Protein supplemenation during pregnancy

British and Greek researchers collaborated to determine the effect of increased protein supplementation on fecal egg counts and the performance of ewes and lambs.

Seventy-two, twin-bearing Greyface ewes were used in the experiment. They were fed at 0.9 times their metabolizable energy (ME) requirement and either 0.8 (LP) or 1.3 (HP) times their metabolizable protein (MP) requirement.

Periparturient ewe

Their diet consisted of 1/3 chopped hay and 2/3 concentrate. Every Mon-Wed-Fri from day(-42) to d-25, they were trickle-infected with different levels of Teladorsagia circumcinta larvae:  1,000, 5,000, or 10,000.

Immediately after lambing, HP ewes were heavier than LP ewes and this effect was maintained throughout lactation. Litters from HP ewes grew faster than litters from LP ewes (708 vs 651 g/d).

Protein supplementation also reduced fecal egg counts throughout lactation. The reduction in fecal egg counts is important, as nematode egg excretion by periparturient ewes is the main source of infection for their immunologically naive lambs.

Source:  Animal Bytes     Read summary article

End of an era

The December 2011 issue of Shepherd Magazine was the last. The publication will no longer be published.

This is the end of an era. The magazine has been in existence since 1956.

Shepherd Magazine has always been a valuable resource to the sheep industry. It will be greatly missed.

Foot health webinar series

Two one-hour webinars (parts 1 and 2) will teach beginner and experienced sheep and goat producers the cause of footrot in sheep and goats, the conditions that promote the disease, how to prevent foot diseases with effective biosecurity, how to treat footrot, how to effectively trim hooves, and the specific protocol to eliminate the disease from farms.

Dick Brzozowski demonstrates proper hoof trimming technique.

The webinars will also explain genetic markers that could identify sheep that are naturally resistant to the disease. Presenters will be Susan Schoenian from University of Maryland Extension and Dr. Richard Brzozowski from the University of Maine

February 21 and 28, 2012
7:00 to 8:00 PM

Registration is required. Both webinars are free. The webinars are a part of the Sheep Foot Health Research & Education Project funded by Northeast SARE.

Register for Foot Health Webinar – Part 1
Register for Foot Health Webinar – Part 2

Lamb is for lovers!

Don't forget February is Lamb Lover's Month.  The American Lamb Board is working to spread the word that February is national Lamb Lover's Month.

Visit lambloversmonth.com to learn what's been planned for Lamb Lover's Month.

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The Barbados Blackbelly Sheep Association sells its Lamb Lovers' Cookbook at http://blackbellysheep.org/cookbook.html.

The Lamb Lover's Cookbook contains over 100 mouth-watering ethnic dishes, casseroles, soups and stews, BBQs, crock-pot and pressure cooker recipes, Weight-Watcher recipes, and recipes for every cut of lamb you can imagine. There also are recipes for making sausage (even one that doesn't require any special equipment or casings), marinades, and rubs.

Winter 2012 Wild & Woolly

The Winter 2012 issue of Wild & Woolly has been posted to the web. The newsletter may be downloaded as a PDF file, in its original graphics format.

Wild & Woolly is a quarterly newsletter for sheep and goat producers and anyone else interested in small ruminant production. It is published by the University of Maryland Extension Small Ruminant Program.

It will now be published in the months of January, April, July, and October.

Winter 2012 issue | PDF
Newsletter archive

Improving goat carcass quality and value

As a follow-up to last year’s goat carcass evaluation study, conducted in conjunction with the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test, a more formal study will be conducted in 2012 to compare the performance, carcass quality, and economics of pen-fed vs. pasture-fed goats. Last year's preliminary study showed that pen-feeding improved goat carcass quality and value.

Fifteen (15) male goats will be penned and fed a diet consisting of free choice grass hay and limit-fed grain. The grain diet will be a balanced ration of whole barley and a pelleted protein supplement. The goats will be fed once daily and allowed to consume all the grain they can eat in 20 minutes, after which time the feeders will be removed from the pen. Rumensin (coccidiostat) will be provided via free choice minerals.

Last year's pen-fed goats

Each goat in the pen will have a “mate” of similar size and genetics on pasture. The fifteen (15) pastured goats will graze with the goats participating in the Western Maryland Pasture-Based Meat Goat Performance Test. They will consume a pasture-only diet that includes various cool and warm season grasses. Free choice minerals, containing a coccidiostat, will be available.

To do the study, we are looking for pairs of intact male goats that will weigh around 40 lbs. (each) at the start of the study on June 2. One goat from the pair will be pen-fed. The other will be pasture-raised. A fair market price will be paid for the ~40 lb. goats. Participating producers will receive a copious amount of data on the goats in the study.

Contact Susan Schoenian at (301) 432-2767 x343 or sschoen@umd.edu, if you might be interested in providing goats for the study.

The study is being funded by a grant from the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board.

Read about last year's study

2012 Junior Sheep & Wool Skillathon

The 2012 Junior Sheep & Wool Skillathon will be held on Sunday, May 6, 2012, at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.  The Festival is always held the first full weekend in May at the Howard County Fairgrounds in West Friendship, Maryland.

Sheep judging at 2011 skillathon

The skillathon will be held in the dining hall. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. The contest will start at 9 a.m. Results are usually announced around 2 or 3 p.m. Lunch will be provided.

Premiums and awards will be provided by the Festival Committee of the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association and the University of Maryland Small Ruminant Extension Program.

