Clostridial disease vaccine: At a farm walk last week, there were a number of questions relating to clostridial disease vaccine and what age animals should be vaccinated. The answer is not straightforward and will be influenced by the health programme on your farm and the disease risk. Lambs from unvaccinated ewes can be vaccinated from three weeks of age onwards. Passive immunity achieved through colostrum from vaccinated ewes (who received the full course of two vaccines or a booster shot) can last up to 12 weeks of age. However, the time frame can be much shorter where there is a high disease risk. This subject, and in particular these questions, was covered in detail by the Journal Vet in last year’s lambing supplement. This article has been reposted on the Farmers Journal website for farmers seeking further information and can be found in the Knowledge Centre on the home page at www.farmersjournal.ie.

Marketing early lamb: Easter Sunday falls later than previous years on Sunday 20 April. The later date gives extra time to have lambs ready for sale but also brings the risk of earlier-born lambs feeding into heavier weights. While weight limits have increased to 23.5kg to 24kg for hoggets, most factory plants state the starting weight limit for new-season lamb will be 20kg carcase weight. The pressure to increase this may be weakened by a recovery in hogget supplies. It is important to contact your processor or wholesaler to confirm weights and draft lambs at the right time. The mart trade may be a better option for overweight lambs.

Creep feeding: Creep feeding will increase production costs but can have a role to play depending on the system. With grass supplies remaining very tight, introducing creep to lambs rather than continuing to feed very high levels of concentrates to ewes will deliver a better response once ewe milk yield starts to decline. Lambs born in mid to late February are now at a stage where they are relying more and more on grazed forage to meet their nutritional requirements. Where grass supplies are insufficient, lamb performance will suffer in the absence of supplementary feeding.

The best response to creep feeding will be achieved where supplementation levels are restricted. The general recommendation is supplementing with 300g or 600g per head per day. At this level of feeding, Teagasc research shows lambs will consume about 30kg to 50kg from birth to weaning. At a cost of €300/t, this translates to a cost of €9 to €15 per lamb. Feeding ad-lib meals should be avoided if possible with mid-season lambs as costs can quickly escalate.

Combining creep feeding with creep grazing delivers significant advantages. Creep feeding can be used to get lambs accustomed to passing through creep gates and grazing forward. When grass quality is high, creep levels can be minimised with similar levels of performance achieved from grazed grass. Where grass supplies or quality is inadequate, supplementation can be increased to maintain performance. Grazing ahead will also allow meal to be fed in troughs rather than ad-lib feeders. The recommended width of spaces in creep gates should be 9in or 225mm.