Sheep Management: grassland management, drafting lambs and shearfest talks

Grassland management: The next few weeks are critical for grassland management with weaning coming on the horizon for some earlier lambing flocks. Reports on grass quality are variable – some farmers report swards getting stemmy and in cases going to seed, due to higher stress during the dry spell.

Other farmers report grass supplies being tighter during this period, and swards grazed down to a relatively low level which is now giving rise to good-quality regrowths.

At this stage of the year lamb performance is becoming increasingly dictated by grass quality, with lambs consuming upwards of 1kg grass dry matter daily. As such, it is important that lambs have access to good quality grass. The ideal scenario is lambs entering swards at a grass height of 7-9cm (1,200kg to 1,500kg DM/ha) and grazing them down to 4.5-6cm depending on quality of grazing material at the base of the sward.

Forcing sheep to graze down lower-quality material will hit performance. The preferable situation is moving ewes and lambs to fresh grass and using dry hoggets to address quality. Topping can also be used to address quality but be careful not to leave yourself tight on grass as topping can slow down sward recovery.

Another option is to strategically target taking surplus grass out of the rotation as baled silage which will deliver twofold on ensuring high-quality winter forage is available and improve sward quality. With weaning around the corner in many flocks, it is also a good time to start planning to have good-quality grass available for lambs post-weaning. A significant contributing factor to lambs’ performance dipping at weaning is often lambs going into swards with poor-quality grass available.

With regard to fertiliser application, it is opportune to take advantage of early season growth, and the advice is for highly stocked farms to apply 20 to 25 units N per acre and lower-stocked farms 15 units of nitrogen.

Account should also be taken of soil phosphorus and potassium levels and your farm’s allowance to address such, while those farming on light soils will also benefit from the addition of sulphur.

Drafting lambs: Pressure remains on sheep prices, with quotes for Thursday reduced again in some plants. It is hoped that buying for the upcoming festival of Eid al-Adha (6 to 10 June) may help steady the trade. Farmers should continue to weigh lambs approaching slaughter weight regularly and draft accordingly.

It is also important to be careful marketing hoggets and to clarify any potential cuts before sending direct for slaughter, as there are numerous deductions being imposed on weight, age and fat cover.

Shearfest talks: Bimeda Ireland and FarmGate Veterinary Group are holding an information talk on summer sheep health planning at this weekend’s Shearfest event taking place in Mountbellew Mart in Co Galway. The talk will be held on Saturday 31 May at approximately 12.30pm in a field adjacent to the main sheep shearing area.

It will focus on external parasite control options, including best practice techniques for dipping sheep and applying pour-on products. A mobile plunge dipping trailer will be in attendance, and farmers will also be able to get tips on complying with actions in the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme.