Michael McLaughlin runs a hill flock of 380 Scottish Blackface and Hiltex (Texel x Scottish Blackface) ewes in Garvery, a short distance from Burnfoot in Co Donegal. The farming system has developed on the back of trying and testing new techniques or farming practices. Michael explained that the current system is a result of continual improvements or tweaks adopted for over 30 years.
This is something Michael’s father Henry feels is often overlooked at farm level, with new management practices or breeding programmes adopted that do not make the most of the farm’s resources.
Michael aims for a good deep-bodied Scotch ewe that can perform on difficult terrain while also being capable of achieving good performance on a mix of hill and lowland pasture.
With the benefit of a lifetime’s experience in farming, Henry says: “I think every farmer needs to farm in a way that suits their farm and adapt and change to suit everything from land type to the amount of help available. What works best for us might not work for someone else. You have to strive to make the best of what you have.”
Land type
The farm runs from about 300ft above sea level at its lowest point to 1,584ft above sea level at the highest point. This directly influences land type, with the lower section of the farm improved permanent pasture, rising to semi-improved pasture at 600ft to 800ft, while from about 1,000ft upwards the terrain is typical hill and mountain vegetation.
The McLaughlins have carried out impressive improvements with a central roadway installed in sections making it now possible to travel from the bottom of the farm to the top by jeep or tractor. Michael says that this focus on improving farm infrastructure has always taken precedent over investing in winter housing.
“A sheep shed will dictate what you do with the flock for a few months but having a central roadway in place to service fields and carry out land improvements and fencing will deliver much greater benefit across the whole year.”
The hill and mountain grazing is now split into five enclosed sections with the highest section used to carry replacement ewe lambs. In recent years, Michael has been working with Teagasc advisers John Cannon and Seamus Campbell through the Knowledge Transfer Sheep scheme and has been focusing on addressing any soil fertility deficits. Lime has been targeted to low-pH soils, with compound fertilisers used instead of straight nitrogen. Michael says supplementing ewes with concentrates on hill areas also serves to improve soil nutrient levels. This combination of practices is delivering on its objectives and the hill is maintained in excellent condition and currently possesses a good cover of grass for outwintering ewes in the coming months.
Michael and Henry McLaughlin.
Breeding programme
The breeding programme is, at this stage, a constant feature, with a flock of Scottish Blackface ewes and Scottish Blackface x Texel ewes in place for close on 30 years. The current breakdown is about 144 Scottish Blackface ewes and 240 Texel x Scottish Blackface ewes. The Scottish Blackface flock is bred to Texel and Scottish Blackface sires to breed flock replacements, while the Hiltex ewes are bred to Texel rams with all progeny from this cross drafted for slaughter.
Ewes are bred at the same time and managed in the same manner, with both Scottish Blackface and Hiltex ewes outwintered on hill grazing. Lambing commences on 24 to 25 March. A tight lambing spread usually results in about 70% of the flock lambing in the first two weeks, with a further 20%+ in week three.
Seamus Campbell, Teagasc adviser, Michael McLoughlin, Tony Carter, Scottish Blackface breeder and John Cannon, Teagasc.
Ewes are retained on hill grazing until a few days before lambing and are then slowly walked to a 4.5-acre field in the middle of improved lowland. This area has not been improved and still contains rock outcrop, bushes and sparse rushes.
Michael says it works ideal for outdoor lambing. “We have always found that these type of ewes perform better outdoors. If I look back over recent lambings, there has only been a couple of times where weather has caused high mortality. One year like this does not justify building additional housing or the extra labour that comes with dealing with housed ewes. I find that if ewes are well fed and have good shelter they will generally look after themselves.”
The lambing area has good shelter present and works well for outdoor lambing.
Ewes are supervised throughout the day and the last monitoring takes place in the evening, allowing ewes to remain uninterrupted until first light the following day.
Michael estimates that he has only had to handle about three to four ewes for every 100 ewes lambing in recent years. “If you feed your sheep while they are on the hill and don’t ask them to do too much then they will work with you. I find you can do more harm than good if checking ewes at night as you can disrupt a lambing or remove ewes from a well-sheltered lambing place.”
There is a small shed in the farmyard and this contains a number of fostering crates and acts as an alternative option if for any reason a ewe and her lambs needs to be brought indoors.
Hill vegetation in the foreground, with an area of improved grassland which was reclaimed in the early 2000s.
Feeding regime
No forage is generally fed through the winter. Michael prefers concentrates for their ease of feeding in rough terrain. There is also always a good source of roughage on the hill while keeping the hill productive doubles up to reduce the risk of fires.
Ewes are fed about 0.23kg (0.5lb) from when grass supplies start to run low until scanning takes place in January. At this stage, ewes are grouped to allow preferential treatment, with ewes fed 0.55kg (1.5lb) on average daily, rising to 0.8kg to 0.9kg (2lb) for twin-bearing ewes in advance of lambing. Ewe lambs are also supplemented with concentrates. A flat rate feeding level of 0.23kg (0.5lb) is offered over the winter period along with access to mineral buckets.
