16 AUGUST 2018 SOUTH OTAGO

Maximising returns
from sheep
This event focused on two opportunities to
improve returns from sheep – artificial rearing of
lambs and improving the value of crossbred wool.
The state of the NZ shearing industry was also
discussed and tips provided to farmers around
attracting and retaining shearing staff.

Multiple Orphan Lamb Rearing

John Smart, Clutha Vets
Key drivers of the profitability of sheep systems are the
number of lambs weaned and the weight of lamb produced
per ewe. Improvements in genetic merit and feeding of ewes
have resulted in increases in scanning percentage.
As the fecundity of NZ ewe flocks increases, so does the
incidence of multiple-bearing ewes, and in particular those
bearing triplets (Figure 1).

Figure 2: Artificially reared lambs (Source: Kelly Liggett).

increasing lambing percentage. This is one of the key

Figure 1: Proportion of ewes producing singles, twins and triplets in
relation to number of lambs born.
The number of triplet-bearing ewes increases as lambing
percentage increases above 140%. Triplet lambs have lower
birth weight and much lower survival rates compared to
twins. Wastage rates therefore increase in association with
drivers for implementing a lamb rearing system, in addition to
the desire to improve animal welfare outcomes. Rearing
lambs also reduces workload associated with mothering-up.
The aim of this newsletter is to provide a summary of the
information required to develop a successful and economic
lamb rearing system. Further information is available on the
Beef+Lamb NZ website and links to these resources are
provided in the “Useful Links” section at the end of this
newsletter.

