Hill flock breeding strategies: The solid trade for Scottish Blackface and Cheviot female replacements, along with a vibrant trade for crossbred replacements such as Mule ewe lambs, is likely to be leading more hill sheep farmers to put extra thought into the most suitable breeding strategy. A big contributor to breeding decisions is the typical litter size achieved and number of lambs reared, as this has a huge influence on what options can be taken.

As reflected in Table 1, where the number of lambs reared is relatively low at 0.8 lambs per ewe joined, then the focus will remain on pure breeding, to be in a position to replenish the flock.

In contrast, where the number of lambs reared is in the region of 1.10 lambs per ewe joined, it provides much more scope to implement a crossbreeding programme, if desired. The Teagasc guidelines are are based on a hill flock with a replacement rate of about 24%, while also allowing for 10% of any potential ewe lambs to be deemed unsuitable.

The focus of the breeding policy should also take into account breeding the type of ewe and progeny that can excel in the terrain in which they are run. For example, there is no point chasing the crossbreeding market and altering the breeding profile of the flock if it will lead to issues in managing hill vegetation and sustaining a ewe type that is not suited to the environment. The lambing date should also match the natural trend of spring forage availability.

The level of output in a hill flock can be directly influenced by ewe body condition and liveweight. Teagasc research has shown a very strong association between the liveweight of Scottish Blackface ewes at mating and subsequent litter size (increasing from BCS 2 to 3 lifted the lambing percentage by 13.5%). Experience from the Teagasc BETTER Farm sheep programme shows a difference in pregnancy rate of over 10% between ewes at a condition score of 2 at mating and those at the desired condition score of 3. It also resulted in shorter lambing spread by five days, with ewes falling below optimum body condition generally cycling later. In terms of liveweight, for ewes on semi-improved hills, experience from the better Farm programme points to a target liveweight of close to 50kg or higher for relatively good-quality hills. This reduces to in the region of 45kg liveweight for ewes on harder hills.

Preparedness for inspections: There are still scheme inspections taking place, despite level 5 restrictions. It is worthwhile ensuring that paperwork relating to flock movements, tagging of replacement ewe lambs and schemes such as the Sheep Welfare Scheme are up to date. It is also worth checking the tag status of ewes when flocked for final breeding checks or routine health treatments.