Advice On Shearing Before Lambing

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29856, 23 June 1962, Page 6

Advice On Shearing Before Lambing

Risks associated with prelamb shearing can be reduced by taking reasonable precautions, says the Department of Agriculture in its latest newsletter. - Shearing should start three to four weeks before lambing to allow for stoppages. It is a good practice to sort ewes into early and late lambing mobs and shear early lambers first. The “snow comb” should be used by machine shearers, as it leaves a protective coat of wool. During late pregnancy it is essential to avoid starvation in ewes. They should be put into the night pens as late in the evening as possible and ! should not be left in the ’ shed any longer than neces- ’ sary. Shearing should stop

at about 3 p.m. to allow the sheep to secure a good feed before nightfall. - For the first night or two shorn ewes should be put into a paddock with plenty of good feed close to the shed. Shelter, though desirable, is not as essential as feed. If the ewes are put into a paddock close to the shed for the first day or two, they can always be run into the shed if the weather turns really cold. Movement of ewes to paddocks distant from the shed should be made in stages. Ewes travelling all day get only a little grazing, become hot, and may have the prospect of spending a cold, wet night, thereby increasing the chances of mortality,