It has been a tough couple of weeks for farmers that have been lambing, with the poor weather conditions playing havoc on getting ewes and their lambs out to grass.
Many farmers have had to keep their sheep indoors for longer than they would have liked, which has put further pressure on them and on their fodder supplies.
However, if supplies are tight and the only option is to turn them out to pasture, then it is best to let ewes and their lambs out in small groups.
Ideally, keep them in small paddocks where there is adequate shelter if the weather becomes bad again.
After lambing, it can be common for ewes to lose condition, especially if they are carrying two or more lambs. So, in this case, it might be best to offer concentrates, if there is insufficient grass covers available.
There is a huge demand on a ewe to produce milk for her offspring, so, it is important that she is offered good-quality grass or supplemented with concentrates – if the quality of the grass is poor.
Grass tetany (hypomagnesia) can be a problem on sheep farms when ewes are grazing on wet pastures post-turnout.
Unfavourable weather conditions – similar to what we are receiving now – such as cold or wet spells which affect the utilisation and intake of the ewe may trigger the onset of grass tetany.
The symptoms of grass tetany include: excitability; twitching; nervousness; staggering; and convulsions with frothing at the mouth.
According to Teagasc, ewes need to consume 1-2g/day of Mg; however, in adverse conditions, this can increase to 3-5g/day. Protection will occur one or two days after supplementation has started and it will last for one to three days after the supplement has ceased.
This supplementation can be in the form of high Mg mineral buckets, concentrate supplementation, where the concentrate contains CalMag, Mg bullets or pasture dusting.
Ewes that are affected can be treated with 100ml of warm Mg sulphate injections under the skin and this can save the ewe if it is caught early.