Once ewes lamb, concentrate supplementation ceases and lowland fields are closed on a rotational basis in November to ensure grass is available post-lambing.
This hedge was planted through GLAS and provides shelter for ewes and young lambs.
As already mentioned, the lambing area is in the middle of improved pasture. It has gates present at five areas, allowing ewes and lambs to be moved to one of four fields. This cuts down on the risk of mis-mothering with only a small number of ewes and lambs released to any one area daily. Stronger ewes and lambs can then be moved onwards from here if required.
Twin suckling ewes are retained on the lower, more productive pasture, while single suckling ewes are returned after a few weeks to hill grazing areas. Creep feeding is also introduced to lambs in the first few weeks. Michael explained that the focus is to get lambs away early when there is a better chance of prices being higher while also capitalising on higher conversion rates with concentrate supplementation.
“There is a higher cost with feeding concentrates but to me it is more economical to feed lambs when they are young and have a better chance of returning a higher price rather than delaying feeding until late in the year and still requiring significant volumes of concentrates and competing with ewes for grass.”
Fields used to carry ewes during breeding have been closed in rotation and will be used to sustain ewes in early lactaion.
Flock productivity
The flock has consistently averaged a scanning rate of 1.5 lambs per ewe joined to the ram across Scottish Blackface and Hiltex ewes in recent years. Michael reports very little difference in litter size between the two ewe breed types.
Mortality is good for an outdoor lambing flock with the number of lambs weaned per ewe averaging in the region 0f 1.3 to 1.35 lambs per ewe joined.
Good weights
Carcase weight is obviously higher for the half- and three-quarter-bred Texel cross lambs than for the Scottish Blackface lambs early in the season but Scottish Blackface lambs are capable of hitting good weights later in the season.
The average price achieved in 2018 for 440 lambs was €94.88 for an average carcase weight of 18.3kg (€5.18/kg). There were 126 lambs selected in the first draft on 02 July with a further 85 drafted on 25 July.
The level of meal fed is estimated at about €20 per lamb with a similar cost of feeding ewes for the 2017-2018 season. Targets for the flock in the future include continuing to improve output from grazed grass through better soil fertility while also reducing the level of concentrates fed and increasing carcase weight.
Michael McLaughlin runs a hill flock of 380 Scottish Blackface and Hiltex (Texel x Scottish Blackface) ewes in Garvery, a short distance from Burnfoot in Co Donegal. The farming system has developed on the back of trying and testing new techniques or farming practices. Michael explained that the current system is a result of continual improvements or tweaks adopted for over 30 years.
This is something Michael’s father Henry feels is often overlooked at farm level, with new management practices or breeding programmes adopted that do not make the most of the farm’s resources.
Michael aims for a good deep-bodied Scotch ewe that can perform on difficult terrain while also being capable of achieving good performance on a mix of hill and lowland pasture.
With the benefit of a lifetime’s experience in farming, Henry says: “I think every farmer needs to farm in a way that suits their farm and adapt and change to suit everything from land type to the amount of help available. What works best for us might not work for someone else. You have to strive to make the best of what you have.”
Land type
The farm runs from about 300ft above sea level at its lowest point to 1,584ft above sea level at the highest point. This directly influences land type, with the lower section of the farm improved permanent pasture, rising to semi-improved pasture at 600ft to 800ft, while from about 1,000ft upwards the terrain is typical hill and mountain vegetation.
The McLaughlins have carried out impressive improvements with a central roadway installed in sections making it now possible to travel from the bottom of the farm to the top by jeep or tractor. Michael says that this focus on improving farm infrastructure has always taken precedent over investing in winter housing.
“A sheep shed will dictate what you do with the flock for a few months but having a central roadway in place to service fields and carry out land improvements and fencing will deliver much greater benefit across the whole year.”
The hill and mountain grazing is now split into five enclosed sections with the highest section used to carry replacement ewe lambs. In recent years, Michael has been working with Teagasc advisers John Cannon and Seamus Campbell through the Knowledge Transfer Sheep scheme and has been focusing on addressing any soil fertility deficits. Lime has been targeted to low-pH soils, with compound fertilisers used instead of straight nitrogen. Michael says supplementing ewes with concentrates on hill areas also serves to improve soil nutrient levels. This combination of practices is delivering on its objectives and the hill is maintained in excellent condition and currently possesses a good cover of grass for outwintering ewes in the coming months.
Michael and Henry McLaughlin.
