With a large amount of sheep farmers operating on a part-time basis, time efficiency is necessary to ensure that their farming enterprise runs smoothly, while still allowing them the time to spend with friends, family or for some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

Lambing is a significant period of work for farmers, with many positives to completing the lambing period in a timely manner.

Provided facilities allow, a compact lambing period has several benefits. It shortens the time period where night-time checks need to be completed at lambing, or for part-time farmers taking leave from their full-time jobs, it means that the bulk of ewes can be lambed while they are at home full-time.

A compact lambing also allows routine tasks such as vaccination and weaning to be completed on the one day, as all lambs will be relatively similar in age and weight.

Achieving compact lambing means a more even batch of lambs when it comes to drafting for sales or to the factory.

Farmers themselves can influence how quickly the lambing period is completed.

Ewe condition is highly influential on the percentage of multiple births and the percentage of barren ewes. At this stage, all lambs should be weaned from ewes, with the ideal weaning age being 14 weeks.

Rest period

A sufficient rest period is required for ewes pre-breeding in order to allow for the ewes to regain any lost body condition. It can take up to 10 weeks for ewes to regain one unit of body condition. The target BCS at mating time is 3.5.

Post-weaning, any extremely thin ewes that you plan on breeding this year should be drafted and fed with supplementary feeding. Any issues with lame ewes should be treated, with persistently lame ewes culled.

Nutrition and minerals are key to ensuring ewes resume ovulation and hold to service

With regard to treating lameness, an adequate time (three minutes) standing in the solution and a stand-off period afterwards (10 minutes) is more important than the product used.

main trace minerals.

Nutrition and minerals are key to ensuring ewes resume ovulation and hold to service. Ideally, farmers will have knowledge of what minerals are generally lacking on farm, but if not, they should cover for the main trace minerals.

Trace minerals include copper, zinc, cobalt, manganese, selenium, iodine and iron.

Trace minerals exist at low levels in the animal’s body and smaller amounts are required in the diet.

Trace element levels are lower in grass so that is why more supplementation of these minerals is needed. Farmers may choose to mineral drench or bolus, with some farmers having this as an action for their Sheep Welfare Scheme.

Stock rams

The greatest tool in the shepherd’s pocket in compacting the lambing period is probably the stock ram. He should be of a correct body condition score (BCS) – 3.5 to 3.75), and correct of feet, mouth or reproductive organ issues.

A good ram-ewe ratio will ensure ewes that are in heat are not missed, with the general guide being between 45 and 70 ewes per mature ram, with the higher figure intended for more active breeds.

Running a team of two to three rams together is also a good idea, provided rams are accustomed to each other beforehand, will also help to reduce the risk of ewe heats being missed.

Rams can also be used to bring on heats in ewes that are not already cycling through the “ram effect”.

Ewes should be out of sight and smell of rams (including ram lambs) for 28 days minimum. A teaser ram can then be introduced or, alternatively, a stock ram in a well-fenced adjoining paddock, for 48 hours.

The rams will produce hormones known as pheromones, with ewes being sensitive to these after the exclusion of rams. The pheromones and sight of the ram should then trigger their reproductive system to start cycling.