During what is a busy and challenging period on sheep farms across the country, the lambing season this year has faced extreme weather conditions that will have an impact on flock performance.
Nationwide, rain has impacted sowing dates for tillage farmers, turnout of cattle, the spreading of fertiliser and slurry, and also the successful rearing of this year’s crop of lambs.
Eamon Patten of Teagasc Ballinrobe, discussed challenges faced by sheep farmers during lambing season due to adverse weather, including maintaining hygiene, ensuring strong ewe-lamb bonding, managing grass supplies and preventing health issues.
While Patten acknowledged the lambing of mid-season ewes is near completion on many farms, he said it is about to start with the hill and late lambing lowland flocks.
Housing challenges during lambing
Other than labour, Patten said the biggest problem in keeping stock indoors is the hygiene situation and trying to minimise the increasing disease challenge.
He said the use of adequate bedding is vital as bacteria builds up during the lambing season.
Using lime or one of the proprietary disinfecting powders can help with minimising the incidence of scouring and joint ill.
Turning out
Patten said a vital issue when turning out ewes with young lambs into poorer weather is to ensure a good ewe/lamb bond.
The aim should be to allow at least 24 hours (48 hours is better) occupancy in an individual pen before moving the ewe and her lamb/s to a group pen or sheltered paddock.
With poor weather, the Teagasc advisor said the pinch point is usually the number of pens. A target is to have at least one individual pen for every eight to ten ewes.
The ultimate goal is turning out ewes and lambs to grass covers that will meet their feed requirements with little or no concentrate supplementation.
Patten advises to always plan to turn out ewes and lambs in the morning so that the lambs have time to familiarise themselves with their surroundings before the onset of darkness.
Check freshly turned out lambs before nightfall. If ewes and lambs have to go out then consider the following:
- Turn out ewes with single lambs first;
- Turn out in small groups in fields with shelter. Try to have some type of shelter or wind break even temporary by providing artificial shelter areas using small square bales of old hay or straw scattered around the field if extreme weather is being forecast. On exposed sheep farms it would be beneficial to plant hedges and trees;
- Put protective disposable jackets on lambs. These generally only last a few days;
- Only turnout into fields with adequate grass (>5cm) – grass shortages increase the incidence of miss-mothering.
Issues during grazing
Following turnout to grass, one of the most common causes of death in ewes is hypomagnesaemia or grass tetany as it is more commonly known.
The disease is caused by low magnesium (Mg) levels in the blood and if not detected early and treated promptly it is frequently fatal.
Prevention is the best medicine and involves some type of supplementation.
Poor weather, in particular high rainfall periods, has a negative impact on both the utilisation and intake of available grass as well as a reduced capacity of the ewe to take up nutrients from the grass.
Ewes may also spend this time seeking shelter for lambs at times they would normally be grazing.
There can also be higher mastitis incidence, as well as coccidiosis in lambs, which is often caused by soiling and dirt around troughs and feeders, which will be common in this wet weather.