Early LAMBS
Kieran Mailey, Sheep Technologist, College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE), Greenmount Campus
The primary aim of an early lambing flock is to produce lamb at carcase weights of 18 to 20 KG for the Easter market, which is a time of seasonally high prices.
The LAMBS (Learning Advances in Management and Breeding with Suffolks) initiative was created as a partnership between the Suffolk Sheep Society and CAFRE, Greenmount and Enniskillen Campuses, and focuses on achieving this aim by:
- determining the variable costs of producing lamb for the early market
- assessing the ewe prolificacy and the growth rate and carcase quality of their progeny.
The Suffolk Sheep Society provided four Suffolk rams for the scheme and their performance figures are shown in Table 1. Rams A and B were selected from the Sire Reference Scheme with Scheme Index values greater than the 2002 breed average of 235. Rams C and D were selected from recorded flocks in Northern Irelandand had lean indexes above the average index of 100.
Table 1. Signet performance of Suffolk rams
| Ram | Scan weight | Muscle depth | Fat depth | Scheme index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 9.77 |
4.7 |
-0.27 |
316 |
| B | 7.41 |
5.01 |
-0.05 |
284 |
| Ram | Scan weight | Muscle depth | Fat depth | Lean index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2.85 |
1.16 |
-0.54 |
194 |
| B | 5.95 |
2.23 |
0.41 |
174 |
The early lambing flock at CAFRE consists of 40 Suffolk x Cheviot ewes at Greenmount and 50 Texel x Rouge ewes at Enniskillen. A summary of the physical and financial performance of the flock is shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Physical and financial performance of the LAMBS flock
| Physical Indicators | 2003 | 2002 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamb sales / ewe (£) | 83.18 | 77.88 |
| Total output / ewe (£) | 99.37 | 92.00 |
| Total variable costs / ewe (£) | 34.45 | 39.57 |
| Gross margin / ewe (£) | 64.92 | 52.43 |
| Lambs weaned / ewe | 1.36 | 1.20 |
| Average carcase weight (kg) | 21.10 | 20.88 |
| Average price / kg (£) | 3.29 | 2.79 |
| Conformation (E=5, P=1) | 3.65 | 3.60 |
| Average Fat Class | 3.30 | 3.05 |
Gross margins increased from 2002 by £12.49 per ewe to £64.92, and are £11.92 higher than the benchmark target of £53. Improved lamb prices, a greater number of lambs weaned per ewe and heavier carcases have contributed to a higher gross margin. The average price of lambs sold was £3.29 / KG, a rise of 41 p /kg on the previous year. Ewes were fed less concentrates this year, reducing the variable costs and consequently increasing the gross margin per ewe. The mild spring contributed to this reduction in variable costs, with good early grass growth reducing the concentrate requirement of the lactating ewe.
The physical performance of the flock improved from that of 2002, with the number of lambs weaned increasing to 1.36 lambs per ewe, although this figure is below the benchmark target of 1.55. Lamb growth rates of 0.42 KG / day from birth to 6 weeks, and 0.37 KG / day from birth to slaughter, highlighted the advantages of using a Suffolk sire to produce early lambs. This was further demonstrated with an average carcase weight of 21.1 KG produced in 107 days, allowing lambs to be finished in less than 4 months. The Suffolk sires are consistently producing quality lamb carcases, with 100 percent of lambs classifying as E, U and R at an average fat class of 3.3.
The project is demonstrating that high index Suffolk rams can deliver excellent performance and profitability in carefully managed early lambing systems.
For further information contact Dr Steven Johnston, Greenmount Campus on 028 9442 6748, or Florence Kennedy, Suffolk Sheep Society on 028 2588 0455.
(leftl to right) David Christie Enniskillen Campus Farm Manager, Hubert Bowles Suffolk Sheep Society NI Branch Chairman and Keith Johnston Enniskillen Campus Lecturer discuss the performance results from the early LAMBS flock