Farmers should base more management decisions on measurements taken on their farms, members of the National Sheep Association (NSA) were told last week.

Speaking at the NI branch’s AGM in Kells, Co Antrim, Welsh sheep farmer Rhys Edwards outlined how he adopts a measure to manage approach for his 600-ewe flock in Bridgend.

“We like to make decisions based on our own results, and not on information from someone who is trying to sell you something,” he said.

Lambs are weighed and EID-tagged at birth and weights are then recorded on automatic scales every time lambs pass through the yard, which is usually every two or three weeks.

“We look at growth rates and act as necessary. They might need a mineral drench, or a faecal egg count to see if they need a wormer,” Edwards said.

When lambs are in for a nematodirus treatment at six weeks of age, any lamb that has not achieved a daily liveweight gain of 150g is taken off the ewe and put in a creep-feed pen with pet lambs.

If they are not doing 150g a day, the ewe is most probably not doing her job and the lambs are living off their teeth

“If they are not doing 150g a day, the ewe is most probably not doing her job and the lambs are living off their teeth. They will be the tail-end lambs later in the year or else they will die. By doing this, we have lowered our losses, and lambs on the creep are gone by the end of July,” he said.

Records of lamb growth rates are also used to identify the performance of all ewes and breeding rams on the 225ac farm, with sire selection based on estimated breeding values (EBVs).

To highlight the value of using EBVs, Edwards presented kill data for lambs sired by two rams – one with significantly better terminal EBVs than the other.

Lambs from the ram with higher terminal EBVs were slaughtered 19 days earlier and had a 2% better kill-out.

In monetary terms, they were worth £5.55 more at slaughter, which equated to £416 across 75 lambs in one season. “Over a standard lifetime of four seasons, it means I have £1,665 more income just by using a ram with good EBVs,” he said.

Rotational grazing

In spring 2018, Edwards started using a rotational grazing system and weekly grass measuring.

“It has changed our farming system; we are growing more grass, lambs are growing faster, and ewes are in better condition,” NSA members were told.

One grazing block is an eight-field rotation, with each field around 10ac in size. A mob of 1,000 sheep (380 ewes and 650 lambs) are moved on to a new field every two or three days.

The second rotation is seven fields between 4ac and 8ac in size, which is grazed by around 500 head (180 ewes and 320 lambs).

We are growing more grass, lambs are growing faster, and ewes are in better condition

Edwards said that only one group were rotationally grazed in the first year, but there turned out to be a “massive difference” in lamb growth rates.

“Lambs that were set stock averaged 240g a day, but the rotational grazed group were at 300g a day. We introduced rotational grazing for both groups the following year and growth rates were on par,” he said.

NSA’s new NI branch chair

The NI branch of the National Sheep Association (NSA) elected Jonny Farmer as its new chair at the group’s AGM in Kells last week.

The Portglenone man takes over from Ballycastle sheep farmer Brian Jamieson, who completed a two-year term as NI chair.

Jamieson is the new regional treasurer, replacing Ian McDonnell who served in the role for over a decade. Alastair Armstrong from Tempo is the new vice-chair of the NI branch.

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