Winter has been fairly kind to us so far, with mild conditions prevailing and very little white stuff around. It is much appreciated after the hard slog of last winter, and it does raise a bit of optimism for an early spring.
All our ewes are now lambed outside in April, which should suit our low-input, grass-based system well, although any repeats of last year may bring that into question.
I thought we had put the problems of 2018 behind us, but unfortunately there has been a final sting in the tail, with a very poor scan.
We were 24% back on the year. There aren’t a lot more barren ewes – instead we have a lot more singles.
There are a number of factors at play here, with the lack of grass and difficult weather of last year being the main contributors, alongside finding triclabendazol resistance in the ewes pre-tupping.
This latest setback was a difficult one to swallow, albeit not a surprise, but we have to move forward and make the best of what we have. The barren ewes will all be culled and although ewe numbers will be down, there is a good group of gimmers due to come in with fresh genetics, which should make a real impact on the performance of the flock.
In hindsight we should have picked up the fluke issue earlier and got the ewes in better condition pre-tupping, but it’s always easy to say that when you’ve already been through it. We will put it down to experience and carry on as normal.
Grass
We are about to hit the hungry gap when we run out of deferred grass but want to stay off lambing fields until early April.
A feed budget was completed earlier in winter which indicated this would happen, and since then it has been a matter of working hard to draw out the grass available.
Singles will now graze some rougher hill ground and multiples will get silage and concentrates. The lambing fields are looking well and will get urea as soon as we are brave enough to get it on. I did contemplate a quick rotation of these fields, but decided it would be better to keep this grass in the bank.
Focus
The focus of this year is to improve performance of the sheep and cattle. We have a good handle on our costs, but need more output to improve margins.
Lamb survival rate is going to be key for us going forward and it is hoped that as the maternal genetics we have been investing in start to filter through, coupled with better grassland management and nutrition, we should start to see a steady improvement.
The Luing cows tend to hold their condition well, but more needs to be done around maintaining ewe condition, especially pre- and during tupping. It is always important to learn from your mistakes.
Read more
Farmer Writes: worm resistance adds to winter workload in Dumfries
Beefing up output at Auchriachan
Winter has been fairly kind to us so far, with mild conditions prevailing and very little white stuff around. It is much appreciated after the hard slog of last winter, and it does raise a bit of optimism for an early spring.
All our ewes are now lambed outside in April, which should suit our low-input, grass-based system well, although any repeats of last year may bring that into question.
I thought we had put the problems of 2018 behind us, but unfortunately there has been a final sting in the tail, with a very poor scan.
We were 24% back on the year. There aren’t a lot more barren ewes – instead we have a lot more singles.
There are a number of factors at play here, with the lack of grass and difficult weather of last year being the main contributors, alongside finding triclabendazol resistance in the ewes pre-tupping.
This latest setback was a difficult one to swallow, albeit not a surprise, but we have to move forward and make the best of what we have. The barren ewes will all be culled and although ewe numbers will be down, there is a good group of gimmers due to come in with fresh genetics, which should make a real impact on the performance of the flock.
In hindsight we should have picked up the fluke issue earlier and got the ewes in better condition pre-tupping, but it’s always easy to say that when you’ve already been through it. We will put it down to experience and carry on as normal.
Grass
We are about to hit the hungry gap when we run out of deferred grass but want to stay off lambing fields until early April.
A feed budget was completed earlier in winter which indicated this would happen, and since then it has been a matter of working hard to draw out the grass available.
Singles will now graze some rougher hill ground and multiples will get silage and concentrates. The lambing fields are looking well and will get urea as soon as we are brave enough to get it on. I did contemplate a quick rotation of these fields, but decided it would be better to keep this grass in the bank.
Focus
The focus of this year is to improve performance of the sheep and cattle. We have a good handle on our costs, but need more output to improve margins.
Lamb survival rate is going to be key for us going forward and it is hoped that as the maternal genetics we have been investing in start to filter through, coupled with better grassland management and nutrition, we should start to see a steady improvement.
The Luing cows tend to hold their condition well, but more needs to be done around maintaining ewe condition, especially pre- and during tupping. It is always important to learn from your mistakes.
Read more
Farmer Writes: worm resistance adds to winter workload in Dumfries
Beefing up output at Auchriachan
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