I think ewe need a scan

“There were a few pets among the flock and we’d give them treats and the ewes would show us their lambs. I must have been five or six.”

Taliah is a fifth generation sheep producer, raised on the family farm in the Strathbogies.

So when she cast around, looking to develop a career, it was natural it was going to involve sheep.

After working as a farmhand and a shearing shed rouseabout she found her calling in establishing a sheep pregnancy scanning business.

It’s a big step for the 22-year-old, as it required a major investment in the mobile ultrasound equipment, but she is convinced the technology and the information it provides will push the industry forward.

The testing is used to identify which ewes are breeding and which are carrying twins.

“A survey back in 2019, by the AWI and the MLA, found that 69 per cent of producers did not pregnancy scan for litter size.”

She says knowing the pregnancy status of the flock can improve survivability and fertility.

“You might look at the flock and think: they’re fine, getting fat. But some of them will be fat alright, but dry (not carrying lambs).

“So you’re feeding all of them without knowing which ones are ‘wet’.”

Taliah said after testing, producers could separate the flock into two or three and adjust feeding and shelter accordingly.

“You can also work out about when lambing is going to finish, so you’re not waiting on dry ewes.”

Taliah suggests scanning for wet or dry about 44 days after the ram comes out of the flock; later if checking for twins.

She can set up the mobile scanning unit with a race or crush and push through about 100 in half an hour for twinning or about 200 in the same time checking for wet or dry.

Taliah committed to the business in 2022.

“I’ve always wanted to do something on the land. I was interested in becoming a vet but COVID intervened.

“In the long term I would like to have my own farm.”

Her work as a rouseabout, handling the fleeces and sensing the quality, confirmed her interest in fine wool production, and she has developed a soft spot for Merinos.

“Merinos have expressions on their face so you can tell what they are thinking. You can say: you are in the wrong paddock, and they will follow you out into the right one!”

The Strathbogies, where her family’s home is located, once held a reputation for production of fine wool, and is only a few kilometres away from the property made famous by fine wool pioneer, Eliza Furlonge (1784-1859) on the Seven Creeks Station.

“I would just love go back in time to those days,” Taliah said wistfully.

Anyone wanting to find out more about pregnancy scanning can contact Taliah through her Facebook page: Taliah Walker Sheep Scanning.