| LEXINGTON, Ky. —The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture is committed to teaching techniques that may improve the management of livestock enterprises and make them more profitable for producers.
The annual Winter Lambing School will be offered at the UK Animal Research Center this month.
The school will focus on the essential skills producers need to manage ewes through the critical stages of late gestation, lambing and early lactation. New and potential producers will learn how to manage ewes and lambs during the lambing season to ensure greater lamb survivability and profitability.
More experienced producers will have the opportunity to review their established managerial techniques, such as identifying signs of approaching parturition, caring for the newborn, equipment needs, docking, castration and vaccination techniques, and feeding before and after lambing.
The annual event is scheduled for January 18 at the UK Animal Research Center on U.S. Highway 62 near Versailles in Woodford County.
Discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on opportunities will be provided during the session that will extend from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST.
“More lambs equal more profit,” said Don Ely, UK College of Agriculture professor of animal sciences. “It’s one thing for the lamb to be born alive, but another to keep it alive during the first 72 hours of life - this is the most critical time. If a producer knows what to do and when to do it, the chances of neonatal lamb survivability and profitability can be increased.”
There is no registration fee for the school, but those planning to attend should contact Ely at dely@uky.edu or 859-257-2717. Participants are encouraged to bring their lunch. All attendees are expected to follow biosecurity procedures and cannot have been outside the United States during the seven days prior to the lambing school.
Published in the January 11, 2006 issue of Farm World. |
