Body condition scoring
A priority should be body condition scoring (BCS) ewes. Work hard at this, condition score every time you carry out a task with the ewes, and over time it becomes a habit. A lowland ewe needs to be at a BCS of 3 and above for most of the time. If she isn’t you will not achieve your target DLWG with the lambs. On good grazing and feed, it can take over two months to recover 1 BCS point on an ewe, as it’s a 7kg gain for a 70kg ewe.
Ewe nutrition
Remember the higher the quality of feed available, the more of it ewes will eat and the more milk she’ll produce. Ewes in good condition, on good grass, milk well and are a lot less susceptible to mastitis. Investing in ewe condition and nutrition will help minimise implications to ewe and lamb performance later in the season.
Lamb nutrition
For the lambs, review the overall diet to ensure it is providing the right nutritional and energy status.
Lambs need a diet that is nutrient dense. The lower the nutrient density the lower the growth rate. To achieve high growth rates, the diet overall needs to be over 12.5 MJ of ME kg/DM. In practical terms, this can be provided by a clover rich pasture with swards at 6cm. However, this isn’t easy to achieve, so a small investment in some electric fencing to divide paddocks can increase grazing efficiency by up to 30 percent.
Think about rejuvenating fields in a way which isn’t reliant on fertiliser, such as reseeding with new red or white clover leys which can be very productive long term or Westerwolds can be a quick fix.
When it comes to lamb creep, start with seeing what is realistic to achieve from grass. There are a lot of variables with the forage feed you can grow, weather being a major factor and fertiliser costs. So, an investment in a good quality creep will pay.
In the UK, we can’t guarantee, or in some instances ever achieve, consistent fields with 6cm swards. Creep should be seen as a tool to achieve your targets by providing a balance of energy and protein to support high growth rates, ensuring lambs can be finished quickly.
Browse our range of ewe and lamb feeds here. For further advice on ewe or lamb nutrient, please contact your Wynnstay Representative or your local Wynnstay Store.
