The higher value of cull ewes in recent years has significantly reduced the cost associated with bringing replacements into the flock. With this in mind, there is no excuse for flocks to be carrying passengers or ewes where there are any question marks over their suitability for breeding.

Farmers differ significantly in their preferred breeding policy and this influences whether homebred replacements are brought into the flock or if replacements are purchased as ewe lambs and run dry or as ewe hoggets.

There are advantages and disadvantages of each option while there are also financial implications that should be considered.

The main replacement policy practised on farms is retaining homebred replacements. The system allows complete control of the genetics being incorporated into the flock and allows total transparency of the health status of animals.

The lowest cost method of introducing replacements is where ewe lambs are bred in their first year and lamb down as yearling hoggets.

Before delving deeper into the financial performance of the system it is worth noting that breeding ewe lambs is not for the fainthearted

The system offers faster flock improvement and research shows it has the potential to achieve 12% more lifetime production.

Before delving deeper into the financial performance of the system it is worth noting that breeding ewe lambs is not for the fainthearted. It requires high levels of management with no room for any period where ewe lambs are not performing.

Furthermore, it generally requires higher levels of supervision and labour while facilities also need to be suited to generally retaining ewe lambs indoors for longer.

The financial performance detailed in Table 1 is based on achieving a conception rate of 80% of ewe lambs joined, a litter size of 1.2 lambs per yearling hogget lambed and an average of one lamb weaned.

Meal feeding is factored in for the first three weeks of lactation while lambs are offered creep feeding up to weaning. The system should be focused on ensuring ewe lambs come through the system unscathed and are fit to breed in the subsequent season.

Where this does not occur, it has the potential to negatively affect lifetime performance and lower performance as two-tooth hoggets.

Dry hogget replacements

Table 2 looks at the option of purchasing or retaining hoggets and running dry over the winter. This option has become more common in recent years on farms that have reduced the number of ewes lambing.

In this scenario, it is important to consider the impact that dry hoggets will have on the stocking rate and grass demand at key stages throughout the year. The system is lower labour when compared with breeding from ewe lambs and suits retaining home-reared replacements best. On lowly stocked farms, where there is resistance to increase ewe numbers, it also provides a means of increasing the stocking rate and farm output by offering the potential of selling surplus animals as hoggets. Taking standard production costs, the system has a net replacement cost of €13.78 per ewe.

Purchasing ewe hoggets

The option of purchasing hoggets in autumn breeding sales is regularly seen as the most straightforward and simplest system to manage. It suits where the focus is on high-performing terminal rams and selling all progeny of the farm.

It also suits smaller flocks as it cuts down on the complication of implementing a maternal and terminal breeding programme and reduces the number of groups being run.

The most critical aspect to consider where purchasing ewe lambs or ewe hoggets is the importance of a robust quarantine programme

It has limitations in improving the genetic merit of the breeding flock but this can be partly addressed by exploring background breeding of the flock that has produced the animals although it is not always possible.

The most critical aspect to consider where purchasing ewe lambs or ewe hoggets is the importance of a robust quarantine programme to cut down on the risks of bringing disease into the flock.

Taking a standard average cost of €170 for hoggets and a cull ewe value across the flock of €76, the net replacement cost over five years works out at €21.60 per ewe.

Realistic budgets

The figures in Tables 1 to 3 are calculated taking average costs and values, which can vary significantly between farms.

Therefore, it is important for farmers to sit down and do their own costs.

As mentioned previously, costs should not be the sole factor on which decisions are based – the policy selected has to suit the circumstances of your farm.