Pregnancy Scanning in Sheep: Welfare Benefits of Accurate Management
Ultrasound pregnancy scanning in ewes enables targeted nutrition management that prevents twin lamb disease and malnutrition, significantly improving ewe and lamb welfare.
Key Facts
- Pregnancy scanning identifies single, twin, and triplet pregnancies, and empty ewes
- Allows targeted feeding of ewes based on number of fetuses they are carrying
- Ewes carrying twins or triplets require significantly more energy in the last 6 weeks
- Unscanned flocks cannot target nutrition, leading to over- or under-condition
- Scanning at 75-90 days gestation gives sufficient time for targeted feeding programs
Welfare Considerations
Pregnancy scanning welfare benefits operate at flock level through prevention of pregnancy toxemia and poor lamb viability. Twin- and triplet-bearing ewes fed the same ration as single-bearing ewes inevitably experience nutritional deficit in late pregnancy, leading to twin lamb disease, poor colostrum quality, and undersized lambs with reduced welfare. Scanning and subsequent drafting into feeding groups allows precision nutrition that prevents these welfare problems. The welfare return from scanning investment is substantial: reduced ewe mortality, better colostrum quality, stronger lambs, and improved neonatal lamb welfare.
What You Can Do
- Implement routine pregnancy scanning at 75-90 days gestation in your flock
- Draft ewes into feeding groups based on scan results (singles, twins, triplets, empty)
- Provide targeted supplementary feeding to twin and triplet-bearing ewes
- Use scan results to plan lambing staffing and facilities
- Monitor body condition during late pregnancy and adjust feeding accordingly