Biosecurity refers to any preventative measures put in place to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases, pests or weeds. As livestock producers it is essential that you have some procedures in place to minimise the risk of infectious diseases being introduced onto your property. These can include: Having a formal documented Farm Biosecurity Plan for each different property (PIC). Ensure all livestock movements are recorded and health status is known. Have measures in place for introduced livestock, such health inspections prior to entry, suitable quarantine paddocks and initial pr ..read more

Autumn is a key time of the year to monitor and identify the potential risks for worm burden. The risk of worm burden increases with warm, wet summer conditions and where there are green pastures over summer, as seen in many places this season. In Australia there are three main roundworm species that infect sheep and goats, these include: 1.       Barbers pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) o   Blood sucking parasite o   Infections worse in wet summers (this year) o   Worm egg counts (WEC) typically much higher than scour worms o &n ..read more

A recently started MLA Producer Demonstration Site (PDS) project – Optimising Ewe Lamb Joining Outcomes – is in the process of completing its first year of data collection with four host properties located near Wellington, West Wyalong, Young and Wagga Wagga. The project aim is to demonstrate the decision-making process and additional management skills required to successfully join ewe lambs.  The project is being run over four years from February 2023 to December 2026. The first on-farm field day is planned to be held on Wednesday 21st February 2024 on a property near Junee. The project ..read more

Joining for 5 weeks is recommended as longer joining periods result in more complex management decisions and strategies. A mature ewe will cycle every 17 days. To maximise her chances of conceiving the rams should be present for two of these cycles (5 weeks). If joining occurs out of season, then joining may be extended to 6 weeks. When the joining period is extended, the range in weaning weight will increase. Weaners with a low weaning weight have a higher risk of ill thrift and subsequent mortality. Ewe lambs that are weaned at heavier weights will be more fertile and will rear more lambs in ..read more

When deciding to build containment pens there are many factors to consider. These include: Good Drainage - Sloped but stable soil for water runoff. Shelter - Not essential but sheep will use if there. Proximity to facilities - How far away is the fodder storage and sheep yards to minimise distance travelled. Reliable access to high quality drinking water - Preferred supply from reticulated system rather than dams to avoid dry-ups or contamination. A minimum of 1.5cm/head for water trough space. Distance from water storage/water course - At least 500m from water source to avoid contam ..read more

Sheep feet health is an important issues in Australia and especially for Merinos in higher rainfall areas and in wet years. Work that has been done in New Zealand showed footrot to be heritable and NZ has successfully developed a breeding value for footrot that is being used reliably to reduce the susceptibility of sheep to the disease. A recent project funded by Animal Health Australia demonstrated that similar genetic variation exists in Australia. To be able to manage current regulations and biosecurity in relation to footrot, Merino ram breeders in Australia need a designated research site ..read more

Feeding lambs grain for the first time before weaning is a good way to ‘imprint feed’. This is a valuable management practice which ensures weaned lambs will be accustomed to supplementary feeding, avoiding a three-to-four-week training period with negative growth rates. Lambs are strongly influenced by the grazing behaviour of the dams and other sheep in the flock. This is how they learn to graze, browse, and eat supplements. Imprint feeding should be carried out regardless of whether supplementary feeding is expected to be required that season as weaners will remember for some years these ea ..read more

Teaser Rams                                                                                                   ..read more

The team at SheepMetriX are pleased to support the Peter Westblade Scholarship fundraiser again this year. Head to AuctionsPlus on the 29th August. SheepMetriX is offering a voucher worth $1,000 to spend on any of our services. Dig deep for a great initiative. The $1,000 SheepMetriX voucher can be spent on any of our services.  Some options include (but are not limited to):- If you are thinking about implementing eID on your farm – this is an opportunity to kick start your program - we will go through what data you would like to collect, work through options to collect it and then the b ..read more

Do you want to get involve? In 2022, five (5) Merino breeders from NSW and Victoria provided cull rams that were sent to a central host property to collect Footrot phenotypes.  SheepMetriX partnered with neXtgen Agri to coordinated the process, data collection and submission of the data to Sheep Genetics in the initial phase, to generate Research Breeding Values and eventually ASBVs (Australian Sheep Breeding Values) for Footrot in Australia, as is currently available in New Zealand.  We are working closely with Sheep Genetics and AGBU (Animal Genetic Breeding Unit, UNE) to continue ..read more