Today we had our first grooming session in Donegal Equestrian Centre. Many thanks to Rachel for an excellent introduction.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Today's visit is to a sheep farm in North Leitrim to view scanning of pregnant ewes. Scanning ewes between 40 and 85 days after mating will produce a very high degree of accuracy in determining whether a ewe is barren or carrying one, two or three lambs. Knowing precisely the pregnancy status of ewes allow the following management decisions to be taken:
(1)Accurate feed determination of pregnant ewes according to the number of lambs each is carrying
(2)Fattening and/or sale of non pregnant ewes
(3)Assessment of housing requirements
(4)Improved lambing management
The scanning process is quick and from an animal's point of view, stress free.
For further information on sheep scanning please click here. This link gives you the best time to scan your flock along with an estimated lambing date.
This short video clearly outlines the digestive system of the cow and describes the function of the rumen in the process. Using animation (projected on a cow) the presenter makes it immediately easier to understand the differences between the ruminant and the mongastric.
The Frog Blog: Science Fact of the Week 15 - Cows Have Four Stoma...: Cows have four stomachs, or more technically one four-chambered stomach. Cows are ruminants. Most ruminants have a four-chambered stomach, ...