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Facilities
The same principles for the artificial rearing of calves apply to
lambs – a warm, clean, dry and draught-free environment is
best. Lambs should be reared in haysheds, implement
sheds or other sheds not previously used by adult sheep.
Ideally avoid any contact with sheep yards and woolsheds.
This helps to reduce the chance of disease transmission.
Woolsheds are not suitable because the slatted floor
promotes draughts. The shed must be closed on three sides
facing away from the prevailing wind, and ideally be open to
the north. If the housing is inferior ‘Woolover’ lamb covers
can be used, although this should be a last resort.
Pens can be made from straw bales, wire gates, plywood or
other solid material. Ideally pen divisions should be solid to
provide wind and rain shelter at ground level, but this is not
absolutely necessary. If wire gates are used they can be
lined with windbreak cloth to lessen draughts. Drainage is
not usually an issue but pens should, if possible have a
sloping floor of sand or clay.
Allocate 10-12 lambs to each pen with 0.5 square metres of
space per lamb. Having smaller numbers per pen allows you
to keep a better eye on them initially.
Bedding options include straw, shavings or sawdust. Straw
can get a bit mucky, so sawdust is the most preferable
option.
Lambs need to be provided with unrestricted access to
drinking water.
Figure 3: Example of a lamb rearing system whereby gates and straw bales have been used for walls. Straw bales provide a dual benefit in
that they reduce draughts and also provide a source of fibre for the lambs, to assist with the development of the rumen (Source: John Smart).
Meal troughs – provide two 1.5 metre lengths of V-shaped
wooden troughs per pen, preferably placed 150-200 mm off
the ground (but can be at ground level). Lengths of plastic
spouting also make good troughs. There must be enough
room for all lambs to have access, especially post-weaning –
a minimum of 300 mm length of trough per head is needed.
Ad-lib access to straw or hay should be provided from day
one. This can be obtained from the pen walls, or hung in
bundles off the ground.
Beware of all sharp objects, including the edges of troughs,
wire nails and plastic as lambs are very vigorous feeders.
Any lamb that is dribbling should be quickly identified and
treated with penicillin.
Lamb recruitment
No particular selection is necessary – any orphan lamb can
be reared. In the case of triplets any “odd” sized lamb could
be selected (i.e. the runt of the litter, or a lamb that is larger
than its siblings). The survival rate of lambs weighing less
than 3.5 kg is low. Similarly, those that develop navel
infections and joint ill within the first week have a low survival
rate.
Weak or comatose lambs should be revived by intra-
abdominal injection of 10 mL per kilogram of bodyweight of
20% Dextrose, or by stomach tubing and placing the lamb in
a warmer.
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It is probably best to assume that all orphan lambs have not
received colostrum so the first feed should be colostrum if
this is available – a total of 15% of body weight is required in
the first 24 hours (so a 5 kg lamb needs 750 mL in total,
given in three feeds of 250 mL per feed). Cow colostrum that
has been frozen is also suitable, or they could be given a
dose of one of the commercially-available colostrum
powders. Thawing and warming the frozen liquid colostrum
is best done by placing the sealed container in a warm water
bath and allowing it to heat through slowly.
New lambs are placed in their allocated pen immediately and
taught to drink in this area. After two days lambs should be
regrouped according to size and suckling ability.
Dextrose intra-peritoneal technique
Lambs aged five hours or more that are suffering from
exposure have a greater chance of recovery if they receive
an injection of Dextrose before they are warmed. This is
because they have already used up the store of energy they
were born with trying to stay warm, and warming them when
energy stores are exhausted can hasten their death. The
Dextrose can be given by one of two ways:
a) An intra-peritoneal (intra-abdominal) injection of 10 mL
per kg of (preferably warmed, but cold is okay) sterile
20% Dextrose. Hold the lamb by its front legs or sit it
on its backside between your legs or it can simply be
lying on its side on the ground. Note – the Dextrose
must be 20% strength. Unfortunately, 20% Dextrose
has been taken off the market. It now comes only as
40% strength in a 500ml flexi-pack with a draw-off tube
attached. Remove half (250 mL) and discard. Then
add 250 mL of boiled tap water to make 20% strength.
The easiest way is to administer it is to connect a
vaccinating gun (10 mL plastic guns are available at the
clinic) to the draw-off tube or you can use a 60 mL
syringe and draw the dose out of the port in the flexi-
pack. Using a short 18-gauge needle (no longer than
½ an inch – a ⅜ inch one used for vaccinating is ideal)
inject into the lamb’s abdomen in the midline between
the end of the sternum (rib cage) and the navel with as
much hygiene as practical – perhaps spray the area
with iodine. Make sure the Dextrose goes right into the
abdominal cavity, not just under the skin. With the
second or subsequent packs of 40% Dextrose the
250 mL removed can be put into the empty earlier pack
and made up to 20% as described.
Figure 4: John Smart demonstrating the correct site for the 20%
Dextrose intra-peritoneal injection – mid-way between the end of the
rib cage and the naval.
b) Or give a subcutaneous injection of 30 mL per kg of
preferably warmed Dextrose Saline (not 20%
Dextrose). Inject over the ribs on both sides &
massage in well.
Note: The intra-peritoneal route (a) gives better results as it
works more quickly and it is also quicker to administer. Both
techniques are superior to stomach tubing since the digestive
system is “shut down” in lambs in these dire straits (as well
as being quicker to perform).
The 20% Dextrose solution, syringe and needle should be
carried as part of the lambing shepherds gear, as the
procedure is best done by the shepherd immediately out in
the paddock rather than delay the procedure until back at the
lamb warmer (as some lambs will succumb in the meantime).
Because conditions are usually not as clean as we would like
a preventative dose of penicillin (1–2 mL Ovipen) should be
given at the same time. Once the lamb has recovered it
should be given a feed of colostrum.
Alternative use for dextrose
As well as being used to revive totally collapsed lambs as
described above, some farmers have been using it more as a
preventative. If on the daily rounds they see a ewe with a set
of twins and one of the twins is “looking dodgy” but not yet
actually collapsed, they inject the suspect-looking twin with
dextrose as described above but leave it there. This avoids
the work of having to catch the ewe and lambs to bring them
all in (and the resultant mis-mothering that can occur), and
results in reduced losses of the weaker lamb in a set of
multiples.
Feeding
Products
Whey-based lamb milk replacers appear to give the most
consistent results. They seem to result in less digestive
upsets (scours) than other whole milk powders, possibly
because they are closer in composition to actual ewe’s milk
than some of the whole milk powders, and also the vegetable
fats are easier to digest. Additionally, whey-based
formulations are easier to mix and clean equipment up
following their use (and they are usually a bit cheaper).
Whey-based products include Ovitop, 30% fat (vegetable
oils), 20% protein (soy and wheat), 35% lactose, vitamins
and minerals from Denkavit, which due to “obstruction” by
Fonterra has been impossible to obtain for several years;
and SprayFo Primo Lamb from AgriVantage which has a
slightly lower fat % than Ovitop.
In terms of lamb meal, try either Sgt Dan lamb meal (a
ground pelletised palatable meal, 20% protein & an ME of
14), or Moozlee (a high-quality steam flaked texture feed,
18% protein and an ME of 12.5). Both of these products
contain a coccidiostat, which helps to prevent coccidiosis.
These meals are very palatable and no attempt should be
made to substitute alternative products unless you are
certain they are of equivalent specification and palatability.
Meal fed should not contain palm kernel, copra meal or
tapioca as lambs don’t like it. Provide fresh water and feed
hay ad lib.
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Feeding regime
Lambs need at least 10–15% of their bodyweight in milk
daily, so:
• Lambs <4kg need 500–600 mL/day
• Lambs 4kg need 600 mL/day
• Lambs >5kg need 800 mL/day.
Mixing rate = 200 grams per litre.
Temperature: Very warm i.e. 35-40C.
Daily schedule:
• Day 1: 125 mL, 4 -5 times daily (for a 4kg lamb)
• Day 2–4: 250 mL, 3 times daily
• Day 5–11: 300 mL, 3 times daily
• Day 11–21: 400 mL, 2 times daily
• Day 22–30: 600-800 mL, once a day (see later section on
abomasal bloat).
Feeders
Lambs should be bottle-fed individually at the start – they
learn to suckle very quickly (no more than 2 days). They can
then be bottle fed in rack systems or fed via a multiple
feeder. Start on soft teats and once feeding well move to
hard teats.
Rack feeders: with rack feeders such as the Lamb Bar
system each lamb gets access only to its allocated amount of
milk. Best fed in batches of 10 to 12 lambs for good
observation of suckling speed and milk intake.
Figure 5: Example rack feeder (Source: John Smart).
Multi feeders: with multi feeders all lambs drinking get access
to the reservoir of milk so these are more suitable for use
after a week of age. Watch for slow and fast drinkers –
rearrange into even drinking groups. Teats need to be at
200 mm centres for lambs above 5-8 kg and 40-45 cm above
the ground. Design should be such that “greedy” lambs
cannot push other lambs off the teat.
Figure 6: Example multi-feeder (Source: John Smart).
Feeding milestones
Sgt Dan Lamb Meal (or Moozlee) should be made available
from day one. Keep fresh and topped up twice a day. Some
lambs appear to get on to the Sgt Dan meal quicker than the
Moozlee, with others the reverse seems to apply.
Regardless, the more palatable the meal is to begin with the
better. You can take advantage of the lamb’s natural
tendency to want to continue feeding after their bottle is
finished by putting small amounts of meal into their mouths –
this gets some of them onto meal quite quickly.
Lambs to be placed outside with access to good quality
grass (1200-1800 kg DM/ha; 4-6 inches long) when they are
consuming 100 grams of meal per lamb per day – usually at
about 2½ to 3 weeks of age. The provision of suitable
pasture needs planned well ahead.
When on pasture three or four groups of lambs can be mixed
into groups of 30-50 depending on the teat feeding system
available.
The best weaning criteria is meal consumption. Lambs can
be weaned off milk when they are consuming 200 g/day of
Moozlee/Sgt Dan or when they weigh 10-12kg. This is
usually between 4-5 weeks of age.
After weaning the concentrate consumption will likely
increase to around 400 g/day. Moozlee/Sgt Dan should be
available ad-lib and should be continued to be fed in
conjunction with grass at the rate of 400-700 g/day until
20 kg of weight at 8-10 weeks of age. Lambs can find these
meals very palatable and lamb intakes may need restricted
by around week 10 to 700 g/day.
Lambs should be rotated around paddocks of high quality
pasture (not less than 1600 kg DM/ha) to encourage grass
intake.
The above regime should result in about 5 kg of milk replacer
and 20 kg of concentrate being fed per lamb.
Ad-lib feeding
Where lambs are being ad-lib fed, initially feed the lambs a
restricted amount of milk (750 mL/day, as above) in three
feeds to identify any lambs not drinking well – relocate these
lambs if necessary. When all lambs in the group are drinking
well introduce them to the bulk ad-lib feeder.
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Use one ad-lib feeder per 60 lambs. The feeder should have
one teat for every five lambs with the teats at least 8 cm
apart and 40-45 cm above the ground.
Milk should be fed cold to restrict milk intake and the
container should not be empty for longer than 2 hours. The
daily milk intake is likely to be around 1-1.8 litres/day.
Feeding cow’s milk
be done the first time the lamb is handled – i.e. in the
paddock.
• Treat any swollen navels immediately with procaine
penicillin at the rate of 1 mL daily for 5 days.
• A prophylactic (preventative) dose of 1 mL of penicillin
can be given – (optional). This is more appropriate in
situations where you are getting large number of lambs
with infections but is not generally good practice if
infection rates are low.

