Anne Marie Butterfield farms alongside her husband Stephen McQuade on the 480-acre Butterfield Estate near Blue Ball, Co Offaly – home of the Tullamore Show since 2009. The duo run both sheep and dairy enterprises, lambing around 600 ewes each year.

Raising healthy, happy lambs

“We’ve reared plenty of surplus lambs over the years and I’ve never had a stomach or scour issue once we stick to a good routine,” Anne Marie explains.

“We just want them to be strong and healthy when they leave the yard – and the milk replacer plays a big part in that.”

Each season, Anne Marie rears about 40 surplus lambs on Lamlac until they’re sold.

“Whether they’re with us for two weeks or two months, Lamlac gets them strong and healthy. It’s reliable, easy to use, and the lambs take to it quickly.”

Getting lambs off to a good start

Right after birth, every lamb gets colostrum within the first six hours.

“Lambs are born with almost no immunity, so making sure they get plenty of colostrum in those first hours is key to getting them off to a strong start,” say Anne Marie and Stephen.

“If a ewe has had a hard lambing, we’ll stomach tube to make sure the lamb gets what it needs,” they add.

“After a couple of days, the pet lambs are moved into pens and introduced to Lamlac, which they receive ad-lib through a bucket feeder.

“The lambs we take away are just as important as those left with the ewe, and with over 20 years’ experience using Lamlac, we’re more than confident raising them on it.”

“The bucket’s washed out every evening and we stick to the recommended mixing rate. It does exactly what we need it to do,” she adds.

“The lambs take to it easily, and it mixes so well that we have no issues with clumping or wastage. It’s one less thing to worry about during such a busy time.”

Easy weaning and simple management

“For the first couple of weeks, we give them a bit of straw mixed with meal to get them nibbling,” Anne Marie says. “It gets them started early and makes the transition onto creep feed much easier.”

Tómas O’Reilly, Feed For Growth Business Manager, explains that abrupt weaning is recommended, as it reduces the risk of digestive upsets that can occur with a slower approach. “This fits well with the simple routine we follow.”

“Our lambs always have access to fresh water, clean straw, and a good-quality creep feed,” Anne Marie adds. “They usually start nibbling around seven to 10 days old. We start with small amounts and gradually increase it, topping it up daily to keep them interested and eating well.

“Anne Marie, her husband Stephen, their sons John, Harry and Aaron, along with farm worker Josh Huddlestone, all play a part in keeping conditions right for the lambs.”

“A dry, well-ventilated shed is key, along with deep, clean bedding and fresh water. We’ve moved to using bark mulch and shredded paper as bedding – it keeps pH levels low, bacteria can’t grow, and scour isn’t an issue. We just top up or replace wet patches and turn the pens quickly.”

Expert advice makes the difference

Anne Marie credits Tómas O’Reilly for valuable support. “For a while, we weren’t offering enough fresh forage and got a few cases of bloat. Tómas pointed out what we needed to tweak – fresh hay and fibre, changed regularly – and since then, we’ve had no issues.”

Tómas adds: “Lamlac’s ultra-filtrated, highly digestible milk proteins help lambs grow quickly, and its high immunoglobulin levels boost both their health and natural disease resistance. It’s a big part of why the lambs thrive so well on the Butterfield Estate.”

Thriving lambs speak for themselves

“A thriving lamb is easy to spot,” Anne Marie smiles. “Warm mouth, bright eyes, loose skin, good movement, and they’re playing around in the pen. When they look like that, you know they’re flying it.

“Lamlac gets them to that point every time – it just does a brilliant job for us.”

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