A View from
the Field
A
fter a long, dry summer the sudden
arrival of autumn took many of us by
surprise and the acceleration into winter has
left most fields, and moods, in a sorry state.
It is always a difficult time of year for those
involved with livestock as housing creates as
many problems as it solves. The incidence of
pneumonia in cattle increases, mucking out
the horses becomes part of daily routine and
we’re all readying ourselves for lambing and
calving.
A Winter woolly conundrum
Whilst the rams will have only recently been
removed from most commercial flocks, how is
it possible that there will soon be some early
lambs on the ground, given that gestation
length is similar for all breeds of sheep?
The answer is rather interesting. Sheep are
‘short day breeders’ meaning that they are
only reproductively active when the amount
of sunshine they are exposed to is reduced.
This results in more melatonin being produced
by the pineal gland, which fires up the ewe’s
reproductive hormones. This seasonal ‘on/off
switch’ is nature’s way of ensuring that the
lambs are born (after a gestation of five
months) well into Spring, when the weather is
better, the grass is growing and warmer
temperatures give the ewe’s offspring the best
start in life.
This is exacerbated in the mountain breeds,
such as Cheviots, Swaledale and Scottish
Blackface, who have a very short, late breeding
season due to the hostile conditions where
they are bringing up their young. At the other
end of the spectrum is the Dorset Horn which
is able to breed all year round and as such can
deliver three crops of lambs in two years. As a
result, this breed are often used to improve
fertility as part of a cross breed or for embryo
transfer.
With a gestation of eleven months, horses are
short day breeders, and most thoroughbreds
start covering on Valentine’s Day … how
romantic! This ensures that foals are born as
early in the year as possible, giving them a
head-start on those born later in the season,
ready for the sales.
Just to confuse matters even further, cattle
cycle all year round, meaning that it is up to
the farmer, not mother nature, when the bull
gets to join the cows.
For more farm animal and equine advice
please call us on 01531 806129 or drop by
our NEW office near the theatre in Ledbury
for a chat with one of our vets.
Belmont Farm and Equine Vets Ledbury
NewNarket House, Market Street, Ledbury HR8 2AQ
01531 806129
Hereford - Unit 5B, Sigeric Business Park, Rotherwas Hereford HR2 6BQ - 01432 351471
Bromyard - Unit 1, Porthouse Industrial Estate, Bromyard Herefordshire HR7 4NS - 01885 488440
Independent dedicated livestock and equine vets
Ledbury Focus
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