The formulation of ewe’s milk is 30% fat, 23% protein and

27% lactose on a dry matter basis and a concentration of
200 g/litre in the liquid form. In comparison cow’s milk has
26% fat, 26% protein and 40-45% lactose on a dry matter
basis and a concentration of 125 g/litre in a liquid form.
Clearly cow’s milk is lower in fat and has excessive amounts
of lactose. Total dry matter and energy is also much lower.
Note: High levels of lactose may well be associated with an
increased susceptibility to abomasal bloat.
Cow’s milk can be modified to more closely resemble that of
ewes’ milk by the following methods:
• Add cream at the rate of 30 g/litre (though this may be
expensive).
• Fortify with a lamb milk replacer to lift the concentration.
This can be done by adding 75 grams of replacer per
litre, or 7.5 kg per 100 litres of cow’s milk. The actual
brand of replacer is probably not too critical, but again the
whey-based powder with its higher fat level would
probably be best.
• Modify the lactose level by yoghurtising the milk. The Figure 7: It’s a good idea to have a written protocol displayed in the
Lactobacillus bacteria will use the lactose to make the lamb rearing shed, to ensure everyone dealing with the new lambs
yoghurt. This product will be thicker than milk and may follows the same procedure.
be harder to go through the teats. Works very well in Check:
calves. See below for instructions to yoghurtise the milk.
• Eyes for turned in eyelids (entropion).
Animal health • Joints for joint ill (navel infections).

If lambs are less than 24 hours old it is, as stated above, it is
best to assume they have had no colostrum. For colostrum
to be effective as far as disease prevention goes, lambs must
receive it preferably by <12 hours of age and certainly by no
later than 24 hours of age. In order of preference give:
Sheds should be disinfected with a broad-spectrum
disinfectant (e.g. Envirosan, Sterigene, Virkon, Vetsan) prior
to commencement, and then weekly thereafter. Also,
feeders and troughs should be regularly sprayed with
disinfectant.

