How Yorkshire farm is using EID to find most productive ewes

A Texel-cross flock is trying to improve future profitability by using electronic identification (EID) data to select for lines that can wean two 35kg lambs at 90 days.

The Wilsons at Searchlight Farm, Middlesbrough, have been learning about flock data and EID recording since investing in their first hand-held reader in 2010.

They created a nucleus flock of 120 ewes in 2019 from their commercial 600-head Texel-cross and Mule flock.

See also: How EID is helping beef finisher identify poor performers

This was done to improve growth from grass, maternal ability and to control supplementary feeding costs.

EID helps manage breeding decisions and avoid inbreeding, while allowing the farm to close its flock and breed its own replacements.

“We hope to track ewe performance to find the best sheep and focus the best tups at the best ewes,” explains Ian Wilson, who farms with parents Ray and Elizabeth and wife Anna.

The Wilsons currently lamb inside but have tried more maternal New Zealand Texel rams in the past couple of years with outdoor lambing in mind.

“None of us is getting younger and outdoor lambing could be easier from a labour point of view,” adds Mr Wilson.

Nucleus flock

Ewes are selected for the nucleus flock based on:

• How many lambs they wean at 90-100 days – the best wean two 35kg lambs
• Their easycare credentials – how good they are to lamb and how healthy their feet are
• The fact they haven’t prolapsed.

The Wilsons found 85 of the 88 ewes still on the farm from their initial pick in 2019 have made it into the nucleus flock in consecutive seasons, with the others being culled out because of age or mastitis.

“We’ve been trying to breed the best gimmers we can and close the flock as much as possible,” says Mr Wilson.

“Fast growth to weaning and days to slaughter are important here as we struggle to have enough grass to tup ewes at home and carry lambs into the winter.”

Importance of weight recording 

As well as improving flock genetics, weight-gain data flagged up a cobalt issue in 2019, when average daily liveweight gains dropped by about 50g/day.

It has also identified rams throwing gimmers with bad feet and poor shoulders and conformation, allowing the Wilsons to cull them or use them as terminal sires. 

Flock data has also proved a New Zealand Texel (2910) from Robin Hulme, Easyrams, was superior to a more conventional Texel (3900) that was more impressive to look at (see table below).  

How EID works 

All the family is involved at lambing time, and all lambs are EID-tagged within 24 hours of birth.

Birthweight is gauged by weighing a sample of small, large and average-sized lambs.

After lambing, most EID recording is done in a polytunnel with a drafting pen at one end, filtering through to a race and weigh crate or a Combi Clamp.

Lambs are then weighed at five and eight weeks old (when vaccinations are given), at weaning (100 days) and then weekly until sale.

Ewes are condition-scored and weighed pre-lambing (vaccination) at eight weeks, weaning, tupping, housing and scanning.

This data, along with cull remarks and lambing comments, is transferred to the farm computer, which uses Border Software to identify trends and issues, and into the AHDB Challenge Sheep database.