Feeding and management methods for autumn lambs to safely overwinter

Sheep estrus and mating occur mainly in spring and autumn, and the gestation period averages around 150 days, so spring and autumn are also the seasons when lambing is more concentrated. According to surveys, the overwintering survival rate of autumn lambs born in various places is significantly lower than that of spring lambs. The main reasons:

1. Environment. When autumn lambs overwinter, they are in the suckling period or weaning period. In winter, green fodder is scarce, forage quality is poor, ewes' milk is insufficient, and lambs are malnourished, weak in constitution, and poor in disease resistance. Moreover, the long dry and cold winter climate very easily causes respiratory infections in lambs, and many lambs die from pneumonia infection. Because the climate is cold, manure disposal and replacement of bedding straw are not timely, and the chances of lambs being infected with Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Clostridium perfringens greatly increase, causing infectious gastroenteritis that leads to death from diarrhea and dehydration.

2. Female animals. The breeding age of sheep is generally 2 to 5 years. If the age is too old, female animals are prone to mastitis and milk production decreases; if the age is too young, they are still in the growth and development stage themselves, and milk production is insufficient. According to surveys, farmers generally do not control the mating age of ewes. Old ones are still mated until 7 to 8 years old, and young ones begin mating at 4 to 5 months, resulting in many weak lambs being produced.

3. Management. Effective management can effectively reduce lamb mortality. In winter, many @#@229@#@ households cannot carry out effective management due to the influence of labor, knowledge, and financial resources. Sanitary conditions are poor, housed sheep flocks are too dense, the time is too long, and grazing time is short, resulting in insufficient exercise and sunlight. Weak ewes and lambs are not given supplementary feeding and special care. To improve the overwintering survival rate of autumn lambs, attention should be paid to doing the following work well: use idle land to plant green fodder, use silage stalks to supplement the feed of ewes and lambs, and appropriately add concentrate; grazing time should be sufficient to ensure adequate nutrition for lambs. For housed sheep, exercise should be strengthened and bedding straw changed frequently. Remove manure promptly, provide sufficient drinking water, keep sheep flock density appropriate, regularly spray and disinfect with 10% lime water or 30% plant ash water, keep the sheep shed dry, sanitary, and warm, eliminate predisposing causes of disease, and reduce the occurrence of lamb diseases. Select breeding ewes, and resolutely cull old and weak ewes. Growing sheep begin mating only at 6 to 12 months.