1. Actual ewe colostrum. Entropion

2. Commercial colostrum powders – contains
antibodies from ewe or cow colostrum. One or both of the lower eyelids is turned in resulting in
3. Stored cow colostrum. eye(s) that are watering and become cloudy. To treat
entropion, pull down on the eyelid to unroll it and apply some
When choosing a commercial colostrum powder, buy the one Terramycin powder. If eyelids invert again repeat the
with the highest immunoglobulin (IgG) levels. There can be unrolling and you can pinch the offending lower eyelid
large differences in IgG levels between products e.g.
Milligans ExcelPlus has 14% IgG, whereas JumpstartTM has
only 7% IgG. By paying a small amount extra you can get a
far more effective product.
If using cow colostrum, make sure you get Day 1 colostrum
(Day 3 colostrum has much less IgG). Colostrum can be
frozen and thawed as required. Just make sure you thaw it
slowly in warm water – microwaving colostrum will denature
the IgGs rendering them ineffective.
On arrival, each lamb is:
• Weighed and identified. If tagging, use an imprinted
number – tag pen numbers do not last in the suckling
environment.
• Navel sprayed with iodine, taking particular care to Figure 8: Entropion. (Source: John Smart, Clutha Vets).
ensure a drop forms on the end of the navel. This should

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between your thumb and finger. This causes some swelling
which helps the eyelid to stay “unrolled”. Alternatively inject
0.5 mL of saline under the eyelid.
Navel infection or joint ill
Bacteria enter the bloodstream via the fresh navel and
commonly end up either in joints (causing an infective
arthritis – joint ill), or in the liver and lungs (causing
abscesses). In the case of joint ill, lambs will be lame and
one or more joints may be swollen. In cases of liver and/or
lung abscesses, the lamb will have a temperature and be
noticeably sick.
To treat naval/joint ill, administer 2-3 mL penicillin (Ovipen)
and repeat at least twice at 48-hour intervals. Infections of
navel origin are very common in the first 2 weeks. Joint ill
will likely require a longer treatment course.
Figure 9: Lung abscesses caused by naval infection. (Source: John
Smart).
Scabby Mouth
If (and only if) scabby mouth is endemic on the farm,
vaccinate all lambs at the time of entry into the shed, as
lambs bunt up against the bottle damaging the skin around
the lips and nose which allows easy entry of the virus at an
early age if it is present.
Figure 10: Scabby mouth. (Source: John Smart).
Pneumonia
Not usually a common problem. If some cases occur the first
thing to check is the flow rate of teats. A small lamb on a
teat with a large orifice can lead to inhalation pneumonia
which will show up as a history of “the lamb was drinking fine
but now only drinks a percentage of the bottle and comes on
and off the teat a lot”. Treat with antibiotics for 5 days –
contact vet for a suitable antibiotic.
Foot scald
Again, not usually a common problem. Will show up as
reddened inflamed skin between the hooves on one or more
feet. Even quite severe cases respond well to penicillin
(Ovipen) given once at 1 mL per 10 kg bodyweight.
Scours
There are, broadly speaking, two types of lamb scours –
nutritional and infectious. The vast majority of cases are the
former – nutritional (or osmotic) and as such are generally
easily fixed.
• Nutritional – occurs due to over feeding, cold feeding,
the wrong mixing rates or dated milk powders. At the first
sign of a mild scour with the lamb still bright and drinking
increase the concentration of milk replacer being fed by
around 25% by cutting the water down but using the
same amount of milk powder. Reduce the volume fed for
two or three feeds as well. This will frequently stop the
scour but make sure the lamb has fresh water available
and watch for constipation as this can happen quite
easily.
• Infectious – is much less common than nutritional scours
– in non-weaned lambs they will likely die due to
Cryptosporidia, E. coli or Salmonella. An early diagnosis
is essential. Samples need to be submitted to a lab or
vet clinic. For infectious scours, or if the treatment for
nutritional scours isn’t effective and/or the lamb is dull or
inappetant, then you need to institute electrolyte therapy
as would be the case with scouring calves. Remove from
milk and provide ad-lib electrolytes (e.g. Revive). When
milk is reintroduced use the reduced volume / increased
concentration approach outlined above. In rare cases
like Salmonellosis, antibiotic treatment may be needed
(but these must not be fed in the milk as a preventative).
In older lambs that have been recently weaned, coccidiosis
(due to a protozoal parasite causing a nasty diarrhoea,
sometimes containing blood) can occasionally be an issue.
Outbreaks are usually associated with a high stocking rate
and moist/muddy conditions. If grass is short, then due to a
combination of decreased resistance and lambs being forced
to graze low (thereby ingesting more coccidial oocysts) this
can exacerbate the disease. There is a treatment
(Baycox C®) which needs given promptly in an outbreak to
be really effective. Prevention consists of providing clean
fresh grazing (don’t wean lambs onto the same paddocks in
consecutive years) and a clean water source. Ensure that
the meal fed contains a coccidiostat.
Internal parasites (worms) are unlikely to be an issue until
lambs have been eating mainly or wholly pasture for at least
three weeks. Avoiding weaning lambs onto the same
paddocks in consecutive years (as with coccidiosis) will help
reduce the likelihood of premature or excessive exposure to
the causative agent, in this case L3 parasite larvae.
Vaccinations
It is safest to assume there has been no colostrum intake
and thus no clostridial protection will be present at tailing, so
give “Lamb Vaccine” at tailing. Lambs can then have a
standard 5 in 1 vaccination programme and be vaccinated
against Clostridial diseases (Pulpy Kidney etc.) with
Ultravac® 5 in 1 at 6-10 weeks of age and again 4-6 weeks
later.
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Abomasal bloat
This has been the biggest cause of death amongst hand
reared lambs, usually from about 3-4 weeks of age onwards.
Lambs become acutely bloated about 1-2 hours after feeding
(so this is the time to check on them). There is acute
depression, a swollen tense abdomen, pain (colic) and death
is rapid if lambs are not treated. It usually occurs after three
