Ewe lambs:

With grass reserves at a low level at this stage of the year on many farms, it is important that steps are taken to ensure lambs continue to perform. With ewe lambs being run dry until next year’s breeding, failing to meet nutritional requirements is a mistake that is often made. This puts lambs at risk of having their growth stunted. If grass reserves are depleted, well-grown, dry ewe lambs will generally perform satisfactorily on good-quality silage (68 to 70DMD). Where the silage quality is poor or ewe lambs are behind target, you need to consider introducing supplementation. There is no need for complex rations; a straightforward low-cost cereal-based ration will suffice, with an allocation of 0.3kg to 0.5kg capable of keeping lambs on track with ad-lib access to forage. It is also worth considering the optimum protein content as lambs are still growing. If silage offered is low in protein then there is merit in offering concentrates with 14% to 16% crude protein content. The additional cost will be low and the benefits will far outweigh the cost. It is also worth going through your replacements and assessing if all lambs are still capable of making good-quality hoggets. The trade for lower-grade hoggets in recent years has been poor, with lower-grade animals not making much more than they might have realised if fattened and slaughtered in spring. Making decisions early will allow lambs to be segregated for preferential feeding and hopefully put you in a position of being able to capitalise if the farmgate price increases in February and March, as was the case in previous years.

The above feeding recommendations are even more important for in-lamb ewe hoggets. Assess animals and see that they are still on target. It will be far easier to take necessary action now than waiting until lambs are entering late pregnancy when heavy feeding will bring more complications.

Scanning ewes:

The window for scanning lowland ewes has become tighter, with a continued shift towards mid-season lambing. This is creating a bottleneck for scanners, with higher numbers to work through in January. There may also be added interest this year because scanning is a measure in the new Animal Welfare Sheep Scheme. Taking all this in mind, it is worth contacting your scanning operator early to book a date. The recommended time frame for achieving the most accurate results is 80 to 90 days post ram turnout. This is also the ideal time to identify triplet- or quad-bearing ewes as concentrate supplementation may need to be introduced 10 weeks pre-lambing depending on forage quality.

TAMS tranche five:

The current tranche of TAMS closes on 13 January. With a period of four to six months now typically the case from applying to achieving approval, it is important not to miss this window for investments planned later in the year. Sheep fencing in particular can unlock greater performance from grazed grass. While grant-approved fencing is expensive, the longer lifetime makes it a lower cost on a yearly basis. The most economical return is where fencing is planned to tie in with temporary divisions during the main grazing season. See www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments for full terms and conditions and reference costs.