Reproductive Performance of Triplet-Bearing Ewes on Commercial Farms and Research Priorities Identified by Sheep Producers to Improve the Survival of Triplet-Bearing Ewes and Their Lambs

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dc.citation.issue7
dc.citation.volume13
dc.contributor.authorThompson AN
dc.contributor.authorAllington T
dc.contributor.authorBlumer S
dc.contributor.authorCameron J
dc.contributor.authorKearney G
dc.contributor.authorKubeil L
dc.contributor.authorLockwood A
dc.contributor.authorTrompf J
dc.contributor.authorWinslow E
dc.contributor.authorKenyon P
dc.contributor.editorDuarte MS
dc.contributor.editorGionbell MP
dc.coverage.spatialSwitzerland
dc.date.accessioned2024-04-29T02:39:47Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-25T06:42:51Z
dc.date.available2023-04-05
dc.date.available2024-04-29T02:39:47Z
dc.date.available2024-07-25T06:42:51Z
dc.date.issued2023-04-05
dc.description.abstractConsultation with sheep producers was used to quantify the mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs, identify management practices adopted by producers to reduce these losses and prioritise future research needs to improve the survival of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs. Surveys were completed by 64 producers across Australia who identified and separated triplet-bearing ewes from twin-bearing ewes in 2017 and/or 2018. On average, 5.9% of all ewes mated were identified as carrying triplets (6.6% of non-Merino ewes and 2.9% of Merino ewes). The average mortality of triplet-bearing ewes was 6.4%, and ewe mortality did not differ significantly between ewe breeds. The average survival of triplet-born lambs was 59%, and survival was significantly higher for lambs from non-Merino compared to Merino ewes (60.1 vs. 52.9%, p < 0.05). The key strategies adopted to reduce the mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs included management of condition score, feed-on-offer, mob size at lambing and use of shelter. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in the average mortality of triplet-bearing ewes or their lambs between producers that prioritised the adoption of certain management practices. However, significant variation existed between producers in their targets at lambing for ewe condition score (2.8 to 3.5), mob size (10 to 150 ewes) and feed-on-offer (800 to 2500 kg dry matter/ha). Overwhelmingly, the highest priorities for further research identified by producers from surveys, workshops and a webinar were ewe condition score, mob size, feed-on-offer at lambing and mineral supplementation. This study informs benchmarks for mortality of triplet-bearing ewes and their lambs under extensive grazing conditions in Australia, and the priorities for future research to reduce these losses.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.edition.editionApril 2023
dc.format.pagination1258-
dc.identifier.author-urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37048515
dc.identifier.citationThompson AN, Allington T, Blumer S, Cameron J, Kearney G, Kubeil L, Lockwood A, Trompf J, Winslow E, Kenyon P. (2023). Reproductive Performance of Triplet-Bearing Ewes on Commercial Farms and Research Priorities Identified by Sheep Producers to Improve the Survival of Triplet-Bearing Ewes and Their Lambs.. Animals (Basel). 13. 7. (pp. 1258-).
dc.identifier.doi10.3390/ani13071258
dc.identifier.eissn2076-2615
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn2076-2615
dc.identifier.number1258
dc.identifier.piiani13071258
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/70732
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherMDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
dc.publisher.urihttps://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/7/1258
dc.relation.isPartOfAnimals (Basel)
dc.rights(c) 2023 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectewe mortality
dc.subjectlamb survival
dc.subjectneeds analysis
dc.subjectproducer consultation
dc.subjectresearch priorities
dc.subjecttriplet-bearing ewes
dc.titleReproductive Performance of Triplet-Bearing Ewes on Commercial Farms and Research Priorities Identified by Sheep Producers to Improve the Survival of Triplet-Bearing Ewes and Their Lambs
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id460944
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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