| 2016-07-20 |    |
Maximise Conception Rates with a Bolus Before Tupping
Give your ewes their best chance of conceiving at the first opportunity – and keep lambing periods tight – by giving them a mineral bolus three weeks before tupping.
That’s the advice from Ieuan Davies, Agrimin sales manager for Wales and Shropshire. He says that ensuring the correct levels of trace elements at this key time will also help to boost fertility, increase lambing percentage, and result in the production of strong, healthy and robust lambs.
Talking to a group of farmers near Builth Wells, at a meeting sponsored by Hay and Brecon Farmers, Ieuan demonstrated how the vital trace elements of iodine, selenium and cobalt can be precisely and safely delivered into the rumen by using the Agrimin technology.
The 24.7 Smartrace bolus allows a slow, controlled, release of these key trace elements over six months, with the wrapper dissolving in the reticulum, and the bolus gently eroding and releasing the minerals over a 180-day period, leaving no residue, with no need for a withdrawal period. It must be given using the approved Agrimin sheep bolus gun.
“It acts as an insurance policy, a guarantee, and puts your mind at rest,” adds Ieuan, who stresses the ease of use, and the need to only deliver the bolus once, making it a hassle free operation.
Dosing the ewes in this way means that these vital trace elements are delivered confidently, irrespective of the weather, ensuring the best conception rates. Ewe health is maintained through the winter, and lambs are born benefiting from maternal transfer and quality colostrum.
Agrimin 24.7 is designed for use in grazing ewes and gimmers or hoggs over 40kg. It should also be given to rams two months before the mating season.
Ieuan pointed out the cost of trace element imbalances, which can have devastating effects on both sheep health and profitability.
“They also cause a lot of misery, and waste a lot of time and expense, with producers trying to figure out what exactly the shortfall is,” he adds, again stressing the importance of delivering a safe and reliable method of getting these trace elements into the sheep's gut.
“Pre-tupping as well as post-scanning are the best chances a producer has in the annual sheep calendar to get the health of the flock right before the ewes are under pressure, and this key opportunity should not be ignored or under-estimated,” he says.
Each 48g bolus delivers a daily supply of 0.8mg cobalt, 4.2mg iodine and 0.4mg selenium. It’s free from copper, so is suitable for continental breeds as well, and complies with EU Organic regulations. It comes in packs of 50 and is available from vets and distributors.
Producers wanting to add copper to the bolus, should use Smartrace 24.7 Plus.
