The checklist covers three main aspects crucial to successful lambing: drenching, vaccination boosters and a mineral top up.

Virbac sheep product manager Terrance Loughlin said weaning was one of the most important parts of a sheep’s life cycle and it was important producers had the most up-to-date information on how to best manage it.

“Weaning is arguably the most imperative part of the life cycle, the issues associated with weaning can have detrimental impacts on the lamb so we want producers to be fully equipped with the right tools and knowledge,” Mr Loughlin said.

Tasmania is a large Merino breeding region and Mr Loughlin said Merinos were arguably one of the hardest breeds to wean.

However depending on the climate there could be worse threats if the lambs are not weaned from their mothers early enough.

“Depending on what the climate is like there may be more worms on the pasture that could infect mum and lamb,” he said.

Weaning early, rather than naturally, helps to reduce the spread of bugs and diseases because the longer the mother has a dependent lamb the longer she needs to graze harder on pasture.

“It means that pasture is probably going to be grazed heavier and it means the longer that mum is under stress, when she’s under stress she is more susceptible to parasites,” Mr Loughlin said.

“When a ewe gets to 2.5-3 years of age they have a natural resilience to parasites and the earlier you wean the more she can focus on the next phase of her life-cycle, the joining with the rams.”

Mr Loughlin said weaning can stress lambs and ewes so the checklist would help producers with the most up-to-date knowledge on how to effectively wean with the least amount of stress to the animal.

The checklist advises through pre-weaning, weaning and post-weaning with advice on nutrition, pasture management, drenching, supplementary feeding and parasite monitoring.

Mr Loughlin said there were three main points the checklist went through with producers: 

“We suggest that when you are weaning lambs you treat them with drench, give booster and top them up with minerals.”

“Weaning is one of the most stressful times for any animal - sheep or cows - topping them up at this time helps them get over the stress,” Mr Loughlin said.

The planning for weaning checklist is free to download from Virbac Australia’s website.