1. Decreasing the mob size but not stocking rate of ewes at lambing increases the survival of twin lambs born on farms across southern Australia
- Author
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Andrew Thompson, Serina Hancock, J. P. Trompf, G. A. Kearney, Lyndon J. Kubeil, Gordon Refshauge, and Amy Lockwood
- Subjects
Stocking rate ,040301 veterinary sciences ,animal diseases ,Domestic sheep reproduction ,0402 animal and dairy science ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,respiratory system ,Context data ,Biology ,040201 dairy & animal science ,Breed ,0403 veterinary science ,Animal science ,Stocking ,parasitic diseases ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Food Science - Abstract
Context Data collected from producers in south-eastern Australia found that the survival of twin-born lambs decreased by 3.5% for each extra 100 ewes in the mob at lambing. Increasing stocking rate by 1 ewe/ha decreased lamb survival by a further 0.7%. These survey findings suggest that lamb survival could be improved by optimising the allocation of ewes to mobs and paddocks at lambing. Aim The present paper reports two experiments. Experiment 1 tested the hypotheses that (1) the survival of twin-born lambs would be greater when ewes lamb in smaller mobs and at lower stocking rates, and (2) the effects of mob size and stocking rate would be greater in Merinos than in non-Merino breeds. Experiment 2 tested the hypothesis that the survival of twin-born Merino lambs would be greater at lower mob sizes when ewes lambed at stocking rates
- Published
- 2020
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