Farmer Focus: Shearlings drag down A-flock scan rate

After an average scan with our B-flock of 180%, we were quietly optimistic about scanning the A-flock, which we lamb outdoors in April. These are our best ewes, plus 100 shearlings.

As they went through one by one, the scanner seemed to be using a lot of spray marker. Never a good sign as that means barren, single or triplets.

Luckily, the barren rate was only 2%, but we had far too many singles.

See also: Estate flock halves feed cost and lifts scan rate to 186%

About the author

Louise Elkington

Louise Elkington runs 500 breeding ewes and a small suckler herd in Lincolnshire with husband Chris. Gelston Lamb sells all meat produced on the farm through pop-up shops, deliveries and catering. They have 54ha (133 acres) of grass on a farm business tenancy and agreements for stubble turnips and hay aftermaths.

Read more articles by Louise Elkington

Overall scan was 161%, which is disappointing, but having looked at the figures, it’s the shearling ewes that have brought the scan down, scanning at 145%.

This is something we have struggled with in the past, though last year, shearlings scanned at 180%, so we thought we had cracked it.

We are putting it down to the fact that, as lambs, these ewes weren’t on the best of grazing, and they weren’t flushed.

This year’s ewe lambs are currently on stubble turnips, and we will look to flush before tupping and see how we get on.

We only have 16 triplets, which we are happy about as outdoor lambing-plus-triplets is always harder work to do adoptions.

Singles can also be tricky if the lambs get too big, so we will make sure these come off turnips and back onto grass before the rest of the flock.

All ewes have now been crutched out ready for lambing. We used to do this pre-tupping, but we find they stay cleaner at lambing this way, and it lowers the risk of fly strike in the coming months.

We (like many) have struggled to get hold of Heptavac P, so we have vaccinated the ewes with Covexin 10. Hopefully, we don’t get any pasteurella issues, but only time will tell.

The indoor lambing flock is still out on turnips, but will be coming home soon, as ewes are due to lamb from 1 March.

We had 100 covered in the first two days, and we are praying the weather is kind and we can get them outside quickly after they have lambed. 

We have just taken on a new butcher and added a new monthly market. This will hopefully take the pressure off the pop-up shop at the farm, as it’s getting incredibly busy to fit into one day.