Every year we scan our ewes to see if they’re pregnant.
There’s a couple of reasons we do this, one is so we can pull out all the dry ewes (one’s that aren’t going to lamb) to sell and so we can feed the wet (pregnant) ewes better and two, to know what we can expect from lambing.
You don’t want to get to lambing time after budgeting at the beginning of the year, say, 5000 lambs and only marketing 2000.
That’s a fair drop in your income and needs to be fixed fairly pronto. It also may indicate you have a fertility problems with the rams you’re using.
Swany, our vet, comes to scan the sheep for us. He brings an ultrasound machine (pretty much the same that is used for women) that scans the ewe.
If they’re dry, they’re drafted off from the main mob as they run through the crate. The wet ewes head straight back out in the paddock.
Our pregnant girls will be well looked after from now on, while the dries will probably be re-mated this year instead of sold.
I talk about preg-scanning in Blue Skies, so if you remember this blog when you read it and you’ll know what I’m yabbering about!