weeks of age while fed large amounts (>500 mL) of milk
replacer once daily, and is due to the sudden gorging and
uneven intake. The flooding of a large amount of milk into
the intestinal tract provides an ideal substrate for Sarcinia
bacteria (a soil borne bacterium lambs pick up from the
environment) to multiply, which results in huge amounts of
gas being produced (bloat) and acidification of the intestinal
contents (rupture of the stomach & sometimes the abdominal
wall).
Figure 11: Severe case of abomasal bloat (Source: John Smart).
Treat with 3 mL of penicillin orally as soon as possible. If this
isn’t going to work quickly enough (i.e. if the lamb is basically
on its last gasp) you will need to deflate the stomach with a
needle. Put the lamb on its back and in the midline between
the end of the sternum (ribcage) and the navel plunge a 16
gauge, 1-inch needle straight in, and hold it there applying
very slight downward pressure as the stomach deflates.
Afterwards inject a dose of penicillin into the muscle in the
usual way (1 mL per 10 kg bodyweight). As this condition is
an acute emergency you need to be well organised
beforehand – have penicillin, a 16 gauge, 1-inch needle
handy and know beforehand exactly what to do!
To prevent abomasal bloat you will need to do one of the
following:
• Put lambs back onto a twice-daily feeding regime until
weaning.
• Iron injection – there is good evidence that the injection of
iron helps prevent abomasal bloat by reducing the
inclination of lambs to eat dirt to improve their iron intake,
thereby reducing the intake of the causative bacteria.
Administer an injection of Gleptosil® (1.5-2 mL) at 2-5
days of age. Repeat again (2 mL) about 3-4 weeks later.
• Baking soda – added to the milk (at 10-15 g/L) is also
often effective in preventing abomasal bloat.
• Formulin – addition to the milk at a rate of 1 mL of 10%
formalin per litre of milk.
• Acidification (yoghurtising) of milk or milk replacer has
also been shown to be very effective. See below for
details.
If an injection of Gleptosil® works then this is the simplest
preventative strategy to adopt (and at around 30 cents per
dose it isn’t expensive). If it doesn’t seem to be effective
then you need to try one of the other methods.
Rumenal bloat
This occurs due to acidosis from over-feeding of
concentrates. This will not be seen with Moozlee or Sgt Dan
but could occur if any attempt is made to substitute these
with straight grain.
Watery mouth
A bacterial infection caused by the bacteria E.coli which
replicate in the lamb’s intestines. Young lambs up to three
days of age are more susceptible to this disease as they
have not yet developed sufficient acid in their stomach to kill
the ingested bacteria before they reach the intestines. The
most common symptom is excess salivation (Figure 10).
Figure 12: Excessive salivation that is characteristic of
watery mouth disease. (Source: John Smart).
Acidifying (yoghurtising) milk or milk replacers
Yoghurt contains Lactobaccillus species (good bacteria) that
help prevent “bad” bacteria from multiplying in the gut. This
“yoghurtised” milk can be introduced from about day 5-7
(although it can be given to lambs from 2 days of age) with a
gradual transition from warm to cold feeding as follows:
Small numbers (e.g. 1-4 lambs):
• Make up double the amount of milk replacer you need.
This should be done in a lidded bucket which is at least
twice that of the volume of the milk in it.
• Use water that is warmer than you would feed to the
lambs but not as hot as a fresh cup of tea. This gets the
yoghurt growing fast without the need for a heating pad.
• Dump a large container of unsweetened acidophilus
yoghurt into the bucket of warm milk replacer and whisk
well.
• Leave in the hot water cupboard for 6-12 hours,
depending on how long it takes to thicken. The mix may
vary from bubbly thick-shake, to crusty cream cheese
sitting on top of clear liquid, to thick commercial yoghurt.
• When it’s time to feed the lambs, whisk it up, decant the
amount you need (dilute a little with cold water if
necessary or cut the lambs teats open a bit if it’s too
thick) and feed.
• If you like you can give the lambs a half yoghurt/half
ordinary milk replacer mix when you first introduce it but
they normally go on to the yoghurt without any problems.
• Make up an equal volume of milk replacer to that
removed, again quite warm and whisk into the existing
yoghurt mix and put back in the hot water cupboard ready
for the next feed.
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Medium numbers (e.g. 5-20 lambs):
• Put 3 litres of warm water in a bucket.
• Add 1 kg of calf milk powder and mix with an electric stick
blender of at least 250 watts power.
• Add 200 mL of acidophilus yoghurt e.g. Ezy-Yo from the
supermarket. Mix, then cover with a lid or sheets of
newspaper.
• Keep the mix warm for the next few hours. The easiest
method is to place the bucket on a brewer’s mat (cost
$50 for a 25 watt solid heating mat). If the air
temperature is too cold the milk will take a long time to
ferment. Another option is to put the bucket in an
insulated box e.g. chilly-bin with something like a hottie
as a source of heat.
• The yoghurt should set within 8-12 hours and may have a
soft crust on top with some liquid at the bottom or may
resemble thick commercial yoghurt.
• Top up with cold water to 8 litres, mix, and feed directly to
lambs
• Remove 200 mL of this liquid yoghurt for use as the
starter for the next batch.
Lamb rearing – a farmer’s
perspective
Kelly Liggett
Kelly and her husband Alex have been rearing lambs for
approximately 10 years. Their primary motivation for rearing
lambs is to improve animal welfare. Their flock of 2100 ewes
scanned 173% this year and are kept in the best possible
condition to maximise lamb survival. Rearing lambs has
provided an option for orphan lambs who are lost or born in a
storm and who can’t be mothered on to a ewe.
Orphan lambs are dropped off at the shearing shed, where
they are assessed. Every lamb has their naval sprayed with
iodine. Poorer condition lambs are placed on a heat pad,
given warm dextrose via injection and fed 60 mL of warm
colostrum (via tube if they are unable to drink). Healthy
lambs are bottle-fed 100-200 mL of warm colostrum and
placed in a warm pen with heat lamps above them. All lambs
receive four feeds of colostrum and are fed four times a day
while they are in the nursery pens and feeder training pens.

