generally a big believer in putting ewes in a bare paddock or a shed feeding straw for a few days to dry them off, but they’re at a block away from home and have grass coming out their ears.

Two options really: A) bring them home for a few days to wean, then take them back (try to work this around off farm work, which is easier said than done at the moment) or B) take the lambs off and leave the ewes on the block with grass grass and more grass, then pray.

Any other suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated

 

[Agrivator]

I don't think there's any evidence that ewes are more prone to mastitis when they're weaned, even if feed supplies are conducive to them continuing to make milk.
But if any of them were developing mastitis before weaning, they will obviously show symptoms of severe mastitis after weaning.

And further evidence is that if a ewe loses a single lamb early on, we never think ''sheet, she'll get mastitis''. We just think ''bugger, that's £80 we've just lost''.

But when lambs are £80, or £120, we can afford to lose one or two. It's when they are only £40 we can't afford to lose them.

 

[Al R]

Do you pick lambs out of groups pre weaning? I know I’ve got circa 250 ewes across the farm which are still on the best grass available, I’m not getting a group in to bag 10-15 ewes off each field each week and they have plenty of grass at the moment so they are staying with their groups whether they have lambs or their lambs have gone. This has been my worst year for mastitis though (still under 1%) (before the lambs started going). If your doing a blanket wean of everything then I would try and put them on poor grass for 3-4 days but most years mine end up going back onto good grass straight from weaning with never problems

 

[Jonp]

Weaned lambs a couple of weeks ago, lambs into fields with best grass and ewes kept close by on good grass so I can keep an eye on them. No mastitis. Agree with what Agrivator posted above.

 

[Longlowdog]

A speaker at a sheep group meeting said it is pressure inside the udder that causes milk to dry off so why bother with poor grazing, the ewes might as well begin to pick up condition from the off. By weaning time I'm always swamped with grass so ewes get put wherever is furthest from wherever the lambs end up and I've not had any problems.

 

[andybk]

I recon your more likely to pick up infection from housing of poor grazing where ewes are often i the same place lying in the sht and spreading bad feet bugs into udder , mine always go out on normal grazing , have very few issues at weaning