CSU PhD student Kayla Kopp with friends.

NEW South Wales sheep producers are needed to participate in an online survey aimed at boosting lamb survival.

 Charles Sturt University PhD student Kayla Kopp is co-ordinating the survey as part of a wider body of research aimed at improving productivity and profitability.

Ms Kopp’s research is focussing on the impact of nutritional supplementation on lambing ewes. It also aimed to understand vaccination and find out more about the management practices and perceptions of farmers around lambing.

“The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete and participants remain anonymous.” 

The survey will build on Miss Kopp’s earlier field studies focused on nutritional supplementation and milk production. Data from the study will contribute to research on animal welfare, animal nutrition and sheep production.

The project is being supervised by Professor Michael Friend and is part of wider research at the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation, an alliance between CSU’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences and the NSW Department of Primary Industries.

“One in five lambs born in Australia die within days of birth, costing the industry over $1 billion each year,” Professor Friend said.

“Our research aims to better understand how those losses occur and to develop knowledge and tools that will help producers improve animal health and boost lamb survival.”

Ms Kopp grew up on a Merino stud in central west NSW meaning she spent plenty of time around ewes and lambs, but her PhD research is giving her new insight.

The survey is available online here and sheep producers are invited to take part in the research until Saturday 31 August.

Participants must be producers involved in the sheep industry either as farm owners or managers in NSW. They must have ewes lambing on their property annually and have at least 50 sheep on their property. The survey has been approved by the Charles Sturt University Human Research Ethics Committee.