Large numbers (e.g. >20 lambs):

• For the starter either buy 2 litres of acidophilus yoghurt,
or add 50 mL of acidophilus yoghurt to 2 litres of warm
calf milk replacer at 40ºC, and keep warm for 8-12 hours
to set.
• Put 30 litres of warm water (40ºC) in an 80 litre plastic
container. Add 10 kg of milk replacer and 2 litres of
starter.
• Mix until smooth. A powerful electric stick blender,
submersible pump or electric drill with a mixer attachment
is useful.
• Put a lid or sheets of newspaper on the container and
supply warmth until set (24 hours). A brewer’s mat can
be used under the container as the heat source. The
container could have an insulating blanket put around it.
Setting of the yoghurt also depends on the room
temperature. The set mixture may have a thick cheesy
crust and liquid at the bottom.
• Add water to give a total of 80 litres. Mix or sieve to
remove any lumps.
• Remove 2 litres of the liquid yoghurt to use as a starter
for the next batch.
The yoghurt will last up to 5 days in a cool place. Clean the
bucket/container between batches. The lamb feeders should
be kept in a cool place or in the shade. This can be used
under ad-lib or set feeding regimes (such as once or twice a
day) and does not add much extra expense.
Should you experience problems (especially repeated ones)
with your orphan lambs, please contact your local Figure 13: Nursery pen fitted with heat lamps to keep
veterinarian who will be able to assist you in identifying and newborn lambs warm. (Source: Kelly Liggett).
correcting any underlying issues that could be predisposing
factors to the problem. The commonest (and severest)
problem experienced by far for most people rearing lambs is
abomasal bloat and this is now quite preventable. Colostrum is either day 1 cow’s colostrum or sheep
colostrum which has been hand-milked from a ewe waiting to
be put in the mothering-on pens. After colostrum, the lambs
are fed SprayFo whey-based milk replacer. Muesli is
purchased from South Otago Grain.

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 Abomasal bloat isn’t a huge problem. Kelly checks the
lambs 30-60 minutes after they are fed so that any issues
can be identified before bloat progresses. Her care plan for
bloat is to release the pressure using a big needle in their
rumen and then to administer 5 mL of penicillin orally.
Kelly has found that watery mouth can also be an issue and
is harder to successfully treat. Her care plan for water mouth
includes electrolytes, isolation and spectra block given orally.

Figure 14: Kelly monitors the feeding to make sure each

lamb receives its allocation (Source: Kelly Liggett).

After three days the orphans leave their heated pen and go
into a training pen, which is a small, warm area that is free
from drafts and which has hay for bedding. Here they are
trained onto four-teat compartment feeders. This part can be
time-consuming, but once the lambs learn how to drink they
become much easier to feed. Kelly has found that initially
the lambs tend to back-off the feeder regularly, but usually
get the hang of it after about three feeds.
Once they are trained, the lambs are penned into groups of
8-12. Pens are constructed from gates found around the
farm (e.g. tailing gates or old wooden gates) and are fitted
with a milk feeder, a small hay feeder, a trough with clean
water and a muesli trough. Lambs spend nearly three weeks
in these pens – at the end of this time they are bigger and
drink more vigorously, making it harder to pour milk into the
feeder evenly without spilling it. They also need to be
monitored as some will bunt their neighbor off. This is Figure 15: Feeding larger groups of lambs requires two people
generally a two-person job and good one for the children to and is a great job for the kids. (Source: Kelly Liggett).
help with. They are fed 300 mL, three times a day.
At three weeks of age the lambs move into a small shed in a Other critical success factors that Kelly identified were:
small paddock where they are all grouped together. The
sleeping area is open with hay for bedding and they now • Maintaining clean feeding equipment.
have access to grass. Nuts are introduced with their muesli • Consistent feeding times.
– nuts are easier as they don’t spill or waste as much of • Regular cleaning of lamb pens – pens are sprayed twice
these. At this stage they are fed around 500 mL each twice weekly with Virkon, and more frequently if a problem is
a day. Lambs are fed in batches of 12 in a feeding pen and suspected. Bedding material in the nursery pens is
then lifted into a waiting pen. changed twice.
Once lambs reach 12 kg, they are shifted further out onto the Kelly’s goals with her lamb rearing system are to:
farm into a paddock of young grass (ryegrass, chicory,
plantain and clover mix). Another feeding and waiting pen is • Keep the mortality rate low in the nursery pens.
set up and they are fed around 600 mL once a day. There is • Mother on as many lambs as possible – some ewes have
also a large trough set up for nuts – it is important that there two lambs mothered on.
is enough room for every lamb to fit around the trough.
Round hay bales and placed in the paddock for shelter, but In terms of economics, last year Kelly spent $40 per lamb on
there is no shed. food. Each lamb received 7 kg of milk powder and half a bag
of nuts/muesli.
Lambs are weaned off milk replacer once they reach 15 kg.
They have access to nuts and hay for a few more weeks
(Figure 2).