Breeding programme
The breeding programme is, at this stage, a constant feature, with a flock of Scottish Blackface ewes and Scottish Blackface x Texel ewes in place for close on 30 years. The current breakdown is about 144 Scottish Blackface ewes and 240 Texel x Scottish Blackface ewes. The Scottish Blackface flock is bred to Texel and Scottish Blackface sires to breed flock replacements, while the Hiltex ewes are bred to Texel rams with all progeny from this cross drafted for slaughter.
Ewes are bred at the same time and managed in the same manner, with both Scottish Blackface and Hiltex ewes outwintered on hill grazing. Lambing commences on 24 to 25 March. A tight lambing spread usually results in about 70% of the flock lambing in the first two weeks, with a further 20%+ in week three.
Seamus Campbell, Teagasc adviser, Michael McLoughlin, Tony Carter, Scottish Blackface breeder and John Cannon, Teagasc.
Ewes are retained on hill grazing until a few days before lambing and are then slowly walked to a 4.5-acre field in the middle of improved lowland. This area has not been improved and still contains rock outcrop, bushes and sparse rushes.
Michael says it works ideal for outdoor lambing. “We have always found that these type of ewes perform better outdoors. If I look back over recent lambings, there has only been a couple of times where weather has caused high mortality. One year like this does not justify building additional housing or the extra labour that comes with dealing with housed ewes. I find that if ewes are well fed and have good shelter they will generally look after themselves.”
The lambing area has good shelter present and works well for outdoor lambing.
Ewes are supervised throughout the day and the last monitoring takes place in the evening, allowing ewes to remain uninterrupted until first light the following day.
Michael estimates that he has only had to handle about three to four ewes for every 100 ewes lambing in recent years. “If you feed your sheep while they are on the hill and don’t ask them to do too much then they will work with you. I find you can do more harm than good if checking ewes at night as you can disrupt a lambing or remove ewes from a well-sheltered lambing place.”
There is a small shed in the farmyard and this contains a number of fostering crates and acts as an alternative option if for any reason a ewe and her lambs needs to be brought indoors.
Hill vegetation in the foreground, with an area of improved grassland which was reclaimed in the early 2000s.
Feeding regime
No forage is generally fed through the winter. Michael prefers concentrates for their ease of feeding in rough terrain. There is also always a good source of roughage on the hill while keeping the hill productive doubles up to reduce the risk of fires.
Ewes are fed about 0.23kg (0.5lb) from when grass supplies start to run low until scanning takes place in January. At this stage, ewes are grouped to allow preferential treatment, with ewes fed 0.55kg (1.5lb) on average daily, rising to 0.8kg to 0.9kg (2lb) for twin-bearing ewes in advance of lambing. Ewe lambs are also supplemented with concentrates. A flat rate feeding level of 0.23kg (0.5lb) is offered over the winter period along with access to mineral buckets.
Once ewes lamb, concentrate supplementation ceases and lowland fields are closed on a rotational basis in November to ensure grass is available post-lambing.
This hedge was planted through GLAS and provides shelter for ewes and young lambs.
As already mentioned, the lambing area is in the middle of improved pasture. It has gates present at five areas, allowing ewes and lambs to be moved to one of four fields. This cuts down on the risk of mis-mothering with only a small number of ewes and lambs released to any one area daily. Stronger ewes and lambs can then be moved onwards from here if required.
Twin suckling ewes are retained on the lower, more productive pasture, while single suckling ewes are returned after a few weeks to hill grazing areas. Creep feeding is also introduced to lambs in the first few weeks. Michael explained that the focus is to get lambs away early when there is a better chance of prices being higher while also capitalising on higher conversion rates with concentrate supplementation.
“There is a higher cost with feeding concentrates but to me it is more economical to feed lambs when they are young and have a better chance of returning a higher price rather than delaying feeding until late in the year and still requiring significant volumes of concentrates and competing with ewes for grass.”
Fields used to carry ewes during breeding have been closed in rotation and will be used to sustain ewes in early lactaion.
Flock productivity
The flock has consistently averaged a scanning rate of 1.5 lambs per ewe joined to the ram across Scottish Blackface and Hiltex ewes in recent years. Michael reports very little difference in litter size between the two ewe breed types.
Mortality is good for an outdoor lambing flock with the number of lambs weaned per ewe averaging in the region 0f 1.3 to 1.35 lambs per ewe joined.
Good weights
Carcase weight is obviously higher for the half- and three-quarter-bred Texel cross lambs than for the Scottish Blackface lambs early in the season but Scottish Blackface lambs are capable of hitting good weights later in the season.
The average price achieved in 2018 for 440 lambs was €94.88 for an average carcase weight of 18.3kg (€5.18/kg). There were 126 lambs selected in the first draft on 02 July with a further 85 drafted on 25 July.
The level of meal fed is estimated at about €20 per lamb with a similar cost of feeding ewes for the 2017-2018 season. Targets for the flock in the future include continuing to improve output from grazed grass through better soil fertility while also reducing the level of concentrates fed and increasing carcase weight.
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