· Your rams are in peak health, they’ve been on increased nutrition for the last 8 wks;
· Your ewes are in optimal condition score to maximise your reproductive rate;
· Pre-joining health plans are completed.
We are good to go right? …. Well nearly... One last job to do is to book in the pregnancy scanner.
· Day 1 of the reproduction cycle = the commencement of joining.
· The optimum time to pregnancy scan is approximately Day 80 – 90 from the commencement of joining.
Don’t delay! Do it as you shut the gate on the last ram going in! Why? Because you are not the only producer joining your rams that day and you may forget and someone else will get your optimum scanning slot.
Remind me - How am I going to make the most of my scanning data? Well …
· Knowing the number of foetuses on board enables me to:
o Accurately budget (& allocate) the required nutrition to livestock (save $$$).
o Feed according to my animal requirements to maximise ewe & lamb survival (minimise the incidence of metabolic diseases & achieve birth weights targets).
o Make important observations on lambing management strategies (paddock preparations, feeding regimes & performance of my lambing paddocks).
o Know my reproductive rate and use this to aid future decision making.
o Conduct analysis on my enterprise to optimise performance & productivity.
Need help making the most out of your pregnancy scanning data? Give us a call.
First things first, remember to book in the scanner at Day 1 of joining!
The Thrive AS Team
Dr Andrew Kennedy 0408512240
Dr Kirsty Kennedy 0438716775