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Recommendations for Small Ruminants

Preventative Care

Vaccinations

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+++ indicates that vaccination is strongly recommended at that time point

++ indicates that vaccination is recommended at that time point 

+ indicates that vaccination is acceptable at that time point and may provide protection

- indicates that vaccination is not recommended at that time point 

+/- indicates that vaccination may be suggested based on the individual animal or environment

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Always consult with your veterinarian prior to implementing a vaccination protocol, no vaccine is fully protective or without potential risk.

Parasite Prevention

Parasites can be a huge burden in small ruminants and lead to significant production loss. It's important to monitor your animals for any changes that may indicate they could be suffering from parasites including poor growth, unkempt appearance, lagging behind, and bottle jaw (edema around the throat). Implementing Famacha scoring, which is a scoring system that estimates parasite burden based on the color of the conjunctiva, is a great way to monitor animals for potential parasites and should be performed regularly. You can google Famacha score cards to start implementing this technique.

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The common parasites that small ruminants are affected by have developed resistance to certain dewormers and it is sometimes necessary to use multiple classes of dewormers at once. To prevent resistance it's recommended to only deworm animals that have a significant parasite burden that is determined by a fecal exam or Famacha score. 

 

Rotational grazing is a great way to minimize the parasite burden in your herd. If you can, implement rotational grazing by subdividing the available pasture into multiple small pastures (ideally twelve), and sequentially moving the animals to the next pasture every seven days. This gives the eggs time to hatch and the larvae time to die before an animal is able to ingest them and infect themselves. By scraping pastures and breaking up manure piles after a group of animals have been on a pasture  you’re exposing the parasites to the elements and will cause a significant amount of them to die off. An upgrade to the rotational grazing system would be rotationally grazing different species groups one after another. Many of the parasites of concern with anthelmintic resistance are species specific. So, if the susceptible species is moved to a clean pasture and a new species is put on that pasture that is resistant to the parasites on that pasture the larvae will be ingested but the parasite will move through the GI tract without harming the animal and the majority of the parasites will die.

Castration

It's important to castrate production animals that are destined for the food system at a young age. Banding should be performed before one week of age. After a week of age banding should no longer be used and surgical castration should be performed. In non-production animals, early castration should be avoided. The diameter of the urethra is testosterone dependent. When castrated at a young age wethers are at an increased risk for developing obstructive urolithiasis (urinary stones), this is an emergency condition that can be fatal. To decrease the risk of obstructive urolithiasis, non-production rams and bucks should be castrated after six months of age.

Nutrition

Sheep are sensitive to copper, care must be taken to avoid unintentional excess copper intake. Mineral formulated for cattle contains copper at levels that can lead to toxicity in sheep. Copper toxicity can lead to a hemolytic crisis and death.

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Rams and bucks that are fed grain are at risk of developing obstructive urolithiasis (urinary stones), the risk is increased significantly if they are castrated before six months of age. Feeding excessive grain should be avoided to prevent urolithiasis. The Ca:P ratio of the diet should be maintained between 2:1 to 2.5:1. Alfalfa, sweet feed, and molasses should be avoided to prevent urolithiasis.

Adults

Adults consume 1.5-2.5% of their BW a day, with 80-100% of that consisting of forage (hay and grass). Small ruminants have different nutrient requirements based on their stage of production it is recommended to work with a nutritionist and your veterinarian to optimize your feeding plan.

Pregnant Does and Ewes

Pregnancy toxemia is a common condition that can occur in late gestation due to negative energy balance and is life threatening to the dam and fetus. To prevent pregnancy toxemia it is important to supplement the dams during the last 6 weeks of gestation, which is when 70% of fetal growth occurs. Start supplementing pregnant stock with 1-2lbs of grain a day at 6 weeks before the suspected due date. Dams should be maintained at a body condition score of 2.5-3/5 throughout their pregnancy 

Kids and Lambs

Newborn kids and lambs receive their immunity (protection from pathogens in the environment) from the colostrum (first milk rich in antibodies) that they consume. It is very important that they consume enough high quality colostrum in a timely manner. The cells that make up the calf GI tract stop absorbing the antibodies at 24 hours after birth, the absorption at 12 hours is negligible. It is recommended that neonates consume 10% of their body weight in colostrum or colostrum replacer containing 100 g of IgG within 6 hours of their birth. A lamb that weighs 4kg should receive 400 mL of colostrum. Not receiving appropriate colostrum will lead to failure of passive transfer, sepsis, and eventual death. If you are unsure if a kid or lamb received appropriate colostrum, contact your veterinarian immediately. Kids and lambs consume 15-20% of their body weight a day in milk until they are weaned.

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