Tight straw supplies

This week’s Focus supplement is lambing. An article on page 64 looks at alternative bedding options to overcome a straw shortage.

One option not addressed and one that is likely to be taken up by a number of farmers is delaying housing and out-wintering ewes for longer. Current weather is creating significant challenges in this regard, particularly in offering forage.

It is important that feeding points are moved regularly to prevent poaching and also limit the level of fleece soiling on the ewe’s belly, particularly if lambing is approaching. Difficult ground conditions have also made it more challenging for farmers offering cobs or nuts on top of the ground and is leading to a higher risk of listeriosis from ingesting soil. While not readily possible for big flocks, offering concentrates in troughs will help greatly in this regard.

Another critical element is resisting the temptation to graze swards that have been closed up and are targeted for grazing in early lactation. The saving in delaying housing and reducing straw costs will be well exceeded if it results in additional concentrates being required in early lactation.

Hygiene at lambing

The shortage of straw on some farms may also be encouraging farmers to conserve supplies. It is vital that hygiene is not compromised during lambing as the consequences of disease striking can quickly lead to costs and the labour requirement escalating.

Take care to clean and disinfect lambing pens. The ideal approach is cleaning and disinfecting pens between each sheep but this is not always a runner given time constraints. Where bedding is being topped up, applying lime followed by a deep bed of fresh straw can help in reducing the disease risk.

There is more attention being placed on the use of antibiotics in livestock production. Sheep have a good name in this regard with a low level of usage.

The first port of call should be to adopt a prevention rather than cure approach. Dealing with E coli scour or watery mouth is one area where hygiene and ensuring lambs consume sufficient colostrum in the early hours of life is vital in preventing problems occurring.

Where problems exist on an annual basis on farms, there is still scope to reduce administration of drugs, with some farmers treating triplet lambs faced with a higher risk of consuming less colostrum and leaving single- and twin-bearing lambs untreated.

Jump in protein demand

The requirement for protein increases sharply in the final two weeks of pregnancy. The general recommendation is a protein content of 18% to 20% for medium litter sizes (1.6 to 1.9 lambs per ewe) with the protein level recommended for higher-prolificacy flocks ranging from 20% to 21%.

Given the low cost per animal of increasing protein content, it may be more straightforward if ordering the concentrate a few weeks before lambing to purchase the feed that will be fed in late pregnancy and early lambing.

Soya bean meal is the preferred protein source given its high energy requirement.

Emphasis should be placed on targeting high-energy ingredients with the overall feed ideally possessing a metabolisable energy content in excess of 12 MJ ME/kg DM.