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Know How / Sheep / Breeding and fertility

Good breeding and fertility management in sheep flocks is key to achieving the best lamb crop. Find the latest advice on issues from ram and ewe genetics, ovulation and conception rates, to scanning, condition scoring, breeds, tup management and lambing.

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Case studies

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SHEEP

Farmer imports breed to lift wool cheque up to five-fold

A large-scale, low-input Romney breeder has added low-micron fleece to his breeding goals, with the aim of turning a loss-making wool enterprise into a profitable one. Frank Langrish, of Langrish…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How terminal sire stud is producing top 1% rams

Selecting high-index sheep in a challenging commercial system has resulted in sales of 100 terminal sire lambs a year with no hard feed for one Devon breeder. Peter Baber and…

LIVESTOCK

How an upland farm doubled its hill sheep index in three years

An upland farmer is increasing his income from lamb sales by performance recording his closed flock of Welsh Mountain ewes. In five years, the average weight of lamb produced a…

SHEEP

How RamCompare gives pedigree flock commercial edge

Sheep industry stalwart and farmer Charles Sercombe believes performance recording holds the key to unlocking the efficiency of the UK’s flock. “Agriculture is at a crossroads: whichever party is elected…

LIVESTOCK

How breeders are using methane test in wool-shedding project

A farming duo has added methane testing to its breeding programme in a quest to develop low-input sheep with low methane emissions. Shropshire sheep and arable farmer Hayden Woolley and…

LIVESTOCK DISEASES

Closed policy yields 1.7 lambs reared for Durham flock

A string of flock health setbacks has forced a Durham family to rely on its own breeding to maintain high output in its stratified sheep outdoor lambing system.    Several iceberg…

Practical advice

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SHEEP

How lambing data helps closed flocks run smoother

A desire to safeguard flock health has seen a recent trend for closed flocks. This has been helped by the ability to monitor individual ewe and sire performance through ear…

SHEEP

Why moving weaning date can improve ewe scanning rate

Sheep farmers should consider adjusting weaning dates to limit the impacts of poor ewe condition to one production year when faced with challenging summers. This is the message of AHDB…

SHEEP

5 tips on lifting flock fertility this autumn

Ewe fertility is one of the principal drivers of flock profitability, as the number of lambs scanned and born dictates output. Factors ranging from condition score at mating to parasite…

FEED AND NUTRITION

Tips for feeding and managing ewes for lambing success

Nutrition plays a fundamental role in successful sheep breeding and can make the greatest difference when it comes to preventative health management and flock productivity – for both the ewe…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Advice for buying rams based on EBVs

Ram selection is key to a successful sheep enterprise, with trials showing that the right tup can be worth an extra £600 over his working lifetime. With 50 years’ worth…

SHEEP

Guide to preventing enzootic abortion in ewes

Enzootic abortion, also known as chlamydial abortion, is caused by infection with the bacteria Chlamydophila abortus. The bacteria damages the placenta and reduces the transfer of nutrients to the growing lamb…

Insights

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SHEEP

Why "breed snobbery" could challenge liveweight sales

A desire to change the system, lower the cost base and move towards self-replacing maternal genetics has left some businesses in the cold when selling liveweight, Farmers Weekly has heard.…

LIVESTOCK

How rising costs threaten future of Icelandic sheep farming

Tough and resilient – the farmers in Iceland are much like the sheep they have bred to cope with the rugged terrain and sub-Arctic winter conditions. But many, like 44-year-old…

LIVESTOCK

The benefits of investing in a maternal ram

Advances in sheep production systems including flock identification, record-keeping, ultrasound scanning, handling systems and computing power have transformed our ability to use information to identify and breed from sheep with…

SHEEP

EBV proven rams can add £6 a lamb, project shows

Sheep farmers could increase ram values by more than £900 by investing in proven estimated breeding values (EBVs). This is according to the six-year results from the RamCompare project, published…

SHEEP

Does the UK have too many sheep breeds?

Over the centuries a spectrum of breeds has evolved in Britain, from fast-growing, prolific lowland types to hardier, single-bearing ewes for the uplands. According to the National Sheep Association (NSA),…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How pedigree breeds have changed in each sector

We looked at the latest data and spoke to industry experts to find out more about the changing picture for pedigree animals. We look at the dairy, beef, sheep and…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How Welsh sheep producers are improving hill genetics

Welsh Mountain sheep producers from across Wales have joined forces to raise the commercial standard of regional types of hill sheep. The ProHill producer group is the biggest collaborative breeding…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

5 tips from NZ to increase sheep flock returns by 30%

UK sheep farmers can achieve a 30% increase in flock gross margins by adopting five principles used in New Zealand, a consultant claims. Murray Rohloff says while benefits will vary…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

How Ram Compare could add £5 to lamb value

A national terminal sire sheep evaluation project has identified rams that can finish faster and at better grades on nine commercial sheep farms across the UK. Over the past four…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Livestock gene editing: Current rules and potential benefits

The potential to make our own legislation after leaving the EU could provide scope for gene editing of livestock to become mainstream in the UK. Gene editing changes a precise…

BREEDING AND FERTILITY

Sheep AI trial shows frozen semen possibilities

Farmers wishing to improve conception rates by using cervical insemination in combination with frozen semen could learn from a recent Farming Connect study. Cervical AI using fresh semen is not…

LIVESTOCK

CT scanning set to influence terminal and maternal traits

Computerised tomography (CT) scanning has demonstrated its value in sheep carcass improvements and could be used to play a role in lambing ease prediction. A range of measurements such as…