Sheep management: completing the sheep census and managing ewe lambs

The date for the sheep census is 31 December 2018. For farmers completing the census online, it is important to note that the portal for submitting 2018 numbers will not be available until 31 December. For those not accustomed to completing the census online, the following is a short summary of the steps involved. Once logged into your agfood account, select the tab “animal identification and movement”. Farms with mixed cattle and sheep enterprises will be then given a cattle-keeper option and a sheep-keeper option. Select the sheep option and you will be presented with four options in the top left corner, one of which is “sheep census”. Selecting this will then give you the option of creating a census for 2018 or viewing previous year’s data.

The date of the sheep census is also a good opportunity to rectify or record any outstanding information and ensure that animal identification is up to scratch. Remember where ordering sheep tags that the €100 tag subsidy is based only on the first order of EID tags between 1 October 2018 and 31 September 2019.

The way that pregnant ewe lambs are managed during pregnancy will have a major influence on subsequent performance. Research carried out in Teagasc Athenry advises that to stay on target ewe lambs need to gain in the region of 80g per head during early and mid-pregnancy. In the Athenry trial, ewe lambs mated in October/early November were housed in mid-December on high-quality 75 DMD silage and offered 200g concentrate in mid-January, rising to 250g in late January. Access to good-quality grazing and a small level of concentrates should also suffice.

Research funded by DARD and carried out by AFBI recommends a similar level of weight gain. While it is beneficial for ewes to lose a small level of weight, letting ewe lambs lose weight can lead to higher mortality. On the other hand, excessive feeding in early pregnancy is linked to the birth of over-sized lambs and greater assistance at lambing while over feeding in mid-pregnancy is shown to have negative effects in terms of placental development and also possibly in maternal instinct at lambing. Where hoggets are being run dry, it is still important to keep lambs performing to achieve their potential while this approach will also allow the option of drafting unsuitable lambs at a later stage and requiring less supplementation to finish.

The new year brings lots of talk of resolutions and making changes for the better. Unfortunately, many of these quickly pass. There will be a lot of emphasis placed on flock health and lambing preparations in the coming month but there is one area that should come top of the to-do list – carrying out an annual health check with your doctor. Farming by its nature includes a lot of physical exertion and walking but research shows that while farmers may be walking a combined significant distance during the day, the level of exertion is regularly not at a level to bring about health benefits.

It has been a tough year for many with the stress of dealing with weather and higher costs still evident. Teagasc has a good source of information on its website including a booklet on staying fit for farming. Happy new year.