The Rural Voice, 1990-12, Page 64r
SEASON'S
GREETINGS
From
VARNA GRAIN
AND
HILL AND HILL FARMS LTD.
Gordon, Ruby, Bev, Shirley and staff
wish you and your family
a very Merry Christmas — to the greatest people
on the land, our customers.
HILL & HILL LTD. & VARNA GRAIN
233-3218 233-7908
Rathwell E ' S
S ASON
GREETINGS
National Realty Inc.
13 Rattenbury E., Clinton
519-482-3981
We look forward to helping you with all
your Real Estate needs in 1991.
Bruce Rathwell
Ontario Rep.
Albert Visscher
Holland Rep.
1
Pat Norman
Broker
John Schaer Liz Roger
Swiss Rep. Representative
60 THE RURAL VOICE
ADVICE
LAMBING PROBLEMS
TRACED TO CALCIUM
Sheep producers who have a higher
than normal number of ewes with pro-
lapsed vaginas and lambing difficulties
may be able to trace the problem to these
factors:
• second -cut alfalfa hay or high qual-
ity alfalfa/grass first -cut hay fed to the
flock before lambing,
• red -clover hay fed before lambing,
• the ewes were too conditioned.
In second -cut alfalfa hay and high
quality first -cut hay with a high alfalfa
content, the amount of calcium can be
high, and the Ca:P ratio significant.
As a general rule, the higher the
alfalfa content in the forage, the higher
the percentage of calcium and the
greater the Ca:P ratio. The extra Ca in
the digestive tract of a ewe tends to
decrease the amount of selenium ab-
sorbed.
Selenium is important to maintain
healthy membrane functions and
muscle tone. Without adequate sele-
nium, the flock will exhibit an increase
in prolapsed vaginas and retained
placentas.
Red clover fed either fresh (pasture)
or dry as hay can cause elevated estro-
gen levels in a ewe's blood. As a result,
red clover can disrupt the reproductive
cycle at breeding and cause problems
with prolapsed vaginas at lambing.
Ewes that are too fat at lambing will
have greater than normal deposits of fat
around the reproductive organs, particu-
larly the cervix. This extra fat will
reduce the area the lamb must pass
through to be born and increase the
number of slow births and assisted
lambings.
To keep calcium levels low, ewes
should be fed only first -cut mixed hay of
average quality with the proper amount
of grain mix before lambing.
Adequate selenium should be sup-
plied in the late gestation ration and
ewes should be body -conditioned regu-
larly to ensure they don't get over -con-
ditioned.
Computerized ewe rations can be
formulated for your flock at your local
OMAF office.0
Bill McCutcheon
Sheep Specialist