The skillathon is open to individual and teams (3 or 4) of youth, ages 8 to 18, from any state of province. Youth compete according to their age as of January 1, 2012.

Pre-registration is requested by Monday, April 30. Teams must be pre-registered in order to compete. To pre-register, send names and ages (as of January 1) to Susan Schoenian at sschoen@umd.eduor (301) 432-2767 x343.

A series of online quizzes has been developed to help youth study for the skillathon competitions.  The url of the online quizzes is http://www.sheepandgoat.com/onlinequizzes.html.

Ewe and Doe Management

Ewe and doe management (from late gestation through weaning) was the subject of a webinar short course held last winter (2011).  The short course was held over the course of six evenings.

The webinars were recorded and minimally edited.  They are available for viewing at http://www.sheepandgoat.com/recordings.html.  Scroll down to past webinars.

The page includes links to the PowerPoint presentations that accompanied each webinar. The presentations are available for viewing and downloading at http://www.slideshare.net/schoenian.

A webinar is a seminar that is taught over the world wide web.  A webinar on feeding and nutrition is currently in progress.

http://www.sheepandgoat.com/recordings.html

2012 Shearing School for Beginners

There will be a Shearing School for Beginners on Friday and Saturday, March 23-24, 2012, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Ridgely Thompson's farm at 1942 Uniontown Road, Westminster, MD 21157.

The registration fee is $80 per person and includes a copy of ASI's Sheep Shearing Notebook and an instructional DVD. Pre-registration is required. No registrations will be accepted after March 19. Participation is limited to the first 25. The minimum age is 16.

The New Zealand method of shearing will be taught. Shearing machines will be provided. Blade shearing will not be taught. Instructors are David Greene, Dr. Richard Barczewski, and Aaron Geiman.

The school is sponsored by University of Maryland and Delaware Extension, the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association, and the Delaware Sheep and Wool Producers Association.

Checks should be made payable to the Carroll County Extension Advisory Council and mailed to David L. Greene, 2014 White Hall Road, White Hall, MD 21161-9712.

Shearer headed to New Zealand

Twenty-seven year old Emily Chamelin, a professional sheep shearer from Westminster, is headed to New Zealand to compete in the Golden Shears International Sheep Shearing Contest.

Emily Chamelin blade shears a sheep
Image from Carroll County Times

Chamelin will compete in the blade shearing contest. Blade shearing is the old-fashioned way of shearing sheep.

Chamelin qualified for the international competition when she won the blade shearing contest at last year's Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.  In addition, she place 7th among 18 competitors from around the world in the All Irish National Competition.

Chamelin started shearing sheep about 10 years ago. She got involved with raising sheep through 4-H, even though her family owns a dairy farm with cows and goats. Chamelin has a flock of about 20 sheep.

Good luck Emily!

Read article in Carroll County Times.
View YouTube video

New NE-SARE web site

The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) program has launched a new web site.

The url remains the same, but the new site offers improved navigation, easy access to grant materials, project stories, downloadable publications, and selected videos.

There are also all sorts of useful SARE-funded books, bulletins, and other resources from around the Northeast and nationwide.

Whether you have a SARE grant, plan to apply, or use SARE project results to improve the sustainability of your farm, be sure to visit the new web site.

www.nesare.org

Maryland "Shepherd of the Year"

At their annual fall banquet and meeting, the Maryland Sheep Breeders Association named Larry Pugh from Woodbine as their 2011 "Shepherd of the Year".

Larry has been raising sheep since the 1950's and his 4-H days in Montgomery County. He has raised purebred Dorset sheep since the 1970's. He has also raised Hampshire, Suffolk, Southdown, and Finn sheep.

Larry (L) accepts his award from
MSBA President Steve Hobbs (R)

Larry was a long-time member of the now-defunct Howard County Sheep Breeders Association, serving as President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary at various times.

He has been associated with the Howard County Fair almost continuously since the early 1970's and currently is an assistant superintendent for the sheep show.

Larry has been a volunteer at most of the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festivals, only missing a couple since the very beginning -- helping with setup, take-down, cleanup and many other duties as assigned.

He currently serves on the MSBA Board.

Compendium of Veterinary Products

Sponsored by Bayer Health Care LLC, Animal Health Division, the Compendium of Veterinary Products (CVP) is a searchable database of animal health products.

All searches direct the user towards a product label and package insert check. All the information may be viewed and printed. The Compendium also includes various charts by species. It is a handy reference for anyone who uses animal health products.

You can access the Compendium of Veterinary Products at Bayer’s web site at www.bayerdvm.com. Registration is free.

The Compendium is also available as an app for smart phones and tablet computers. The app can be downloaded for free from iTunes or Android.

http://www.bayerdvm.com/Resources/cvp_main.cfm

Frederick County "Shepherds of the Year"

Bob and Charlotte
Frederick News Post image

At their annual dinner meeting in November, the Frederick Sheep Breeders Association named Bob and Charlotte Dinsmore their "Shepherds of the Year."

Bob and Charlotte are long-time sheep breeders. Along with their son Robert, they raise Hampshire and Shropshire sheep on their farm in Jefferson, Maryland. They are also owners/operators of Ceresville New Holland and Sheepman Supply Company in Frederick.

The award was presented by Emily Chamelin, past recipient of the award and vice president of the association.

Jingle goats

Enjoy this holiday YouTube video from Giggle with the Goats.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4_EdJ-XkUA

Thanks to Terry Poole for suggesting the link.