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State of NZ shearing industry
Jason Davis, Davis Shearing Contractors
Key issues for the NZ shearing industry
New Zealand has been losing a lot of staff to Australia where
the pay rates for shearers and woolhandlers are better. Four
years ago the NZ Shearing Contractors Association voted (in
the farmer’s favour) not to increase pay rates because of the
low prices for wool. However, this ended up being to the
detriment of contractors who were unable to compete with
the pay rates being offered in Australia. This has made it
extremely difficult for shearing contractors to source enough
staff for their busy periods. Jason reported that last year was
the hardest year he has ever experienced in terms of trying
to find staff for their busy main shear – staff numbers were
down 10-15%. The association this year recommended
wage increases of 25% for both shearers and woolhandlers
to try and help address the staffing issue.
Recruiting young staff has been another key issue for the NZ
shearing industry. There is currently no nationwide provider
of shearing training since Te Ako Wool lost their funding.
This was a real loss to the industry as Te Ako Wool had
some great ideas to engage young people. Getting young
people into shearing requires an initial investment in training
and equipment – Jason has found that prospective young
shearers struggle to find the money and the cost is often
borne by the contractor. Competition for staff is so strong
that contractors face the risk that new shearers will be
poached once they are trained. There are some avenues
being explored to provide shearing training in future, but it
will take a couple of years to get this up and running.
Health and safety management
NZ Shearing Contractors Association, Federated Farmers,
ACC and WorkSafe NZ have combined to develop Tahi
Ngatahi – a web-based health and safety module. The
module contains video clips, tips and forms to help ensure
the health, safety, animal care and productivity of everyone
in the industry. Videos star respected industry shearers and
provide education around physical fitness, stress
management, nutrition, animal welfare and handling, and
injury prevention. The videos are also a great resource for
farmers who do shearing themselves as while a lot of
farmers can shear, they might not have the right techniques
and this can result in injury. Those who successfully
complete the programme receive a certificate. Tahi Ngatahi
is expected to be launched at the Canterbury A&P show this
year.
There is also an app for a digital woolshed “Warrant of
Fitness” which farmers and contractors can use to check if
the building is compliant. If farmers use this resource, it can
provide evidence that compliance obligations are being met.
Alcohol
Contractors are also trying to get rid of issues with
alcoholism within the industry. Traditionally farmers supply
the shearing gang with beer once they finish a shed, but
contractors are now just encouraging growers just to
personally thank their staff.
How can farmers help?
Shed capacity is an important consideration for contractors.
It is difficult to make money from a two-stand shed, so
turning this into a three-stand shed will help. Converting a
three-stand shed into a four-stand shed will help with
throughput and turning a five-stand shed into a six-stand
shed will create efficiencies with woolhandling staff. Even
numbers of stands are preferable from a throughput and
staffing perspective.
Farmers should also make sure that they follow the best
practice guidelines (refer to the ‘Useful Links’ section below)
around woolshed setup, sheep preparation and fasting sheep
before shearing. If sheep are well emptied and have been
crutched then it will be easier to get shearing staff. If staff
are well looked after then they will come back year after year.
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Enhancing the value of strong
wool
Rosstan Mazey, Wools of New Zealand
Wools of New Zealand overview
Wools of New Zealand is a 100% New Zealand grower-
owned supply, sales and marketing company with 720
grower shareholders representing approximately 14.5 million
kilograms of annual strong wool production. Key areas of
focus include:
• Innovation and technology that is underpinned by
sustainable, ethical supply, traceability and a focus on
wool quality through the value chain.
• Collaborative activities to promote long-term sustainability
of the sector. Traditional sales models do not derive full
value back to growers – Wools of New Zealand is
focused on building a sustainable future for strong wool.
• Building partnerships globally with manufacturers,
brands, retailers and ultimately consumers, to carve out a
value proposition. Initiatives to increase and create
demand for NZ strong wool include utilising supply
credentials and the Wools of NZ brand; new innovations
and technologies; and finding new customers and
markets.
Global trends
There is real concern worldwide with synthetic microfibres
and their impact on the environment and food chain. This is
influencing the decisions that people are making –
consumers and retailers are now wanting to know more
about the origin of product, and the way the fibre has been
grown and taken to market. Wools of New Zealand has been
proactively investing in science and market-led certifications
related to traceability, integrity and animal welfare which are
enabling commercial opportunities. Some examples include:
• EU Ecolabel – this certification helps European
customers identify products with a reduced environmental
impact, and covers the supply chain from production on
farm, through the various stages of processing to the
finished product.
• Responsible Wool Standard – addresses the welfare of
sheep and the land they graze on. Wools of New
Zealand has embraced this standard and this has
enabled new opportunities in apparel.
The Wools of New Zealand brand identifies products that are
rich in wool from NZ farms. The Laneve brand identifies
products that are 100% natural fibres, with all of the wool
being traceable through transparent supply chains back to
the farmers who grow it.
Figure 16: The Wools of New Zealand and Laneve brands.
Innovations
Glacial XTTM
Glacial XT is a unique scouring process that delivers a
significantly cleaner, more consistent and level base-fibre.
The process enhances the quality attributes of wool,
particularly the whiteness and brightness, without
compromising the integrity of the fibre itself.
This technology is capable for transforming poor or average
coloured greasy wool include ‘good coloured’ scoured wool;
and has the potential to take ‘good coloured’ greasy wool into
‘super-white’ scoured wool. This technology reduces batch
variability and provides greater consistency for dyers,
spinners and weavers. Wool treated using the GlacialXT™
process is more efficient to dye, (saving energy, water, dye
and time) and is now able to be used to produce printed
carpets.
Wools of NZ has global exclusive rights to this scour process
and it is now commercially underway with sales programmes
to lead partners.
Oritain
Traceability is important for integrity and as such Wools of
New Zealand has been working with Oritain to provide proof
of origin information. Finished products can be tested and
traced back to the country of origin and region of production
to provide confidence to consumers. A video of this process
is available in the ‘Useful Links’ section below.
Forward contracts
Wools of NZ has forward contracts available to growers
which are designed to reduce risk and price volatility.
Forward contracts have been ahead of the spot market for
the last four years (Figure 17).
Figure 17: Wools of NZ contract vs lambs wool spot price indicator
2012-2017 (Source: Wools of NZ).
Natural Fibre Exchange (NFX)
Wools of New Zealand led the development this online
trading platform which provides direct access to buyers for
marketable wool types. It operates in a similar way to the
Global Dairy Trade (GDT) platform and was launched in May
this year. The NFX is owned by Wools of New Zealand and
the Alliance Group, who have teamed up with CRA
International are world experts in online trading platforms and
who manage the NFX.
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The NFX was developed as a platform to connect buyers
with sellers, providing transparent, market-based reference
prices and an efficient and convenient selling mechanism for
wool. Events are held fortnightly and have seen strong
support from sellers and buyers.
This opportunity is significant for New Zealand wool growers,
with the relationship and scale of DuPont being leveraged to
promote wool globally. The new fibre developed with DuPont
has the potential to use significant volumes of strong
crossbred wool and could take a significant portion of the
strong wool clip.

