The lambing season is almost over for our mature ewes. As of last weekend, we have 165 ewes with 275 lambs at foot and just 12 animals still to lamb.
Mortality rate is sitting around 7%, which is up 2% on previous years, with most losses down to bad luck.
Our flock replacements are due to start lambing in the next week, with 30 homebred ewe lambs joining the flock this spring. We have another 20 homebred replacements which did not go to ram.
The wet spring meant we had to keep ewes housed for close to two weeks after lambing
Housing space is limited on the farm, so we lambed the mature flock in two groups this year with a slight break of five days between each group.
I farm alongside my father Seamus, and the split lambing eases the workload for both of us. It also spreads the demand on housing facilities and gives a chance to get the lambing shed cleaned for the next group to limit diseases.
The wet spring meant we had to keep ewes housed for close to two weeks after lambing, which really put sheds under pressure. Thankfully, the five-day break gave a chance to get older lambs out once the weather took up.
Lambing groups
The first group consisted of 80 ewes and started lambing on 15 February. The vast majority lambed inside 10 days, with a few stragglers running in to a third week.
The second batch consisted of around 90 ewes, plus 10 ewes from the first batch that repeated and were given a second chance at breeding.
At scanning time, mature ewes scanned at 175% across both groups
The second ewe group started lambing around 2 March and again, the bulk of ewes lambed in the first 10 to 12 days. At scanning time, mature ewes scanned at 175% across both groups.
Earlier lambing
Over the past few years, lambing has usually started in March. However, I felt the later lambing period left us very tight for autumn grass with extra lamb numbers still on the farm.
So, to finish lambs off grass in early summer and reduce grazing demand in early autumn, we took the step to pull lambing forward.
To help conception rates in the first cycle, we purchased a teaser ram. He ran with ewes for two weeks before the start of each breeding period.
Flock sires
Once the teaser was removed, the rams went in for two weeks. Last autumn, we ran Beltex, Suffolk and Texel rams with the first group of ewes.
The second ewe group ran with the Beltex, Suffolk, Texel and a newly purchased Belclare ram lamb. The ewe lambs ran with the Belclare and Beltex rams.
Having the ewes in two staggered breeding groups meant we had more ram power to get ewes served in a short time period.
Changing ewe type
The purchase of the Belclare ram is to introduce more maternal genetics into the breeding flock and increase lambing percentage.
I am very keen to get back to our closed flock policy we had for many years
At present, ewes are mainly a crossbred Texel x Suffolk, or three-quarter bred Texel animals along with some Mule and Lleyn ewes purchased recently. I am very keen to get back to our closed flock policy we had for many years.
Flock replacements
Ewe lambs scanned at 126% with 23 singles, six sets of twins and one set of triplets. Ewe lambs will run with a single lamb at foot.
This will let them get to grass as quickly as possible and help them reach to mature weight sooner. The surplus lambs from the twins and triplet will be artificially reared.
Problems maintaining ewe body condition this winter
We have a drafting race with an EID reader on farm and I make good use of this facility to record as much info on my sheep as possible and transfer that to a flock software program.
All ewes were weighed pre-tupping and then body condition scored at scanning time. While the first group of ewes lambed down in good condition, I felt the second ewe group and ewe lambs lost slight body condition over the winter.
To get an accurate assessment of body weight, I intend to weigh the ewe lambs after they lamb down
Ewe lambs weighed 57kg going to the ram in November and were housed on Wednesday 25 March. When handled, they were definitely leaner and some had lost weight.
To get an accurate assessment of body weight, I intend to weigh the ewe lambs after they lamb down.
I am also planning to blood test animals to see if they are low in trace minerals, although they did get a bolus pre-tupping.
Ewe lambs were on winter grazing, so a combination of a wet winter, plus the physical demands of breeding in their first year, could be the cause of losing condition.
They did receive some concentrates pre-lambing, but this was carried out with caution to avoid lambing difficulties.
Thinner ewes
A selection of ewes from the second group also dropped body condition since they were scored at scanning time, but I would put this down to feeding lower-quality silage this winter.
To balance the drop in silage quality, ewes have been getting higher levels of supplementary concentrates, with twin-bearing ewes eating 1kg/day in the runup to lambing.
Health
As part of our health plan, ewes will be scanned for OPA this year. I think this is a worthwhile exercise for any sheep farmer looking to maintain a closed breeding flock.
Hopefully, it will also show up if there is an underlying health problem in the ewes and ewe lambs that struggled to maintain body condition this winter.
This year, all ewes were fluked as normal
Another change under our health plan is to cut down use of anthelmintic products. Normally, ewes are fluked at scanning time then given a worm drench when turning out to grass.
This year, all ewes were fluked as normal. But as a trial, the first group of ewes went to grass without a wormer as they were in good condition. The second batch of ewes got a wormer at turnout and we will monitor animals to see if there is any difference in four weeks’ time.
Farm size – 46.5ha (115 acres).System – 200 ewes lambing mid-season, 20 suckler cows.Lowland farm with light and heavy soils. Read more
Newford update: 2020 grazing season finally resumes
Tullamore Farm: coping through coronavirus without student help
The lambing season is almost over for our mature ewes. As of last weekend, we have 165 ewes with 275 lambs at foot and just 12 animals still to lamb.
