Eoin McCambridge runs a large-scale sheep flock outside Ballycastle, on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland.
The farm extends to 67ha (165ac), of which 50ha (123ac) is permanent grassland, with the remainder in willow. The farm is mainly laid out in two large blocks with a mix of dry and heavier land.
As well as running the farm, Eoin runs his own business providing instructional and health and safety training courses.
For the past 15 years, sheep have been the only livestock on farm. Prior to this, the farm also carried a dairy herd of 45 cows.
Over the outlined time period, there have been some major changes to the sheep system, with the biggest being a move away from keeping Suffolk x Cheviot and Texel cross ewes.
Instead, Eoin has switched to using Lleyn and Belclare genetics to increase both lamb numbers and maternal traits in the breeding flock.
Flock numbers
The farm normally carries 500 breeding ewes, including ewe lamb replacements which usually totalled around 70 head each year. Replacements are lambed as ewe lambs, rather than run through as gimmers. However, in spring 2020, there are 480 sheep set to lamb down, which should start around 17 to 20 March. All ewes are set to lamb over two weeks.
He plans to rebuild the flock to 500 breeding ewes this year
Flock numbers are down slightly due to tighter culling last year and a reluctance by Eoin to buy in replacements last autumn, as he felt they were too expensive at special breeding sales, and there was uncertainty over Brexit last September.
However, he plans to rebuild the flock to 500 breeding ewes this year. Ewes lamb down to a combination of Belclare and Suffolk rams and will all lamb indoors.
All ewes were scanned on 7 January and the results were extremely positive, with mature ewes averaging 205% and ewe lambs averaging 142%.
Indoor lambing
As the farm is located on the north coast of Northern Ireland, weather is extremely variable in spring, with snow and heavy frosts common for the region during late March and early April.
With ewes lambing indoors, Eoin is in full control of the system from the pre-lambing diet to deciding when lambs are strong enough to turn out to grass.
Housing starts on the week prior to Christmas, with ewes penned on plastic slats or mesh. According to Eoin, plastic slats are the much preferred flooring system by ewes.
Once housed, ewes are fed second-cut silage through a diet feeder, with the fodder made in July. Silage was analysed and results gave an energy value of 10.6 Mj ME, down from the usual 11.3 to 11.5 Mj ME, due to wet conditions at harvesting time.
To prevent ewes from selectively eating the concentrate in the TMR, Eoin purposely requests a 19% protein ration to be finely blended
Meal was introduced to twin- and triplet-bearing ewes from late January at a rate of 0.22kg/day (0.5lb) due to lower energy in wet silage.
Again, concentrate is fed through the diet feeder as feed space is limited in pens, preventing all ewes from accessing meal at the same time.
To prevent ewes from selectively eating the concentrate in the TMR, Eoin purposely requests a 19% protein ration to be finely blended, for mixing with silage through the diet feeder.
As ewes get closer to lambing, twin-bearing animals are built up to 0.8kg/day (1.75lb), with triplet-bearing ewes on 1kg/day (2.25lb).
Ewes are switched from second-cut to first-cut silage (harvested in May), as they come closer to lambing. First-cut is also fed post-lambing to drive milk production in ewes.
Lambing management
Ewes are left to lamb without assistance as much as possible, and since the introduction of Lleyn and Belclare genetics, the number of interventions and mortality at lambing has greatly reduced.
During lambing, ewes are under observation 24/7 with additional labour available from Eoin’s father JJ, along with veterinary students.
Once ewes lamb, all newborn animals have their naval treated with iodine. Ewe and lamb outfits are moved to one of 50 individual mothering pens.
After lambing, ewes are in the pens for a 12 to 24 hour period
Ewes are moved from the sheep house to lambing pens using an internal connecting passage, meaning one person can move animals without assistance.
After lambing, ewes are in the pens for a 12 to 24 hour period, such is the intensity of having over 400 mature ewes lambing in a two-week period.
From the mothering pens, ewes move to a group pen in batches of 10 for a further 24 hours. In both mothering pens and group pens, ewes are on a 19% protein nut.