New opportunity with DuPont

DuPont is a US-based $40 billion conglomerate involved in
agriculture, motor vehicles, building, electronics, energy, food
and beverages, healthcare, marine, mining, packaging,
printing, plastics, safety and chemicals. DuPont was
established in 1802 and was originally involved in wool
growing and processing. In 1903 it began developing
cellulose fibre and then moved on to the production of
advanced synthetic materials (e.g. Nylon). DuPont is now
one of the world’s largest producers of synthetic fabrics, with
its fibre materials range including Nomex®, Kevlar®, Lycra®,
Tyvek® and Sorona®.
Dupont has been collaborating with Wools of New Zealand to
develop a new eco-friendly, wool-blend home textile yarn.
The fibre is designed to bring together the best of both the
natural and bio-based synthetic fibres, to produce a superior
fibre with optimized properties and a significantly reduced
environmental footprint. Wool is being combined with
Dupont’s Sorona® fibre in various blends ranging from 20:80
wool to Sorona® right up to 80:20 wool to Sorona®.
Development is in the final stages and is expected to be
completed later this year. The fibre is expected to be used at
scale, aiming at the mid to upper price bracket. Potential
applications include textile floor coverings, bedding and
apparel fill.

Figure 18: ‘Fabulous’ Wools of New Zealand branded carpet by UK company Crucial Trading (Source: Wools of New Zealand).

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Useful links
RMPP podcast – Saving and rearing newborn lambs, with Lynley Wyeth
B+LNZ video – Orphan lamb rearing
B+LNZ video – Triplet management
B+LNZ video – Intensive triplet management (indoor)
B+LNZ factsheet – Artificial lamb rearing – managing abomasal bloat
Safe Sheep Shearing – Good Practice Guidelines
B+LNZ factsheet – Shelter
Oritain traceability video
Natural Fibre Exchange website
Wools of New Zealand website
Wools of New Zealand grower website

www.facebook.com/beeflambnzssi

Nicola Chisholm Olivia Ross

AgFirst Otago Extension Manager,
027 610 2221 Southern South Island
nicola.chisholm@agfirst.co.nz 027 801 7868
olivia.ross@beeflambnz.com

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