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Ewes in mid-season lambing flocks are now well past peak milk production and it is grass that is currently sustaining lamb growth, CAFRE sheep technologist Dr Eileen McCloskey told a National Sheep Association (NSA) webinar on Tuesday.
With unweaned ewes and lambs in direct competition for grass, she suggested that getting them split, and lambs onto the best grass available will ensure that they are off the farm as quickly as possible.
“Farmers need to direct grass to lambs now, to provide grass for ewes later on in the season,” advised McCloskey.
To minimise stress she suggested that it is the ewes that should be moved to another part of the farm, not the lambs, and both groups should be kept well apart.
Farmers should avoid doing other jobs such as dosing at weaning time, but should continue to monitor worm burdens in lambs, especially as stomach worms can be an issue from mid season on.
However, she also reminded farmers to monitor the body condition score (BCS) of ewes, as having the ewes in the right condition at tupping time will ultimately dictate the number of lambs on the ground next season.
If ewes are around a BCS of 2.5, this should be increased gradually over the next couple of months, up to a target around 3.5.
For a mature 80kg ewe, moving from 2.5 to 3.5 is approximately 10% to 12% of body weight or 8kg, so it will take around six to eight weeks of reasonably good quality grass to achieve this increase, said McCloskey.
“The latest research suggests that what we want to do is maintain BCS throughout the year. Farmers need to assess it now and manage that BCS,” she added.
Wool market
The NSA event also received a presentation from Graham Clarke, the director of marketing at British Wool.
While he acknowledged that the last 12 months have been very challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic, prices have started to recover.
“It is still not where it needs to be, but we are quite confident that it will remain on an upward trajectory,” he told NSA members.
In the last year, British wool has responded to the difficult market by closing three depots in Britain, saving £1.5m in costs. Clark also outlined a number of “exciting new developments” which include attracting new buyers to the wool auction, a new e-commerce website being launched next week, and various new wool-based products in development.
A wool traceability scheme is also being launched this year in a trial involving three depots in Britain.
Under the scheme customers will be able to trace the wool they buy back to individual depots.
“It will be rolled out across all depots next season, so we are looking for brands in NI who want to source local wool. The aim is to deliver a premium to our producers,” said Clarke.
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