Managing ewes through the period from tupping to the onset of lambing was the focus of a well-attended CAFRE led workshop at Glenwherry Hill Farm on Tuesday.

Farmers were given practical advice on managing ewe condition throughout gestation, pre-lambing nutrition, housing management and routine health treatment.

The aim is to deliver more live lambs on the ground, thereby increasing flock output with more lambs sold/ewe mated.

According to CAFRE technologist Dr Eileen McCloskey, it is important to manage ewe body condition scores (BCS) during gestation.

McCloskey said when carried out regularly by the same person, it becomes a valuable and accurate tool.

BCS is measured on a five-point scale, with BCS 3 being the optimum. A BCS below optimum reflects thin ewes, and vice versa.

To condition-score ewes, her advice was to run the hand from the spine across the loin with the finger tips curling around the end of the eye muscle area. In fit ewes, bones should only be felt when slight pressure is applied.

The earlier ewes are scored, the better. Altering condition in thin or fat ewes, can take up to eight weeks of controlled feeding.

Consistency

McCloskey also confirmed that recent research shows that keeping ewes in consistent body condition from breeding, until after lambing, results in more live lambs.

Previously, the advice encouraged farmers to let ewes lose some condition during mid-pregnancy, to cut down on lambing problems.

But fluctuations in BCS causes stress, metabolic problems and increases early embryonic death anywhere from 30 to 90 days post-service.

McCloskey said that ewes should never change by any more than 0.5 BCS units below or above the optimum of 3.0.

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