With much of the state receiving useful rainfall in the last month Leading Sheep would like to share a friendly reminder about the free resources available through our network.
Managing Lush Pasture
There are significant risks to sheep health associated with the rapid growth of green feed.
When turning sheep from dry areas out on to higher quality pastures there is increased pulpy kidney risk. Prevention is better than treatment therefore ensure your sheep are up to date with vaccinations.
While the risk of hungry sheep chasing herbage and opening themselves up to toxicity problems has lessened, producers should still consider the risk of toxicity when yarding sheep. Be mindful of herbage in the yards and either remove it or trample quickly with a large mob. Additionally, before turning your sheep out, allow them to fill up with safe roughage to reduce the likelihood of deaths due to hungry animals going into the paddock and gorging themselves.
More information is available here.
Restocking
A fact sheet has been developed for Queensland producers as a timely reminder with points to contemplate to prepare for restocking.
Key considerations include:
- Acquiring a copy of the National Sheep Health Declaration from the vendor to assess the risk for Ovine Johne’s disease and a range of other biosecurity issues, including footrot, lice and ovine brucellosis.
- Consider possible contamination of wool and skin with noxious weeds or grasses and take quarantine precautions to reduce your risk.
- Review the Fit to Load guide to ensure you are meeting animal health and welfare standards – if in doubt, leave it out.
The full fact sheet is available here.
Gross Margins
With ‘green fever’ currently impacting sale prices, we encourage you to work out the gross margins for your enterprise before rushing out and purchasing stock. This spreadsheet can help you to estimate how you will make the most from the feed you currently have available. Click here to access this free resource.
If you have any questions or would like more information on these or any other sheep related topics, please do not hesitate to make contact with us at leadingsheep@daf.qld.gov.au or through our Facebook page @leadingsheep.