Grazing
At this point, if lambs are strong and sucking properly, they are turned out to grass the next day. In most years, sheep are fed nuts post-turnout. But last spring, an abundance of grass meant supplementary feed was not required.
With ewes being housed in December, ground is well rested which lets grass covers start to build. Silage ground remains closed from housing until first cut has been harvested in May.
Lambing earlier in March is not practical, as it would require a longer housing period from lambing until turnout and housing facilities would be unable to cope.
Triplets
Using Lleyn and Belclare breeding has increased the number of triplets born each year. Normally, a triplet is cross-fostered to a ewe with a single lamb.
Once the ewe with the single lamb passes the water bag, fluids are collected in a bucket and used to cover a triplet lamb.
The ewe is restrained until she has finished lambing. When released, the ewe generally accepts the foster lamb along with her own progeny.
Eoin sees this rearing system as being more cost effective and profitable than selling pet lambs in small batches
Last year, over 140 triplet lambs were born but with few single-bearing ewes, there was a high number of pet lambs reared. To make this labour-friendly, over 100 pet lambs were reared on an automatic feeding unit (Milkmade 2000) which has now been on farm four years.
Eoin sees this rearing system as being more cost effective and profitable than selling pet lambs in small batches.
For Eoin, a successful lambing period is all about preparation
With triplet lambs being small in stature, they would be a hard sell. Whereas on the feed unit, lambs achieve high weight gains and are usually the first lambs to be sold fat.
For Eoin, a successful lambing period is all about preparation. He checks that he has all supplies needed long before lambing starts, with pens washed, disinfected and built well in advance also.
480 breeding ewes including 70 ewe lambs.Two week lambing period starting 17 to 20 March.All ewes lamb indoors.Lleyn, Belclare and Suffolk cross ewes.Ewes scanned 205% in-lamb, 142% for ewe lambs.67ha farm with 50ha of grassland (17ha in willows). Read more
Calving kicks off on Tullamore Farm
Newford update: calving progressing well with 30% of cows calved
Eoin McCambridge runs a large-scale sheep flock outside Ballycastle, on the northeast coast of Northern Ireland.
The farm extends to 67ha (165ac), of which 50ha (123ac) is permanent grassland, with the remainder in willow. The farm is mainly laid out in two large blocks with a mix of dry and heavier land.
As well as running the farm, Eoin runs his own business providing instructional and health and safety training courses.
For the past 15 years, sheep have been the only livestock on farm. Prior to this, the farm also carried a dairy herd of 45 cows.
Over the outlined time period, there have been some major changes to the sheep system, with the biggest being a move away from keeping Suffolk x Cheviot and Texel cross ewes.
Instead, Eoin has switched to using Lleyn and Belclare genetics to increase both lamb numbers and maternal traits in the breeding flock.
Flock numbers
The farm normally carries 500 breeding ewes, including ewe lamb replacements which usually totalled around 70 head each year. Replacements are lambed as ewe lambs, rather than run through as gimmers. However, in spring 2020, there are 480 sheep set to lamb down, which should start around 17 to 20 March. All ewes are set to lamb over two weeks.
He plans to rebuild the flock to 500 breeding ewes this year
Flock numbers are down slightly due to tighter culling last year and a reluctance by Eoin to buy in replacements last autumn, as he felt they were too expensive at special breeding sales, and there was uncertainty over Brexit last September.
However, he plans to rebuild the flock to 500 breeding ewes this year. Ewes lamb down to a combination of Belclare and Suffolk rams and will all lamb indoors.
All ewes were scanned on 7 January and the results were extremely positive, with mature ewes averaging 205% and ewe lambs averaging 142%.
Indoor lambing
As the farm is located on the north coast of Northern Ireland, weather is extremely variable in spring, with snow and heavy frosts common for the region during late March and early April.
With ewes lambing indoors, Eoin is in full control of the system from the pre-lambing diet to deciding when lambs are strong enough to turn out to grass.
Housing starts on the week prior to Christmas, with ewes penned on plastic slats or mesh. According to Eoin, plastic slats are the much preferred flooring system by ewes.
