Never good running on empty

It is important to investigate ewes empty at scanning time, says Nerys Wright.

I remember seeing a report, written in 1983, which said pregnancy scanning at 50p/ewe was unlikely to be economically viable for most commercial sheep flocks.

Fast forward to 2024 and 50p/ewe would be tremendously good value. The price of pregnancy scanning today is much more commercially viable – and while prices vary, it’s still a useful exercise.

Scanning helps to plan housing, get your lambing staff lined up and prepare for dealing with triplets. It is also possible to recoup some costs by targeting feed to multiple ewes in those last six weeks of pregnancy – and not overfeeding single bearing ewes.

Ewe lamb performance can vary hugely. Some people suggest empty rates of up to 20% are acceptable. But if they’re higher than usual for your farm, I’d recommend calling your vet for a chat.

Shearlings and older – biologically there is no reason why these are not in-lamb and therefore more than 2% or higher empty at scanning would be a red flag in my mind.

Ahead of lambing, there are unknowns. Will Schmallenberg return? Will bluetongue virus affect fertility? What impact will this wet weather have? We can try to explain the variability in scanning results but knowing and eliminating any of ‘nasty’ reasons could be money well spent.

There are many reasons behind why ewes are empty at scanning. Were they missed during mating? Are there any signs they were in-lamb but are no longer? Were tups working?  Do empty ewes need testing for the presence of abortion?

Investigating any ewes that abort could provide useful intelligence, not only for your farm but to eliminate (or confirm) the presence of any new or emerging diseases. Speak to your vet and make the most of any free or subsidised testing.

Nerys Wright is an independent sheep consultant. For more details, call 07891 187643 or visit sheepconsultancy.co.uk