Sheep, Beef & Deer Calendar
January
Get your rams palpated and blood tested prior to mating
Get dogs vaccinated prior to the dog trial season
Take out lighter ewes for preferential feeding before mating
Reproductive vaccines (Toxo and Campy) can be started now
Get Teaser rams prepared by your vet
Clostridial booster (or sensitiser if not already done) should be given to replacement hoggets, lambs, and calves
Continue with preventative drench programme in lambs
Remove bulls after 3 cycles (63 days) for mixed age cows, and 2 cycles (42 days) for heifers
February
Ensure mineral levels are adequate going into mating, especially Iodine and Selenium
Palpate udders and Body Condition Score ewes one month after weaning. Cull poor animals to increase lamb survivability
Weigh 2 tooths to ensure they are on track to reach target mating weights
Reproductive vaccines (Toxo and Campy) should be started/ boosted if not already done. This should be started in hoggets if hogget mating. 4 tooths should receive a Campy booster again the following year after starting the programme as a 2 tooth.
Pre-Christmas fly product is often running out by February, consider the need for re-application
Annual footrot inspection when conditions are dry will help remove the pool of infectious animals going into the Autumn
Continue with preventative drench programme in lambs
Clostridial booster (or sensitiser if not already done) should be given to replacement hoggets, lambs, and calves if not already given
March
Continue with preventative drench programme in lambs
Get your final drenches, vaccines, and supplements into ewes prior to mating (abortion vaccines, footvac, minerals, drench)
Lambs may benefit from a B12 booster, as liver stores are often running out by now
Plan your AI programmes in stud flocks
Book your beef cow pregnancy testing to enable dating of pregnancies, marking of third cycle cows, and culling of dry cows before Winter
Blood test 15 cattle at pregnancy testing to determine the BVD status of your herd
Fawns should be given their Yersiniavax sensitiser vaccination
Drench weaner deer with an oral combination drench
April
Teasers out with hoggets
Cross-bred hoggets should be 40kg in early April
Exit drench remaining trading lambs and ewe hoggets – discuss options with your vet
Toxo and Campy vaccination should be completed now
Target condition score of 3.0 for ewes at mating
Cattle should be in peak body condition by the end of April to ensure they winter well
Drench calves and vaccinate with clostridial vaccine if not already done
Fawns should be given their Yersiniavax booster vaccination
Copper bullets should be given to calves and fawns prior to Winter
May
Cross-bred hoggets should be 45kg at Mating
Set your farm up for Winter by performing a Winter feed budget
Remove rams
Avoid stressing ewes that are less than 30 days pregnant
Capacity test your bulls for insurance and pre-sale purposes
Cattle will benefit from a lice pour-on treatment
Copper bullet calves and fawns if not already done
June
Give sheep a lice treatment off-shears
Perform a faecal egg count at scanning time to assess levels, and assist in pre-lamb worm control decision making
Come to the Veterinary Centre Sheep and Beef Winter Roadshow
Book in your TB testing if your deer are due this year
Scan hinds 35-40 days after stag removal
It is a good time to administer a long acting Selenium product to cows (which should last over mating)
July
Give sheep a lice treatment off-shears
Review your drenching plan for the pre-lamb period with your vet
Book in your conveyer for pre-lamb capsule, clostridial vaccination, and drench treatments
Carry out a pre-lamb feed budget for twin bearing ewes
Carry out a footrot inspection to reduce the pool of infected animals present during the lambing period
August
Give sheep a lice treatment off-shears
Ewes will need a clostridial vaccine (5 in 1 or Covexin) booster 2 weeks pre-lamb
Drench your yearling heifers and consider giving them a mineral boost
September
Cows, heifers, and bulls should receive their BVD sensitiser vaccination
All bulls should be tested for BVD prior to their first mating season (and vaccinated)
October
Cows, heifers, and bulls should receive their BVD booster vaccination
Capacity testing off bulls should be carried out prior to mating
A selenium boost should be given to cattle prior to mating if not already administered
Scabine vaccination should be given to lambs at docking on infected properties
November
A preventative drenching programme should be started in lambs
Scabine vaccination should be given to lambs at docking on infected properties
Watch lambs for development of pre-weaning scour as this may indicate Nematodirus burden. Get a Faecal Egg Count done if concerned
Be on the lookout for flystrike in humid weather, especially once grass goes to seed
December
Discuss a fly and parasite prevention plan with your vet
Lambs and calves should receive their clostridial vaccination (5 in 1 or Covexin) sensitiser vaccination
Lambs may benefit from B12 at weaning
Weaning, or soon after is an ideal time to perform a faecal egg count reduction test, contact your vet to establish if egg levels are adequate for testing
Beef cows should be gaining weight throughout mating to maximise conception rates and calf growth rates
Ensure adequate bull numbers and that bulls are rotated if single sire mating