Once housed, ewes are fed second-cut silage through a diet feeder, with the fodder made in July. Silage was analysed and results gave an energy value of 10.6 Mj ME, down from the usual 11.3 to 11.5 Mj ME, due to wet conditions at harvesting time.
To prevent ewes from selectively eating the concentrate in the TMR, Eoin purposely requests a 19% protein ration to be finely blended
Meal was introduced to twin- and triplet-bearing ewes from late January at a rate of 0.22kg/day (0.5lb) due to lower energy in wet silage.
Again, concentrate is fed through the diet feeder as feed space is limited in pens, preventing all ewes from accessing meal at the same time.
To prevent ewes from selectively eating the concentrate in the TMR, Eoin purposely requests a 19% protein ration to be finely blended, for mixing with silage through the diet feeder.
As ewes get closer to lambing, twin-bearing animals are built up to 0.8kg/day (1.75lb), with triplet-bearing ewes on 1kg/day (2.25lb).
Ewes are switched from second-cut to first-cut silage (harvested in May), as they come closer to lambing. First-cut is also fed post-lambing to drive milk production in ewes.
Lambing management
Ewes are left to lamb without assistance as much as possible, and since the introduction of Lleyn and Belclare genetics, the number of interventions and mortality at lambing has greatly reduced.
During lambing, ewes are under observation 24/7 with additional labour available from Eoin’s father JJ, along with veterinary students.
Once ewes lamb, all newborn animals have their naval treated with iodine. Ewe and lamb outfits are moved to one of 50 individual mothering pens.
After lambing, ewes are in the pens for a 12 to 24 hour period
Ewes are moved from the sheep house to lambing pens using an internal connecting passage, meaning one person can move animals without assistance.
After lambing, ewes are in the pens for a 12 to 24 hour period, such is the intensity of having over 400 mature ewes lambing in a two-week period.
From the mothering pens, ewes move to a group pen in batches of 10 for a further 24 hours. In both mothering pens and group pens, ewes are on a 19% protein nut.
Grazing
At this point, if lambs are strong and sucking properly, they are turned out to grass the next day. In most years, sheep are fed nuts post-turnout. But last spring, an abundance of grass meant supplementary feed was not required.
With ewes being housed in December, ground is well rested which lets grass covers start to build. Silage ground remains closed from housing until first cut has been harvested in May.
Lambing earlier in March is not practical, as it would require a longer housing period from lambing until turnout and housing facilities would be unable to cope.
Triplets
Using Lleyn and Belclare breeding has increased the number of triplets born each year. Normally, a triplet is cross-fostered to a ewe with a single lamb.
Once the ewe with the single lamb passes the water bag, fluids are collected in a bucket and used to cover a triplet lamb.
The ewe is restrained until she has finished lambing. When released, the ewe generally accepts the foster lamb along with her own progeny.
Eoin sees this rearing system as being more cost effective and profitable than selling pet lambs in small batches
Last year, over 140 triplet lambs were born but with few single-bearing ewes, there was a high number of pet lambs reared. To make this labour-friendly, over 100 pet lambs were reared on an automatic feeding unit (Milkmade 2000) which has now been on farm four years.
Eoin sees this rearing system as being more cost effective and profitable than selling pet lambs in small batches.
For Eoin, a successful lambing period is all about preparation
With triplet lambs being small in stature, they would be a hard sell. Whereas on the feed unit, lambs achieve high weight gains and are usually the first lambs to be sold fat.
For Eoin, a successful lambing period is all about preparation. He checks that he has all supplies needed long before lambing starts, with pens washed, disinfected and built well in advance also.
480 breeding ewes including 70 ewe lambs.Two week lambing period starting 17 to 20 March.All ewes lamb indoors.Lleyn, Belclare and Suffolk cross ewes.Ewes scanned 205% in-lamb, 142% for ewe lambs.67ha farm with 50ha of grassland (17ha in willows). Read more
Calving kicks off on Tullamore Farm
Newford update: calving progressing well with 30% of cows calved
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