Improving the odds for this season’s lambs

After a tough summer and sub optimal scanning results, this spring farmers will want to do all possible to lift the odds in favour of new born lambs.

However lamb survivability is determined well before the new arrivals hit the ground, and the pre lamb period is a valuable time to improve the likelihood of those new lambs making it to docking. Ewe mineral and vitamin levels leading up to the stressful lambing period can have a significant effect on those odds.

A vitamin critical to ewe health pre-lambing is vitamin E. Vitamin E is a key antioxidant that helps fight the free radical molecules generated when the body fights stress and infection. Often ewes will be low in Vitamin E, thanks to the type of supplements they are fed. For many farmers this year those supplements have played a bigger role than usual, making the risk of vitamin E deficiency greater than ever.

Brassica crops in particular are renowned for their low vitamin E content, yet can often be the sole feed source leading up to lambing.

That deficiency feeds through to a loss of vitality and strength in new born lambs. Sub clinical white muscle disease in new born lambs often presents as heart failure, and is a result of vitamin E deficiencies in ewes. While bad weather may often be put down as the cause of lamb losses, it may be exacerbated by this deficiency – lambs simply lack the robustness to get through a rough period of weather.

Another critical element for survivability is iodine, which helps regulate lamb temperature in the first few hours of birth.

The extra vitality from receiving minerals and vitamins from the ewe ensures lambs will get to suckle within the valuable “golden period” of 20 minutes, lifting chances for survival.

Vet LSD is the ideal mineral and vitamin booster to ewe health, and insurance against unnecessary lamb losses this spring.

Optilamb trial data reveals lambs born from ewes administered Vet LSD prior to lambing had 120% survival rate to tailing, compared to 112% for those not treated with Vet LSD.

Farmers using Vet LSD report lambs exhibiting far greater vitality and suckling ability immediately after birth.

The easily mixed liquid drench contains those critical vitamins and minerals ewes need pre lambing. These include vitamins A, C,D and E, along with minerals of iodine, chromium and selenium.

The highly stable liquid drench has a residual of 40 days in the ewe’s body, and contains the food grade quality components. It is easily administered at the same time pre lambing ewes receive their 5 in 1 vaccines, with minimal stress and cost. Vet LSD can also be mixed with most twin acting drenches, adding to the convenience of administration.