Keep an eye on ewe BCS, particularly any thinner or older ewes

It’s often overlooked and not often monitored enough on sheep farms, but body condition scoring (BCS) ewes in the lead up to the lambing season should be a priority.

It’s been a wet back end and ewes tend to lose more condition during wet weather conditions.

As this back end hasn’t been ideal for grazing, lower dry matter (DM) grass and with grazing conditions poor, it will leave some of the flock under pressure.

In particular, older ewes and those with bad mouths will struggle most, as will those that were already a bit behind at joining.

Ideally, we want ewes lambing down with a BCS of 3.0. A ewe in poor condition will hold on to energy supplies instead of passing them onto her offspring. This, in turn, will affect lamb growth-rates and colostrum production.

Therefore, treat any apparent health issues. The wet weather has forced many farmers’ hands so for those short on grass it is worth considering housing thinner ewes and providing a small amount of supplementation to improve their condition.

This should only be a concern for a small percentage of ewes in the flock, but as with many aspects of flock management, early intervention will pay dividends come lambing time.