Mortality rate is sitting around 7%, which is up 2% on previous years, with most losses down to bad luck.
Our flock replacements are due to start lambing in the next week, with 30 homebred ewe lambs joining the flock this spring. We have another 20 homebred replacements which did not go to ram.
The wet spring meant we had to keep ewes housed for close to two weeks after lambing
Housing space is limited on the farm, so we lambed the mature flock in two groups this year with a slight break of five days between each group.
I farm alongside my father Seamus, and the split lambing eases the workload for both of us. It also spreads the demand on housing facilities and gives a chance to get the lambing shed cleaned for the next group to limit diseases.
The wet spring meant we had to keep ewes housed for close to two weeks after lambing, which really put sheds under pressure. Thankfully, the five-day break gave a chance to get older lambs out once the weather took up.
Lambing groups
The first group consisted of 80 ewes and started lambing on 15 February. The vast majority lambed inside 10 days, with a few stragglers running in to a third week.
The second batch consisted of around 90 ewes, plus 10 ewes from the first batch that repeated and were given a second chance at breeding.
At scanning time, mature ewes scanned at 175% across both groups
The second ewe group started lambing around 2 March and again, the bulk of ewes lambed in the first 10 to 12 days. At scanning time, mature ewes scanned at 175% across both groups.
Earlier lambing
Over the past few years, lambing has usually started in March. However, I felt the later lambing period left us very tight for autumn grass with extra lamb numbers still on the farm.
So, to finish lambs off grass in early summer and reduce grazing demand in early autumn, we took the step to pull lambing forward.
To help conception rates in the first cycle, we purchased a teaser ram. He ran with ewes for two weeks before the start of each breeding period.
Flock sires
Once the teaser was removed, the rams went in for two weeks. Last autumn, we ran Beltex, Suffolk and Texel rams with the first group of ewes.
The second ewe group ran with the Beltex, Suffolk, Texel and a newly purchased Belclare ram lamb. The ewe lambs ran with the Belclare and Beltex rams.
Having the ewes in two staggered breeding groups meant we had more ram power to get ewes served in a short time period.
Changing ewe type
The purchase of the Belclare ram is to introduce more maternal genetics into the breeding flock and increase lambing percentage.
I am very keen to get back to our closed flock policy we had for many years
At present, ewes are mainly a crossbred Texel x Suffolk, or three-quarter bred Texel animals along with some Mule and Lleyn ewes purchased recently. I am very keen to get back to our closed flock policy we had for many years.
Flock replacements
Ewe lambs scanned at 126% with 23 singles, six sets of twins and one set of triplets. Ewe lambs will run with a single lamb at foot.
This will let them get to grass as quickly as possible and help them reach to mature weight sooner. The surplus lambs from the twins and triplet will be artificially reared.
Problems maintaining ewe body condition this winter
We have a drafting race with an EID reader on farm and I make good use of this facility to record as much info on my sheep as possible and transfer that to a flock software program.
All ewes were weighed pre-tupping and then body condition scored at scanning time. While the first group of ewes lambed down in good condition, I felt the second ewe group and ewe lambs lost slight body condition over the winter.
To get an accurate assessment of body weight, I intend to weigh the ewe lambs after they lamb down
Ewe lambs weighed 57kg going to the ram in November and were housed on Wednesday 25 March. When handled, they were definitely leaner and some had lost weight.
To get an accurate assessment of body weight, I intend to weigh the ewe lambs after they lamb down.
I am also planning to blood test animals to see if they are low in trace minerals, although they did get a bolus pre-tupping.
Ewe lambs were on winter grazing, so a combination of a wet winter, plus the physical demands of breeding in their first year, could be the cause of losing condition.
They did receive some concentrates pre-lambing, but this was carried out with caution to avoid lambing difficulties.
Thinner ewes
A selection of ewes from the second group also dropped body condition since they were scored at scanning time, but I would put this down to feeding lower-quality silage this winter.
To balance the drop in silage quality, ewes have been getting higher levels of supplementary concentrates, with twin-bearing ewes eating 1kg/day in the runup to lambing.
Health
As part of our health plan, ewes will be scanned for OPA this year. I think this is a worthwhile exercise for any sheep farmer looking to maintain a closed breeding flock.
Hopefully, it will also show up if there is an underlying health problem in the ewes and ewe lambs that struggled to maintain body condition this winter.
This year, all ewes were fluked as normal
Another change under our health plan is to cut down use of anthelmintic products. Normally, ewes are fluked at scanning time then given a worm drench when turning out to grass.
This year, all ewes were fluked as normal. But as a trial, the first group of ewes went to grass without a wormer as they were in good condition. The second batch of ewes got a wormer at turnout and we will monitor animals to see if there is any difference in four weeks’ time.
Farm size – 46.5ha (115 acres).System – 200 ewes lambing mid-season, 20 suckler cows.Lowland farm with light and heavy soils. Read more
Newford update: 2020 grazing season finally resumes
Tullamore Farm: coping through coronavirus without student help
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