Management of sheep and kids

      1. Ensure proper suckling of the lambs. Examine udders for blindness of teats or mastitis.

2. Take care of indifferent mothers and arrange suckling of lambs by restraining such types of ewes.

3.    Provide creep feed (good quality hay with or without concentrate mixture) to suckling lambs in addition to suckling of milk from tenth day to weaning age.

4. If possible, make available green leguminous fodder or fresh tree leaves to lambs to nibble during suckling period.

5.  Perform 'lamb marking' operation (comprising ear tagging/tattooing, tail docking and castration of male lambs) at the age of 2-4 weeks.

6. Weaning should preferably be done at 90 days, although in breeds with low milk production or where re-breeding is desired, it can be done around 60 days.

7.  Supplementary feeding and good clean pastures must be provided.

8. Weaned lambs should be drenched against gastro-intestinal parasites by the first month, and vaccinated against enterotoxaemia and sheep pox.

9.  Weaners should not be grazed on poor, burry and thorny types of pasture since it could cause skin irritation, injury to the eyes and damage to the wool.

10.  They should be protected against predation and the vagaries of climate.

Castration : Surplus males are castrated to check indiscriminate mating, to make the males more docile and to make mutton of superior quality. However, in India, the market demand most often favours the intact male. Castration is usually done by using a castrating knife, Burdizzo castrator/emasculatome or elastrator.

1.    Burdizzo/emasculatome method

§  Secure the lamb and place it on its rumps with tail placed along the floor.

§  Manipulate the testes and slightly pull out the scrotum.

§  Hold the spermatic cords tightly on both sides making sure that it does not slip.

§  Apply tincture iodine at the site.

§  Place the jaws of the emasculatome over the spermatic cords and press the handles completely; hold for a few moments before releasing.

§  Repeat the process about 1 cm below the first crush.

§  Apply additional antiseptic and watch the animal for infection for a few days.

§  Precautions : The emasculatome must be clean and disinfected, and its jaws must be clean and  smooth. The testes must be protected from injury. The scrotal skin folds must not be crushed.