After a difficult spring on Tullamore farm as the weather slowly improves, the focus has shifted to first-cut silage and getting the remainder of cattle out to grass. The mature ewes are nearly all lambed, with just 12 ewes left to lamb.
The ewe lambs have kicked off, with five lambed already, and there’s a total of 70 sheep left to lamb between ewes and lambs. After a rough start, with a number of abortions for which no cause has been found, alongside a predator attacking small lambs in early March, lambing has gone smoothly. With just two of the 40 EasyCare ewes left to lamb outside, they have done well this spring. There are only two cows left to calve of the 70, with 30 cows and calves at grass, and Shaun is planning to turn out the remainder over the coming week.
Attention has now turned to the breeding season starting in May, with all breeding stock set to receive their first bluetongue vaccine this coming week. Shaun has decided to vaccinate the cows, breeding heifers and all ewes, with a decision yet to be taken on the vaccination of heifer calves born this spring. There are now 28 bulls on 9kg of meal a day, with the aim of building 20 of these up for under-16-month bull beef.
On the grass front, all ewes with lambs are at grass. Once the lambs are 48 hours old, Shaun turns them out, weather permitting. Forty acres of silage ground has now received 3,000gls/acre of slurry, with a fertiliser application of cut-sward to follow next week; these 40 acres have all been grazed off with sheep to maximise the quality of first-cut for the pit. The forage-rye has received 50kg/ha of protected urea with the aim of cutting in early May to mid-May.
After a difficult spring on Tullamore farm as the weather slowly improves, the focus has shifted to first-cut silage and getting the remainder of cattle out to grass. The mature ewes are nearly all lambed, with just 12 ewes left to lamb.
The ewe lambs have kicked off, with five lambed already, and there’s a total of 70 sheep left to lamb between ewes and lambs. After a rough start, with a number of abortions for which no cause has been found, alongside a predator attacking small lambs in early March, lambing has gone smoothly. With just two of the 40 EasyCare ewes left to lamb outside, they have done well this spring. There are only two cows left to calve of the 70, with 30 cows and calves at grass, and Shaun is planning to turn out the remainder over the coming week.
Attention has now turned to the breeding season starting in May, with all breeding stock set to receive their first bluetongue vaccine this coming week. Shaun has decided to vaccinate the cows, breeding heifers and all ewes, with a decision yet to be taken on the vaccination of heifer calves born this spring. There are now 28 bulls on 9kg of meal a day, with the aim of building 20 of these up for under-16-month bull beef.
On the grass front, all ewes with lambs are at grass. Once the lambs are 48 hours old, Shaun turns them out, weather permitting. Forty acres of silage ground has now received 3,000gls/acre of slurry, with a fertiliser application of cut-sward to follow next week; these 40 acres have all been grazed off with sheep to maximise the quality of first-cut for the pit. The forage-rye has received 50kg/ha of protected urea with the aim of cutting in early May to mid-May.
SHARING OPTIONS