Creep feeding

One of this week’s sheep features on page 34 discusses the option of creep-feeding lambs. There have been more questions on this subject over the last year given the higher farmgate returns and the aim of maximising sale prices. Creep feeding should not compensate for suboptimum grassland management as it will only result in potential margins being eroded.

The importance of satisfying ewe nutritional needs is also a secondary consideration where creep is used to drive performance in lambs.

This is especially important in younger sheep and in particular yearling hoggets as hitting performance in their first lactation and failing to maintain body condition at a reasonable level can have subsequent negative effects on reproductive performance as two-tooth hoggets.

Yearling hoggets and triplet suckling ewes should continue to receive concentrate supplementation during this period of more challenging weather where grass quality, quantity or utilisation is anywhere below par.

Grass management

This week’s torrential rainfall has made grazing on marginal soils more challenging, with grass utilisation reducing from the excellent levels seen in March and early April.

Where grazing heavier covers, it is important to achieve the best balance between grazing out covers and not hitting performance. Where grass has become soiled, ewe intake will be affected and in turn swards will become increasingly soiled by ewes being less content.

Utilisation can be improved by splitting paddocks or an option is to move on from grazing swards down tight and address quality in the subsequent grazing or with lower priority animals such as dry hoggets.

SIS new entrants

The closing date for new entrants to submit an application under the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) is fast approaching at 11.59pm on 29 April 2025.

The terms and conditions state that a new entrant is described as a person(s) who has started/commenced as a sheep farmer for the first time in their own name(s) in the last three years – namely 2022, 2023 and/or 2024.

It states that for the purposes of year three of the scheme, new entrants are those who submitted a sheep census for the first time based on sheep on their holding on either, 31 December 2022, 31 December 2023 or 31 December 2024.

The participants SIS reference number will be the average of the census submitted.

Applicants must select actions and specify the year in which they plan to purchase a genotyped ram from the first three years of their participation.

Nematodirus

Remember to be on guard for lambs presenting with clinical signs of nematodirus, ie green scour, dip in performance and lambs congregating around water troughs.

An increasing number of flocks with lambs aged six to 12 weeks of age will be falling in to the high risk category this week going on peak hatching dates.

Coccidiosis will also become a greater risk in flocks where ground conditions are becoming more challenging and lambs are congregating around feed troughs or passing through mucky gaps, etc.