A Cross-Sectional Study of Commercial Ewe Management Practices for Different Sheep Breeds across Southern Australia
The management of ewes across southern Australia may vary with breed and can change over time and, as such, a greater understanding of producer management practices and the motivations that influence these practices is required. A cross-sectional study was performed by telephone interview with sheep...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/388 |
| _version_ | 1827760614695501824 |
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| author | Amy L. Bates Shawn R. McGrath Maxwell B. Allworth Susan M. Robertson Gordon Refshauge |
| author_facet | Amy L. Bates Shawn R. McGrath Maxwell B. Allworth Susan M. Robertson Gordon Refshauge |
| author_sort | Amy L. Bates |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The management of ewes across southern Australia may vary with breed and can change over time and, as such, a greater understanding of producer management practices and the motivations that influence these practices is required. A cross-sectional study was performed by telephone interview with sheep producers managing Composite, Maternal, Merino or shedding ewe breeds mated in either spring, summer, or autumn. The surveyed producers were a unique subset of southern Australian producers. A large proportion of the surveyed producers followed current best practice guidelines for ewe mating and lambing nutritional management; however, some producers did not align with these targets. Further, some producers did not see the value in attaining the current recommendations. Pregnancy scanning was widely practiced, likely an artefact of the recruitment process; however, a few producers did not utilize this information for nutritional management at lambing time. Finally, most producers were active in their search for new information, seeking information regularly from a wide range of sources and reported making management changes within the last five years. Further work is required to understand why some producers are not adopting best practice where possible and to understand current barriers for adoption. Management guidelines for all sheep breeds are required to best manage sheep across southern Australia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:54:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-68dd43dab7164296aea16a0d7fbe7efd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:54:01Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-68dd43dab7164296aea16a0d7fbe7efd2023-11-16T16:00:10ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-01-0113338810.3390/ani13030388A Cross-Sectional Study of Commercial Ewe Management Practices for Different Sheep Breeds across Southern AustraliaAmy L. Bates0Shawn R. McGrath1Maxwell B. Allworth2Susan M. Robertson3Gordon Refshauge4School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, AustraliaSchool of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, AustraliaSchool of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, AustraliaSchool of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2678, AustraliaNew South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Cowra, NSW 2794, AustraliaThe management of ewes across southern Australia may vary with breed and can change over time and, as such, a greater understanding of producer management practices and the motivations that influence these practices is required. A cross-sectional study was performed by telephone interview with sheep producers managing Composite, Maternal, Merino or shedding ewe breeds mated in either spring, summer, or autumn. The surveyed producers were a unique subset of southern Australian producers. A large proportion of the surveyed producers followed current best practice guidelines for ewe mating and lambing nutritional management; however, some producers did not align with these targets. Further, some producers did not see the value in attaining the current recommendations. Pregnancy scanning was widely practiced, likely an artefact of the recruitment process; however, a few producers did not utilize this information for nutritional management at lambing time. Finally, most producers were active in their search for new information, seeking information regularly from a wide range of sources and reported making management changes within the last five years. Further work is required to understand why some producers are not adopting best practice where possible and to understand current barriers for adoption. Management guidelines for all sheep breeds are required to best manage sheep across southern Australia.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/388ewe managementsheepsouthern Australiasheep producerssurvey |
| spellingShingle | Amy L. Bates Shawn R. McGrath Maxwell B. Allworth Susan M. Robertson Gordon Refshauge A Cross-Sectional Study of Commercial Ewe Management Practices for Different Sheep Breeds across Southern Australia Animals ewe management sheep southern Australia sheep producers survey |
| title | A Cross-Sectional Study of Commercial Ewe Management Practices for Different Sheep Breeds across Southern Australia |
| title_full | A Cross-Sectional Study of Commercial Ewe Management Practices for Different Sheep Breeds across Southern Australia |
| title_fullStr | A Cross-Sectional Study of Commercial Ewe Management Practices for Different Sheep Breeds across Southern Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Cross-Sectional Study of Commercial Ewe Management Practices for Different Sheep Breeds across Southern Australia |
| title_short | A Cross-Sectional Study of Commercial Ewe Management Practices for Different Sheep Breeds across Southern Australia |
| title_sort | cross sectional study of commercial ewe management practices for different sheep breeds across southern australia |
| topic | ewe management sheep southern Australia sheep producers survey |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/3/388 |
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