Beef and sheep notes February 2008

Preparations should begin now, well in advance of the busy lambing period. If lambing indoors, pens are necessary to allow bonding of the ewe and lambs. Allow one pen per 10 ewes and provide feed racks, water and meal containers. Pens should be approximately 1.5 m x 1.5 m (5ft x 5ft).

If lambing outdoors, ewes like to pick a birth site and tend to remain there for a period after lambing.  Easy-care systems depend on set-stocking ewes two to three weeks pre-lambing and leaving them on their fields for around five weeks after lambing to reduce mismothering. Initial grass covers should be 1200 KG DM/ha (3-4 cm high).  Research from AFBI has shown that properly managed outdoor lambing can reduce labour by 30 percent, feed costs by 80 percent with similar lamb mortality as indoor lambing.

Plan to re-stock your ‘Medicine Cupboard’ now, items required include:-

The resistance of the ewe to worms decreases significantly around lambing with a rapid increase in worm burden. Traditionally the advice has been to worm all ewes at or around lambing.  However this may result in the increasing occurrence of anthelmintic resistance! Current thinking is to drench most ewes with an effective anthelmintic (with high efficacy against worm eggs), but 10-20 percent should be left untreated, generally singles and the fittest twins. Always use the full dose. Do not routinely dose ewes again in the weeks after lambing and do not put ewes onto clean pastures immediately after dosing.  It has also been shown that feeding high levels of protein in the ewes diet reduces the number of worm eggs shed. Offering a twin rearing mule type ewe 200g soya per day during late pregnancy and increasing to 400g soya per day during early lactation will reduce worm egg output by almost 90 percent. Consult with your veterinary surgeon on effective worm treatment.

When purchasing a bull two factors need to be taken into consideration – visual assessment and performance figures.

Visual assessment – some points to consider:

Selecting the right bull for your herd has never been easier. On-line herd books and databases are available for most breeds. Steps to follow:

Mineral imbalances and deficiencies are common in flocks and herds in Northern Ireland.  This may be manifested in ill thrift, abortion, placental retention, dead or weak calves and poor fertility.  Any suspected deficiency should be confirmed by blood, soil and feed tests and there will be a marked response to supplementation.  

As a general rule, where deficiencies are confirmed, a good quality dry cow mineral should be fed for six to eight weeks pre-calving, usually at 100g/head/day.  Minerals are best fed in the concentrate ration or sprinkled over the silage every day.  Free access systems are not as reliable as fixed-rate daily mineral supplementation.  Care should also be taken to avoid over-supplementation as some trace elements are toxic in excess.