Investment in easy-care types suits outdoor lambing

A review of the sheep business at Culmington Farm, Ludlow Shropshire, four years ago saw father and son team Will and Phil Norton expand and simplify their sheep enterprise.

Now the business integrates low-cost lamb production with developing arable and contracting enterprises.

The farm is now home to 950 Lleyn/Welsh Mule crosses that lamb tightly outside at grass in the first half of April with minimal labour input.

Five years ago we were struggling with the sheep enterprise, says Phil Norton. “We were lambing in January to try and capitalise on the early lamb trade, but feed costs were high and our grass was not coming early enough. What buildings we did have available were under pressure around lambing time and we were certainly in no position to expand the flock,” he says.

But a discussion with Rumenco’s David Thornton and feed merchant Charlie Prince opened the Nortons’ eyes to the potential of a move to a lower-input flock management system.

“With Mr Thornton’s help we decided to invest in an ‘easy-care’ type sheep enterprise and it has allowed us to expand the flock significantly, while at the same time releasing time when we need it to develop our other enterprises,” Will says.

“We now think Lleyn cross Texel ewes back to a Charollais tup are the way forward,” he says. Last spring, the Nortons managed to lamb 798 ewes at grass within 18 days, with minimal intervention and zero concentrate input. With the housed system they had to help about 20% of the ewes lambs, whereas now fewer than 5% require assistance. “The lambs are fit and strong too and are generally up on their feet sucking very quickly,” says Will.

Everything is now geared towards easier lambing, including nutrition and an investment in what the Norton’s call “blocky, smaller-headed tups”.

After weaning the lambs in September, the ewes are kept on tight pasture until being flushed on better grass in late October and supplemented with minerals before the tups go in on 5 November. During the first week of December the pregnant ewes are housed to rest the grass, scanned about 20 January and fed in groups of 150 on ad lib silage and minerals until mid February. Ewes are then turned out to grass in batches, based on the scanning results.

“Those carrying triplets go out four weeks pre-lambing, the twin-bearers two weeks before and the singles only a week before lambing. It’s a fine line, but we’ve found the singles really do need that week at grass to boost their milk production,” says Phil.

To ensure ewes receive the necessary feed supplementation, the Norton’s use a supplement that benefits the unborn lamb as well as the ewe, so it balances what’s missing in the grass for the ewes, and provides extra nutritional benefits the unborn lambs.

The supplement improves ewe vitamin and mineral status, promotes an easier lambing, and boosts colostrum quality and unborn lamb nutritional status, explains Mr Thornton.

“Its value to the shepherd has been proven by independent trial work. For example, an SAC study has shown that feeding Lifeline pre-lambing can significantly increase immunoglobulin levels in the colostrum. Ewes fed showed a 25% increase in colostrum immunoglobulin content.”

Immunoglobulin content is an important measure of colostrum quality that infers passive immunity to disease in young lambs, adds Mr Thornton. “As all shepherds know, healthier lambs have increased feed intake and growth rate, show improved early vigour and general health, thrive and are less likely to suffer from conditions such as coccidiosis, hypothermia and mis-mothering. Losses due to predators may also be reduced when lambs are livelier if born outside.”

The triple-bearing and yearling ewes gain access to supplementary feed blocks from six weeks pre-lambing, which provides some additional protein (18%) in addition to the micro-element package. This is particularly important for the yearlings as they are still growing and will need a good milk supply at lambing.

Lambs also get off to a good start when lambed outside, says Will. “We are trying to finish as many lambs as possible off grass plus some chicory. In 2010, we sold 1100 fat lambs in total, plus 180 store lambs on 22 October, so our grass could recover for flushing the ewes.

“There has been some criticism of pasture-based lambing systems in the past, with some suggesting lambs don’t grade as well, but that’s not our experience. Most seem to grade more than satisfactorily (31% E and U grades).”