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F A R M S K I L L S
Sophie Throup
FarmSkills Manager
With the sheep industry going through a mixed time, where better prices are set against
the threat of a new virus in Schmallenberg, farmers are continuing to look at training for
additional support. Practical FarmSkills workshops in topics such as lambing, sheep nutrition,
lameness controls, foot trimming, ewe fertility and sheep parasite controls are all vital skills
to help improve business outcomes and engage with qualified veterinary trainers.
WORKING
TOGETHER
FOR A HEALTHIER FUTURE...
15
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
XLVet
Training Services Ltd
This season at
Farm
Skills
, we have run
our highest ever number of lambing
workshops and by the end of March will
have trained more than 165 farmers in
how to successfully lamb sheep, control
common problems and improve results.
All our workshops are highly practical in
nature and are delivered to small groups of
6-8 farmers, by vets who have had their
training styles approved by FarmSkills LANTRA
Instructional Techniques programme.
The courses have run the length and breadth
of the country, from the Orkney Isles and
Aberdeen, to Kendal, Ripon, Derby,
Shrewsbury, Swindon, Gloucester and Devon.
NorthVet, Orkney Isles
- lambing course
Bryony Kendall,
Tyndale Vets
Our FarmSkills lambing course was divided
into three main sections of learning: before,
during and after lambing - all equally
important in the health and survival of both
the ewe and newborn lamb.
The delegates learned how preparation
for lambing really starts before the
tupping season, ensuring that ewes have
functioning udders and are free from
chronic mastitis so they can feed their
lambs adequately when they arrive. The
delegates also learned that key steps such
as making sure the ewe has enough to eat
and that clostridial vaccinations to protect
the ewe - and the newborn lamb - are
administered as required are further key
steps in the process. We also discussed the
importance of hygiene and how to make
sure that the environment is carefully
prepared before the lambing season, so
newborn lambs have adequate shelter
whether indoors or outside - and that clean
water and feed are readily available.
Spotting common problems with the ewe
before lambing, such as pregnancy
toxaemia and prolapses was also an
interesting topic of discussion.
Although nature should take its course
when lambing occurs, inevitably problems
will arise, and so with the help of
illustrations and our two lambing simulators,
we went through how to recognise the
difference between fore and hind legs in
the womb, how to correct mal-presentations
and ensure the lamb is laid correctly to aid
a smooth delivery. We also discussed
disease controls and the importance of
colostrums for the newborn lamb.
The delegates had a full day - and
hopefully left having improved their skills
and raised their confidence for their
lambing season ahead.
FARMSKILLS
SOUTH WEST
One fifth of the lambing courses we are
running, will have taken place in the South
West, where workshops are supported by
Duchy College's Rural Business School's Healthy
Livestock and Skills projects as part of the Rural
Development Programme for England, funded
by DEFRA and the European Union. Bryony
Kendall from Tyndale Vets in Gloucester ran a
lambing course on 1 February for 12 delegates
and updates us on how things have gone:
Find out
more...
If you would like to book on to
a course with us, please call the
FarmSkills office on:
01765 608489
or email us at:
farmskills@xlvets,co.uk
FarmSkills, Mill Farm, Studley
Road, Ripon HG4 2QR