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Journal article
Decreasing mob size at Lambing increases the survival of Triplet Lambs born on farms across Southern Australia
Animals (Basel), Vol.13(12), 1936
2023
Abstract
Industry consultation in Australia revealed that the potential impact of the mob size of ewes during lambing on the survival of triplet-born lambs was an important research priority. Previous research has demonstrated that smaller mob sizes at lambing improve the survival of single- and especially twin-born lambs, regardless of ewe stocking rate. Therefore, we hypothesised that lambing triplet-bearing ewes in smaller mobs, regardless of stocking rate, will increase the survival of their lambs. Research sites were established on 12 commercial sheep farms across southern Australia between 2019 and 2021. One farm used Merinos whilst the remainder of the farms used non-Merino breeds, consisting of composite ewes joined to composite or terminal sires. Three of the farms were used in two years of the experiment. Adult, triplet-bearing ewes were randomly allocated into one of two treatments, ‘High’ or ‘Low’ mob size, at an average of 135 days from the start of joining. Ewe and lamb survival were assessed between allocation to treatments and lamb marking. Lamb survival was significantly greater for lambs born in the Low (65.6%) compared with the High (56.6%) mob size treatments (p < 0.001). There was no effect of mob size at lambing on the mortality of triplet-bearing ewes. Analysis of the effect of the actual mob sizes showed that reducing the mob size at lambing by 10 triplet-bearing ewes increased the survival of their lambs to marking by 1.5% (p < 0.001). This study has shown that the survival of triplet-born lambs can be improved by lambing triplet-bearing ewes in smaller mobs regardless of stocking rate when ranging from 0.7–13 ewes/ha.
Details
- Title
- Decreasing mob size at Lambing increases the survival of Triplet Lambs born on farms across Southern Australia
- Authors/Creators
- Amy Lockwood - Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, University of New England, Elm Avenue, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia 36 Paynes Road, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, 89 Sydney Road, Benalla, VIC 3672, Australia New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Cowra Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, 296 Binni Creek Road, Cowra, NSW 2794, Australia J.T. Agri-Source, 2A Bradley Drive, Melbourne, VIC 3082, AustraliaTravis Allington - Murdoch UniversitySarah E. Blumer - Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, University of New England, Elm Avenue, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia 36 Paynes Road, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, 89 Sydney Road, Benalla, VIC 3672, Australia New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Cowra Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, 296 Binni Creek Road, Cowra, NSW 2794, Australia J.T. Agri-Source, 2A Bradley Drive, Melbourne, VIC 3082, AustraliaJohan Boshoff - University of New EnglandBronwyn E. Clarke - Murdoch University, Centre for Animal Production and HealthSerina N. Hancock - Murdoch University, Centre for Animal Production and HealthGavin A. Kearney - Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, University of New England, Elm Avenue, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia 36 Paynes Road, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, 89 Sydney Road, Benalla, VIC 3672, Australia New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Cowra Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, 296 Binni Creek Road, Cowra, NSW 2794, Australia J.T. Agri-Source, 2A Bradley Drive, Melbourne, VIC 3082, AustraliaPaul R. Kenyon - Massey UniversityJarryd Krog - Murdoch UniversityLyndon J. Kubeil - Department of Economic Development Jobs Transport and ResourcesGordon Refshauge - New South Wales Department of Primary IndustriesJason P. Trompf - Centre for Animal Production and Health, Murdoch University, Perth, WA 6150, Australia Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law, University of New England, Elm Avenue, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia 36 Paynes Road, Hamilton, VIC 3300, Australia School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Tennent Drive, Palmerston North 4410, New Zealand Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, 89 Sydney Road, Benalla, VIC 3672, Australia New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Cowra Agricultural Research and Advisory Station, 296 Binni Creek Road, Cowra, NSW 2794, Australia J.T. Agri-Source, 2A Bradley Drive, Melbourne, VIC 3082, AustraliaAndrew N. Thompson - Murdoch University, Centre for Animal Production and Health
- Publication Details
- Animals (Basel), Vol.13(12), 1936
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Grant note
- L.LSM.0013 / Meat & Livestock Australia
- Identifiers
- 991005589869907891
- Copyright
- © 2023 by the authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Animal Production and Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Citation topics
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- 3.51 Dairy & Animal Sciences
- 3.51.799 Farm Animal Welfare
- Web Of Science research areas
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