Lambing commenced on Tullamore Farm on Tuesday 27 March, with the exception of one ewe which had lambed a few weeks earlier. Lambing is progressing well, with the number of ewes lambed by Wednesday morning 4 April reaching 68.

Weather and poor grass growth remain the greatest challenges for the farm, with ewes giving birth to good-sized lambs and possessing plenty of milk.

Twin lambs are weighing in the region of 5kg to 6kg, with the weight of triplets variable, as can be expected, but described by farm manager Shaun Diver as typically being good.

The first week of lambing included a high percentage of triplet-bearing ewes. The scanning rate for the flock of 170 Mule ewes was 2.16 lambs per ewe put to the ram, with scanning results detailed in Table 1.

The inclement weather in recent weeks has continued to put pressure on housing, with cows also in the midst of calving.

With space at a premium, the aim is to get ewes and lambs turned outdoors as soon as possible. This target is being aided by a decision taken in advance of lambing not to let any ewes to grass with triplet lambs.

As such, one lamb is being removed from each litter and while some triplet bearing ewes still require a little extra time indoors for lambs to get hardy, it is quicker than waiting for ewes with three lambs to be ready to be turned outdoors. Surplus lambs are being sold off the farm at a few days of age to a farmer for artificial rearing.

Ewes and lambs are typically spending 24 to 48 hours in individual pens, depending on lambing intensity and pressure for space. There are two temporary batch pens set up and these are being used to give the ewes with weaker lambs a couple of extra days indoors.

Pressure on these two pens was high at the start of the week, with low temperatures and heavy rainfall preventing turnout. A break in the weather allowed some pressure to be taken off these pens on Tuesday morning, with the strongest ewes and lambs turned out to a sheltered paddock.

This brings the total number of ewes and lambs out grazing to 40 ewes and 77 lambs. These are in one batch in a three-acre paddock and will be moved to fresh grazing in advance of the next batch of ewes and lambs being turned outdoors, with ewes and young lambs getting priority for the best shelter available.

Grass growth and meal feeding

Grass growth remains well behind normal and is running in the region of just 15kg to 20kg DM/ha. Recovery in paddocks grazed by cows and calves is also poor, despite areas grazed receiving a second allocation of 35 units of nitrogen.

Meal feeding is being continued at a rate of 0.8kg to ewes at grass to serve two aims – help stretch existing grass supplies and ensure ewes have optimum milk, which will hopefully help to carry lambs through the difficult weather. Triplet-bearing ewes are receiving 1.1kg concentrate supplementation, with twins receiving 0.9kg.

Offering meal will also help to reduce the nutritional pressure on ewes and hopefully prevent issues such as grass tetany. Ewes are going to grass in pretty good body condition and should also be able to utilise body reserves if required.

Shaun says that ewes have generally settled OK outdoors and that the Mule ewes are exhibiting good maternal characteristics and sticking close to their lambs.

There has been one lamb loss outdoors and this is being attributed to a lamb being attacked by a mink or pine marten. Fox activity is also described by Shaun as being high and this is another reason for keeping ewes with young lambs close to the yard for a period after turnout.

The number of losses indoors is also small at five lambs and can be attributed to normal lambing mortality of a ewe lying on a lamb and a few weak triplet lambs dying.

Late-pregnancy feeding

The highest activity was in the first week of breeding, with upwards of 80 ewes mated. The remaining 90 ewes split fairly evenly in the second and third weeks, with a number of later and single-bearing ewes batched together.

Twin-bearing ewes are being fed 0.8kg to 0.9kg of a 20% protein ration. The main ingredients are 20% soya bean meal, 16% maize, 14.5% oats, 12% barley, 10% beans, 8% beet pulp and wheat distillers, while the remainder is made up of molasses, maize nuggets and minerals and vitamins. The feed has an energy content of 0.93UFL.

Triplet-bearing ewes are being fed 1.1kg to 1.2kg ration, with a higher than normal allocation offered to compensate for moderate-quality silage with a DMD of 66, which is being fed ad-lib.

Ewes are allowed out into a yard every morning and evening for feeding and returned to straw bedding, which is now being topped up with fresh straw more frequently for lambing.

Single- and later-lambing ewes are being fed about 0.7kg concentrate in the final weeks of lambing to boost milk supply for cross fostering.

Health concerns

There are about 15 temporary lambing pens set up alongside the group lambing pens. Pens are cleaned out and lime is being applied after each lambing to help prevent disease getting established. The first lambs turned outdoors have settled well and are performing ok, despite the inclement weather.

Every ewe is also checked at lambing to ensure she has sufficient milk in both teats and particular attention is placed on ensuring triplet lambs receive sufficient colostrum.

If required, lambs receive a top-up of cow’s colostrum (sourced from a herd with a high health status) or artificial colostrum. Ewes are also being given a combination fluke and worm dose on the advice of the farm’s vet Donal Lynch.

Difficult grazing conditions

The main challenges for cows and calves and beef cattle are also poor grass growth and challenging ground conditions, which have deteriorated since the weekend with heavy rainfall.

Calving is progressing slowly, with three cows calved in the last week bringing the total number calved to 70 cows and 66 live calves on the ground. Birth weights range from 38kg to 50kg, with most in a range of 40kg to 46kg.

There are 37 cows and 38 calves grazing in one batch. These were previously in two batches and were grouped to get a grazing rotation going.

Cows are being fed 3kg of concentrates to stretch grass reserves, with the latest grass budget showing an average farm cover of 350kg. Cows have also received a magnesium bolus and have access to lick buckets to protect against grass tetany.

There is another batch of cows and younger calves indoors and turnout of this group has been delayed, with good silage stocks present.

Two temporary group pens were set up to give ewes with young and lighter lambs a few extra days indoors.

Two temporary group pens were set up to give ewes with young and lighter lambs a few extra days indoors.

The batch of dairy-bred heifers which were removed from the grazing area and returned to grazed kale ground remain on silage and 3kg concentrates. With weather not showing much prospects of improving in the short term, these heifers will remain here for at least the next seven to 10 days.

Bulls on ad-lib concentrates are performing well. They weighed about 480kg on average on 21 March, achieving an average daily gain in excess of 1.20kg since birth. The majority of bulls weighed between 430kg and 520kg, with the heaviest bulls weighing 560kg to 576kg.

Suckler-bred yearling heifers remain indoors on ad-lib silage and 2kg concentrates. The average weight of these heifers was around 360kg on 21 March, with heifers achieving a good average daily gain since birth of 0.89kg.