Foster and pet lambs should be recorded under the genetic dam’s lambing information.
From a genetic evaluation perspective, if lambs are recorded under the foster ewe’s information, the foster ewes are given credit for rearing two lambs even though she has only given birth to one. Whereas the genetic dam is evaluated on only rearing one lamb only if given birth to two lambs.
Recording this important information properly ensures more accurate genetic evaluations.
In the below Video, Eamon Wall explains exactly why it is so important to record properly fostering and pet lamb’s information:
When recording on the website, the foster lambs should be assigned to the genetic dam. Then, once recording the lamb’s information, select “Rearing: Foster lamb“, and enter foster ewe’s ID:
When recording pet lambs, bottled lambs should also be assigned to the genetic dam. Then, on the lamb’s information, select “Rearing: Bottle Reared“, and enter the dates of starting and finishing:
If working on the app, do it in the same way: